HOME & HARVEST
Long-awaited Southlands project in Tsawwassen connects farming, food and community
The iconic red barn that is a landmark in the new Southlands community in Tsawwassen is symbolic of the evolution that has taken place to create the master-planned development. From its beginnings, as a dairy barn, it later served as a gathering space for planning meetings and is now slated to host events like farmers' markets and play an integral role in Century Group's vision of agricultural urbanism — connecting farming, food and community.
The restored barn, along with newly built The Grange — comprising offices, storage, and space for equipment maintenance — are on either side of Market Square, where they communicate the site's heritage and its future.
For Sean Hodgins, president, Century Group, the recent launch of the first phase of the project is the fulfilment of a dream: to develop the site and re-establish people's connection with agriculture.
Hodgins says the 950-home community will be completed in five phases. With 75 homes in the first phase, there are currently 33 Heirloom Townhomes and four Estate Cottages on the market.
Southlands will be developed on just over 100 acres, says Hodgins, with the balance of the site, 437 acres, dedicated to the public realm as farmland, park or open space.
The original property was purchased in 1989, and in 1995, 220 acres were sold to the province and incorporated into the Boundary Bay Regional Park, says Hodgins.
There was a renewed focus on determining the future of the land in 2006, says Hodgins.
“By then we had owned the property for 16 years, and it was time to try to reach out and put forward a vision: What if we could develop on a third of the land and see the balance dedicated to the community as agricultural and open space — how would that look,” he recalls.
His concept would require reimagining local agriculture and exploring the principles of good community. Following a call for volunteers to share their insights on developing the property, 24 people stepped forward and became known as the Southlands Community Planning Team.
The years of planning included many meetings discussing types of housing and the role of agriculture, presenting a design charrette in 2008, and even constructing a two-bedroom home at a local mall as part of Century Group's outreach.
In 2013 the proposal to develop about 20 per cent of the land and turn over the balance to the public realm was the beginning of a mood shift, says Hodgins, and finally resulted in the go-ahead for the Southlands project. The construction of the civil works started in 2016, and building the residential component began in 2018.
For the architecture of the homes, Hodgins says the intention was to stay true to the agricultural ethos that underpins the community. He describes the result as a melding of Scandinavian design with a modern interpretation of a traditional style.
“For example, rather than elaborate dormers, there are simple shed dormers — simplicity is the most important aspect,” he says.
One of the fundamental decisions that impacts the streetscape is that no parking garages dominate the front of the homes.
“The front of the house is a space where you meet your neighbours. By taking away the dominance of the garage, it supports the front of the house as a social interface — the porch is all-important,” he says.
Jeremy Senko, senior designer at BYU, says the team's interior design considered the farm influence combined with the site's proximity to the beach and the scale of the development.
Each type of home (currently Heirloom Townhomes and Estate Cottages are for sale) has a distinctive colour and materials scheme.
“The townhouses follow more of a farmhouse-modern style,” he says, noting there are two palettes for the townhomes.
The townhouse open for visitors to the development — a 1,985-square-foot, three-bedroom unit with a family room and loft — has sandy-coloured laminate floors with a combination of white and wood-finish cabinetry and light quartz countertops in the kitchen.
A Bertazzoni range with a gas cooktop and electric oven complemented by a Fisher Paykel refrigerator/freezer and a large white apron-front sink with gooseneck faucet underscore the connection to the farm and food, says Senko.
“The refrigerators are a generous size, and by not separating them and having them integrated makes the kitchen feel larger. The kitchen island is a gathering space — we wanted the kitchens to feel like the heart of the home,” he says. “We utilized every square inch and included lots of space to store pantry goods.”
The interior design team worked with ZGF Architects to have natural light in as many bathrooms as possible, especially the ensuites, says Senko.
“We focused on craftsmanship and livability with the intent to give people that feeling of luxury and timelessness,” he says, adding the semi-free-standing tub, installed against one wall and open on the other three sides, makes the room feel larger.
“It also has that level of elegance, taking it back of the traditional free-standing tub. Where we could, we also included grand walk-in showers to makes those spaces feel really special,” he says.
Hodgins is proud of the development.
“No decision was made in the absence of careful thought or direction by our team, and that was very important — seeing every detail in the homes come to reality.”
He anticipates buyers will come from the local community who have watched the development being built, downsizers and also millennials whom he believes will identify with the ethos of connecting the community to agriculture.