‘Traditional’ row homes with fresh appeal
When planning the future of its Southlands development in Tsawwassen, Century Group was determined to create a community far from the usual urban life while ensuring its homeowners were equipped with the convenience and comforts of modern life. It continues to strike this balance in its master-planned community — which currently holds the title of North America’s largest “agrihood” — with its latest offering: the High Street Rowhomes.
This boutique collection of 10 non-strata fee-simple row houses is positioned at the edge of more than 100 acres of picturesque park and farmland, directly facing the bustling community hub of Market Square and located along Southlands Drive. This new multi-use road connects Upper Tsawwassen to Boundary Bay Road for easy access to the waterfront.
“The goal of Southlands has always been to provide varied housing types,” says Vanessa Isler, director of real estate marketing at Century Group, speaking to the benefits of its non-strata model. “People love the concept of not having strata fees. It gives them more flexibility and a great housing option that’s often overlooked.”
Each of the three-bedroom floor plans, which range from 1,370 to 1,725 square feet across two or three floors of living space, feature an open main floor intended for everyday living and entertaining, with bedrooms upstairs to separate private and social space. In addition to a front living room, main-floor powder room and a flexible den or family room space, every unit has a roomy back balcony equipped with a gas outlet for barbecuing, plus a 50-square-foot, south-facing terrace off the primary bedroom and a side-by-side electric vehicle-ready double car garage with full private driveway access.
The concept for High Street Rowhomes came from a desire to create a feeling of place and stability within the burgeoning community.
“When (Century Group) approached us, they wanted for High Street to have a striking feel of permanence,” says Jim Bussey of Formwerks Architectural. “Something that felt like it was going to endure and not be swayed by the times.”
To achieve this, traditional building elements such as gabled exposed soffits and bay windows were used, with special focus paid to the front entry. From street level, a brownstone-inspired facade welcomes you, with each home’s entrance aligned and highly visible. To maintain a look in keeping with its surrounding environment, they chose materials such as beige brick and board-and-batten fibre cement lap siding, contrasted with black aluminum accents.
“One can’t confuse this with Brooklyn,” laughs Bussey, “It’s giving a more English feel, like you just came across a delightful little town somewhere in Sussex.”
Drawing on Formwerks’ vision of the homes, Insight Design Group incorporated the look set by the exterior’s light and dark motif into their interior palette.
“The look of the buildings are traditional but with a bit of a fresh twist to it,” says Katrina Podmore of Insight Design, describing how their team chose to play with materials that would tell the same story. “We’d like people to see that they’re able to adapt these homes to their style ... like they can live here and still have their signature look.”
They developed two distinct colour palette options for the flooring and tile — light and grey, or warm and white — set alongside modern matte black fixtures and hardware. In the kitchen, soft white Shaker-style cabinetry, a chevron-patterned porcelain backsplash, solid quartz countertops and a large central island create an inviting gathering space. In the primary ensuite, the chevron tiling continues, merged with a hexagon pattern to provide a subtle texture in the walk-in rainfall shower.
Special attention was paid to clever space planning, such as built-in closet systems and an unexpectedly roomy in-suite laundry setup to maximize flow while providing ample storage throughout the home.
“All of our homes have a roll-up pantry component,” says Natalie Shaw, sales manager at Southlands. Across the board, from the premium Fisher & Paykel kitchen appliances and Moen bath fixtures to the spacious side-by-side LG washer and dryer, all the finishings come standard.
“We don’t offer any additional upgrades here,” Shaw says. “All our homes come fully upgraded.”
The demographic of buyers consists largely of upsizing locals seeking space to start a family or downsizers from Metro Vancouver.
“A lot of people are coming back home, or they have a tie to the community, or people looking for something a little bit different and want to be close to nature,” says Shaw.
With only 10 per cent of the available buildable land underway, this urban agricultural community will continue to expand its robust ambitions over the coming years.
“It is so unique,” says Isler. “People can connect with their neighbours, connect with farming and food, and embrace the opportunity to have those connections that you can’t necessarily find anymore.”