IN THE HEART OF THE ACTION
Ella highrise coming to Kelowna’s trendiest district
When one of Kelowna’s most progressive developers shifts gears and begins building up instead of out, it’s a sure sign the city is entering a new phase.
Mission Group is launching sales this fall of its first highrise in the Okanagan city, a 20-storey, 116-unit concrete tower called Ella, astutely located in the Bernard district, Kelowna’s newest and trendiest neighbourhood. All the homes feature guaranteed views of Okanagan Lake or the surrounding mountains because the residences start on the sixth floor, with retail outlets and parking occupying the first five storeys.
Luke Turri, the company’s vicepresident of development and a Kelowna native, points to his own parents as an indicator of how Ella’s neighbourhood is attracting people. “My parents live in a 3,000-square-foot home in the suburb of Wilden (about 15 minutes away). And every weekend they come down here to walk their dog. They will grab a coffee and get some breakfast. They want to be in the centre of things.
“They don’t like the malls,” he said, adding his mother loves to shop the smaller boutiques typical of the area.
Turri said he, his spouse and their two young children also live in Kelowna’s downtown. They used to go to Vancouver to enjoy a downtown environment, but now they can enjoy the same experience in Kelowna.
Mission Group has built a number of different projects in Kelowna over the last few years, including the low-rise Central Green residences, and the U1 and U2 rental developments designed for student living just off University of B.C.’s Okanagan campus.
It made the decision to acquire the land and build Ella after observing the success of the city’s 21-month $14-million revitalization of Bernard Avenue, said JoAnne Adamson, Mission Group’s vice-president of marketing and sales.
That revitalization project, completed in May 2014, transformed the lakeside district by widening sidewalks and narrowing streets, adding street furniture, constructing a public pier, a new Kelowna Yacht Club building, a lakefront boardwalk and a city park, which encouraged boutique stores, restaurants and cafes to move in.
At its opening, city officials described the area as “a people place and a destination.”
“Ella is the right product for that location,” Adamson says. “Kelowna is ready for a sophisticated concrete tower in the Bernard district.”
The building’s residential top eight floors each have eight suites — studios, one bedroom, two bedrooms and two-bedroom-and-den homes — and penthouses on the top floor.
“What we have designed Ella to be is for the end user, a diverse but like-minded group of people that want to be downtown, want to be in the action and want to live in a vibrant and engaging neighbourhood,” Adamson said. “That could be a young professional working in the tech industry or it could be a downsizer coming from a 4,000-square-foot single-family home.”
Not surprisingly, the neighbourhood has a high walk score, a rating based on several factors including proximity of amenities, at 97 out of a possible 100.
Inside, two high-speed elevators will take homeowners and visitors to their units, which feature expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that provide panoramic views of the mountains and Okanagan Lake. All homes have eight-anda-half-foot ceilings and generous patios and spacious balconies (studios have Juliet balconies) with glass-panel railings. Balconies are equipped with natural gas outlets for barbecues.
Flooring is wood-style vinyl planking throughout the kitchen and living areas, and in the second bathroom, powder room and laundry centre. Bedrooms and walk-in closets feature cut-and-loop nylon carpeting.
Kitchens are constructed with European-style cabinetry with soft-close hinges, designer pulls and convenient under-counter drawers, quartz countertops with undermount sinks and polished chrome single-lever faucets. Kitchen islands also have quartz countertops with waterfall gable ends, double-bowl undermount stainless steel sinks and recessed pot lights overhead.
Certain homes come with a built-in pantry with adjustable height shelving.
Depending on the home chosen, appliance sets are a natural gas cooktop or range, an electric wall oven or range, microwave with stainless steel trim kit, a contemporary, chimney-style hood fan and a cabinet-integrated refrigerator and dishwasher.
Bathrooms are spa-inspired and feature quartz countertops, custom frameless glass shower doors, large-format porcelain floor tiles, and master ensuite mirrors with integrated medicine cabinets.
The building offers a private club for owners for entertaining family and guests or for holding everything from meetings to cocktail parties.
On the parking levels, residents have access to a pet wash area, bicycle wash and maintenance room, and resident bike storage with bike parking at the head of
parking stalls or in a common bike room.
There are electric vehicle charging stations for Ella residents and guests. As well, there’s a furnished guest suite for overnight visitors and separate parking for homeowners and guests. Rentals are permitted, but have a minimum 30-day occupancy requirement.
Adamson notes the best way for potential buyers to learn more and to see the presentation suite is to register on Ella’s website. The company will be holding viewing sessions throughout the fall.