Squamish is receiving more attention lately, but it’s not just due to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. More and more home buyers are realizing they can enjoy spectacular views and experience an active, outdoor lifestyle in this expanding B.C. city. ›› p.5

July 9, 2009

June posts the most home sales since 2005

Choose an elegant country lifestyle at High Point Equestrian Estates ›› p.8

TRICIA LESLIE

It was a hot June in more ways than one, according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

Metro Vancouver home sales were pro-pelled to the second all-time highest total for

the month of June due to low interest rates and more affordable pricing, states an REBGV release. Sales of detached, attached and apartment properties in-creased 75.6 per cent in June 2009 to 4,259 from the 2,425 sales recorded in June 2008. That figure is just short of the 4,333 sales that occurred

in June 2005, the REBGV release says.New listings for properties declined 17.9

per cent during the past month to 5,372, compared to June 2008, when 6,546 new units were listed. But new listings increased 13.5 per cent from May to June of this year.

“Price reductions and low interest rates have created an improvement in affordability, which is causing the number of sales to rise to levels comparable to 2003 to 2007,” says REBGV president Scott Russell. “However, the current marketplace is such that buyers are more inclined to walk if they don’t like the terms of an offer.”

Total active listings in Greater Vancouver currently sit at 13,252, down 27 per cent from June 2008 and 2.9 per cent below the active listings count at the end of May 2009.

Residential benchmark prices on MLS, the online database used by realtors, declined

Scott Russell

KOLBY SOLINSKY

Luxury living is a form unto its own. It requires equal levels of sophistication, style, and relaxation.

However, luxury is not dependent on price alone. Rather, as Ledingham Design Consultants can attest to, it’s all in the eye of the beholder.

“Every firm has it’s own phi-losophy,” says Sabrina Di Maio, a registered interior designer at Ledingham. “Our approach is very much good design. It starts from the foundation and doesn’t need a lot of superfluous decoration.”

Not surprisingly, Ledingham and other designers have been able to let their properties speak for themselves. The firm’s condos in White Rock’s Miramar Village (Bosa Properties) and townhomes in Emaar’s Wills Creek in South Surrey both exemplify the simple elegance that Di Maio confidently says is her firm’s calling card.

Ledingham, based in Vancouver, offers interior design services to residential, corporate and hospital-ity clientele. As Di Maio notes, their philosophy strives from function and comfort, but also aims to meet the style of the buyer or developer.

“Bosa Properties [who developed Miramar Village], when they ap-proached us, they wanted a more contemporary look with clean lines and kitchens that looked integrated,” she says. “So the appliances with the separate cooktop, the integrated microwave, the refrigerator that is counter-depth... it gives a much more unified look instead of having bulky appliances sticking up.”

Certainly, one notices the effectiveness of replacing distracting clutter with neat lines and purposeful design. All around Greater Vancouver, this seems to be the way of the future, as more and more designers and builders are trimming the fat.

While home starts have slowed from peaks in 2007 and 2008, new developments stretching from the North Shore to Langley are designed to satisfy eager home buyers, especially now that the market is rebound-ing strongly.

After all, a home made for a customer should be made for a customer.

“With new construction for a developer,

we take into account how they profile their market, and who the potential buyer will be,” Di Maio says. “It’s always client-driven.”

Ledingham also devotes itself to a large amount of work at the beginning of a proj-ect, which is a key ingredient for any inte-rior designer working on a new home in the hustle and bustle of Metro Vancouver.

Di Maio notes that at both Miramar Vil-lage and Wills Creek, Ledingham looked at the space layout and the exterior landscape before delving into the interior elements. They bring their own architect along, as

Elegance is the soul of design

CONTINUED ON P.2

Ledingham Design Consul-tants interior designer Sabrina

Di Maio says good design starts from the foundation.

Rob Newell photo

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Home prices dropping, attached sales increasing

2 • New Local Home | July 9, 2009

Publisher: Fiona Harris • 604-575-5822 • publisher@newlocalhome.comEditor: Tricia Leslie • 604-575-5346 • editor@newlocalhome.com Advertising Sales - Black Press National Sales • Adrian Saunders • 604-575-5812 • adrians@blackpress.caOnline Advertising • Nicole Hutchinson • 604-575-5826 • nhutchinson@blackpress.caDesigner: Brad Smith • bsmith@blackpress.ca

New Local Home is published once a week by Black Press Group Ltd. (Suite 309 - 5460 152 Street, Surrey, B.C. V3S 5J9) 350,000 copies are distributed free across Metro Vancouver. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited.

well, assuring a neat mesh with architecture firms that are also involved in their projects.

“We often work in collaboration with archi-tecture firms on any number of projects,” she says. “That’s the best solution.”

Ledingham’s design sophistication is driven from strictly prescribing themselves to their superfluous philosophy and their architectural approach. Everything has a purpose, and there’s no more than there should be.

After all, clutter is chaos.“We take a look at the layout of the property

– the interior layout – and we want to make certain first and foremost that it flows, the space works for the client, and that it’s literally the foundation that everything will follow through on,” Di Maio says. “Even when we do a traditional home, we very much look at the bones of the suite or the house and take advantage of that.”

Additionally, Di Maio describes Leding-ham’s work by saying it takes into account “the inside-outside relationship,” it has a “minimal-ist approach” to its architecture and it lets the “outside nature often take centre stage.”

Indeed, it’s impressive to observe a design firm in its philosophical state. Interior design

and architecture are two sexy businesses that often fascinate home buyers, although little detail is truly known about their operations.

However, there is a calculated method that goes into each home development we see in Greater Vancouver, whether it’s towers overlooking White Rock beach, a detached home beside Morgan Creek Golf Course or a cliffside manor in Porteau Cove.

On it’s company profile, Led-ingham’s philsophy reads, “Re-straint and a sense of proportion go farthest in creating a look of timeless elegance.” This has paid dividends in the firm’s work, but it’s not a stretch to say this is an important motto for any new home designer to adopt.

“Everything that’s in, every decision that is made, follows through from this concept, and there’s a reason why it’s there,” Di Maio says, ensuring that Ledingham has a purpose for every piece of furnishing they use. “We don’t just add layers of things just for the sake of adding things.”

Certainly, Di Maio is also correct that adapting Ledingham’s talents to a diversified range of projects is crucial. Even in larger developments, such as the swath of com-

munities around their Wills Creek design at Morgan Crossing, one can view a collection of uniquely inspired homes (from several developers and designers) that offer a different feel from the one beside them.

Some are covered in handcraft stone or brown brick, while others are colonial rowhomes or sprawling single-family homes.

Still, there is a pedigree for success, and Ledingham has won awards for its ability to convey its own style onto Greater Vancou-ver’s housing scene. Their work, in terms of

residential design, runs the gamut from 5,000 sq. ft. properties to the towers of

Miramar Village. One specific exam-ple of their innovation is “layers of lighting,” which provides ambient lighting, task lighting and decora-tive lighting at the same time.

“With those options, you can create different moods and different

atmospheres,” Di Maio says.Additionally, many designers are now using

environmentally sustainable practices. “If you’re looking at a more sustainable

approach, being able to set your lighting with different presets and different timers, you can be more efficient with your lighting,” she says.

A designer’s ability to demonstrate the best style and use out of their space through what Di Maio calls a “restraint in our design” is a valuable lesson to take away.

While it doesn’t exactly mean that less is more, it stresses that necessity and practicality are the fundamentals of proper and effective interior design.

Off the front: “Everything that’s in, every decision that is made, follows through from this concept, and there’s a reason why it’s there.” – Sabrina Di Maio

CONTINUED FROM P.1

Ledingham Design Consultants created inte-riors at Wills Creek (top photo) and at Mira-mar Village in White Rock (at left). Above, designer glass accessories for the home.

LESS IS MORE

8.2 per cent to $518,855 in June, and the benchmark price for detached properties also declined 8.4 per cent to $701,384, compared to June 2008.

Increases occurred in apartment property sales, however, with numbers jumping 69.3 per cent to 1,790, com-pared to 1,057 sales in June 2008.

Attached property sales also increased 78.2 per cent to 802 in June, compared with the 450 sales in June 2008.

Attached unit benchmark prices declined 7.3 per cent between June 2008 and June 2009 to $441,620.

Already an established and award-winning developer, Adera Group of Companies has come back from San Francisco with a little more gold to hang off their necks.

Five Adera projects won 2009 Gold Nugget Awards at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center. The con-ference ran from June 17 to 19.

Among these five awards, Adera’s Salus community in Surrey took home the coveted Gold Nugget for Outstand-ing Attached Project, Midrise.

“Another unanimous decision by the judges, recognition of the creative and superbly detailed exterior elevations,” read the judges’ statement.

“Focusing on health, wellness and healing, the project provides a club-like atmosphere... The community is sustain-able and green, and truly creates a des-tination resort style of life in a vibrant, cultural city.”

Salus’ Club Aqua had its grand open-ing on June 27.

Adera also received four Merit Awards for being in the top five selections of all entries in a category.

The total number of entries in this year’s awards was 375 international developments.

Adera’s Merit Awards included Noma in North Shore for Outstanding At-tached Project, 18-40 Dwelling Units/Acre, Green in Burnaby for Outstanding Attached Project, Midrise, and Salus for both International Residential Project and Residential Community of the Year, Attached.

Adera’s recognition is truly interna-tional, as they had to fend off contend-ers from all over the U.S. and China, among others.

“I think that it’s very rare for anyone in Canada to get an award like this, so we’re very proud to have achieved that,” says Eric Andreasen, vice-president of marketing for Adera.

“It was a contribution from everyone involved and all our partners and con-sultants that helped us win this award.”

Adera strikes gold in San Francisco

CONTINUED FROM P.1

New Local Home | July 9, 2009 • 3

4 • New Local Home | July 9, 2009

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68th Ave.

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On the Home Front: Buyers remain busy

TRICIA LESLIE

Recent reports from a variety of organiza-tions tell us that people are busy buying new homes throughout B.C. and, especially, in Metro Vancouver.

May posted the highest number of monthly residential sales since April 2008, reports the B.C. Real Estate Association. It was also the fourth consecutive month of rising home sales in B.C.

A June report from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver shows that a continued increase in buyer ac-tivity is helping to steady the region’s housing market, and a Canada Mort-gage and Housing Corporation survey shows that 70 per cent of Canadians believe that now is a good time to pur-chase a home in their community.

South of the border, the news isn’t as positive.

In a recent U.S. daily newspaper, former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Green-span says the nation’s economy will not regain its strength until the prices of houses stop falling, and that home prices there need to stabilize before the crisis can fully end.

But in Metro Vancouver, although home

prices have dropped compared to last year, homes continue to sell – fast.

At recent opening sales events at two Morningstar Homes communities in Clover-dale and Coquitlam, new home buyers lined up as early as 5 a.m. for a chance to purchase single-family homes. Morningstar had to release more homes for sale after both events.

Aquilini Investment Group’s Richards de-velopment, which is not yet built, sold 70 per cent of its 226 units in about two weeks. Construction is scheduled to start on the Yaletown project in July.

Another new Vancouver develop-ment, ParkLane’s The Block, is selling its 32 Main Street-area townhomes quickly, as well. The Block’s website states that project is now 69 per cent sold out.

In White Rock, homes in Phase 1 of Bosa Properties’ Miramar Village develop-ment are 90 per cent sold. Wallmarks Homes’ website shows that several of its new neigh-bourhoods, from Port Coquitlam to Maple Ridge, are sold out or nearly there.

Throughout Surrey, and especially South Surrey, homebuyers have also been busy.

The Brownstones, a new South Surrey

Adera development that was featured in the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Associa-tion’s seventh annual Spring Parade of New Homes, is now sold out.

At The Morgan, a two-building Amacon condo development near 26th Avenue and 160th Street, only four homes remain avail-able to potential buyers. The development was launched in the spring of 2007, and nearly sold out at that time, but then the global

economic crisis struck, says Amacon sales and marketing manager Nic Jensen.

However, sales re-opened at The Morgan in April, and more than 30 homes have been sold since then, Jensen says.

“It’s been amazing. There’s been so, so much interest. I think some who were sitting on the fence are now buying homes,” he says.

“We’re sure they’ll be gone within the next four to five weeks.”

‘It’s been amazing. There’s been so, so much interest.’South of the border, the news isn’t so sweet. But new homes in Metro Vancouver continue to sell, fast – built or not

New homes in Metro Vancouver continue to sell, as purchasers take advantage of low mortgage rates. At Amacon’s The Morgan in Surrey, only four units are left (see page 16). Rob Newell photo

Nic Jensen

Canoeing is just one of the many outdoor activities people enjoy in Squamish. Kristen McGaughey, Tourism Squamish

Escape to a resort in your own homeSquamish: experience the outdoor lifestyle you want

New Local Home | July 9, 2009 • 5

It’s the air up there

It’s the Big Sur of the Pacific Northwest.Highway 99 winds through British

Columbia’s wilderness, exposing drivers to exquisite ocean views and – with recent improvements – a peaceful, mountainside drive.

For many, the reward at the end is Can-ada’s most famous resort town, Whistler. However, stunning new home develop-ments define the rest of the road, especially in Squamish. The “Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada” is the base for nothing less than beautiful, cliffside estates and a fantastic terrain.

“We wanted to create a world-class lifestyle community,” says Krista Shirreff, who has worked as marketing manager at ParkLane Homes. Homes are now available at their Ocean Crest development in Furry Creek, a community in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District that has been planned and developed since 1990.

“It’s obviously one of the most beautiful settings in the Lower Mainland, surround-ed by the [Furry Creek] golf course and Howe Sound,” she says. “It’s a really great location because it gives visitors access to all the outdoor activities in Squamish.”

Squamish, centrally located between Whistler and downtown Vancouver, has turned to focusing on its assets of outdoor recreation and nature to draw visitors and residents.

“I think that the way we’re positioning it is that it’s kind of the best of both worlds,” says Shirreff. “Sometimes I fell like I’m in another country, like I’m driving into Germany when I come up here.”

That foreign flavour will only intensify when the Olympics brings the interna-tional sporting scene to Squamish and the surrounding area next year.

Ocean Crest offers single-family de-tached homes with what Shirreff calls a “green-inspired architectural look.” Each of the 12 lots (six have been sold) come with a patio and balcony containing an outdoor fireside courtyard.

“It’s almost an extension of your indoor living space outside,” she says. “In practi-cally every home you’re getting that ocean view.”

The development certainly gathers at-tention from those cruising past it on the freeway. The hilltop estates are positioned

A kite boarder surfs the air.Kathy Johnson/Tourism Squamish

CONTINUED ON P.6

along the same strip as the 14th hole of Furry Creek Golf and Country Club, which cascades down from the highway and into the water.

“They are literally carved into the side of the bluff,” says Shirreff.

For the District of Squamish, the establish-ment of luxurious homes can only be seen as a positive, especially as the area continues to draw outdoor enthusiasts and tourists, alike.

“We have spectacular vistas and scenery,” says Doug Race, a municipal councillor in Squamish.

“If people are kind of self-starters and enjoy outdoor recreation, all these things are right here and we have great facilities for that.”

However, the district has changed, moving its focus from mining and pulp mills to tour-ism and marine-related employment.

“This is not the Squamish of 30 years ago,” he says.

Race, who has lived in Squamish for 22 years, has enjoyed much of what the area has brought him, including clean air, outdoor recreation facilities and its midway location between Whistler and Vancouver.

“We all knew it was going to be discovered one day,” he says of the growing region.

Certainly, that will only be enhanced in 2010, when the world’s biggest sporting event

takes stage north and south of Squamish.“The Olympics is a great opportunity to ex-

pose Furry Creek to the world,” Shirreff says. “It’s definitely something that we’re excited

for and looking forward to.”Race also says that the Olympics, although

it’s only a three-week event, brings with it an upgraded Highway 99 and accessibility, as well as exceptional recreational facilities – both of which may be the Games’ legacy for Squamish.

In the meantime, it appears that both the

district and Furry Creek are well on their way to fulfilling Shirreff ’s hope of creating a “world-class lifestyle community.”

One should look no further for a new home with panoramic views and plenty of northern exposure.

Live the best of both worlds in Squamish

CONTINUED FROM P.5

An expansive patio in ParkLane Homes’ Ocean Crest development in Squamish overlooks Howe Sound. The project attracts home buyers who enjoy the views and an active lifestyle.

A ‘world class lifestyle community’

A kayaker navigates whitewater in Squamish’s Ashlu River. Garry Broeckling/Tourism Squamish

6 • New Local Home | July 9, 2009

New Local Home | July 9, 2009 • 7

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A long, gently winding road leads the way; young trees and a wooden fence line its path. Small posts caution drivers to keep an eye out for area residents who may be out for a walk or perhaps, on horseback for a quick after-work jaunt. Surrounded by parkland that is replete with trails suitable for horseback rid-ing, biking and walking, a 287-acre parcel of land beckons homebuyers who want to both build and live their dream of peaceful, luxuri-ous country living.

The quiet street ends at High Point Eques-trian Estates, a niche-housing community in

Langley that pays tribute to the area’s equine roots. The largest niche-housing community of its kind in Western Canada, High Point offers home buy-ers the chance to have a custom-built home – based on high-quality guidelines – on lots that range from a half-acre to four acres.

Homes can be 3,000 to more than 18,000 square feet, and on properties larger than two acres, residents can have their own stable.

The project, a partnership between Cressey Development Group and Pacific Rim Prop-erty Developments, is designed for people who would like to live in a tranquil, outdoor-oriented setting without surrendering their sophisticated lifestyle – whether they own horses or not.

“The community is not just about horses – the vast majority of people have bought because they really like country living and they love the space,” says Kimberlee Robert-son, marketing manager for Mac Marketing Solutions. “They’re buying into the lifestyle they want.”

The 164 lots are already more than 50 per cent sold, and more than 30 custom homes are now under construction and 16 custom home builders are active on-site, Robertson says.

“It’s a community where you really get what you want,” she says, and notes that design guidelines are in place to ensure only top-quality homes are built.

Luxurious country living is reality at High PointEquestrian project offers custom-built homes in natural Langley setting

High Point Equestrian Estates is a partner-ship between Cressey Development Group and Pacific Rim Property. The niche-housing community offers an elegant country life-style to home buyers in a peaceful, secluded Langley community.

“It’s a community where you really get what you want.”

CONTINUED ON P.11

Next to nature, this beautifully designed enclave of 43 three bedroom homes, inspires relaxation and tranquility. Nestled beside 4 acres of serene forest, the homes at Nuvo are large, bright and sunny, with large windows and private patios welcoming the outdoors in. Nuvo is suited to your style in every way imaginable.Nuvo features high-end fi nishings:• Hardwood fl oors • Stainless steel appliances• Granite counter-tops • Kohler fi xturesSizes range from 1769 sq. ft up to 2002 sq. ft and Nuvo is located just minutes from every possible convenience. Come in today and visit our 2 stunning, furnished showhomes

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New Local Home | July 9, 2009 • 9

10 • New Local Home | July 9, 2009

North Shore

Burnaby

New Westminster

Squamish

Richmond

South Delta

Coquitlam

Port Moody

Port Coquitlam

Vancouver

Surrey

North Delta

Langley

Cloverdale

Fort Langley

Pitt Meadows

Maple Ridge

South Surrey

White Rock

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Squamish(1)Skye-Soleil-AcquaPresentation Centre, 121 Lonsdale, North Van.604-904-2240, 604-616-1215(2)Furry Creek-Ocean Crest415- Furry Creek Dr. 604-315-0172

Vancouver (3)CarringtonOak Street & 45th Ave. 604-266-6500(4)Pacifi cUBC Westbrook Village. 604-221-8878(5)Aura5437 Willow Street & West 38th Ave. 604-264-6477

North Shore (6)Branches on the North Shore1111 E 27th Street. 604-988-8489

Burnaby(7)JewelWilson & Beresford. 604-456-0688(8)Brentwood Gate-The Varley1960 Beta Ave. 604-205-7228(9)Altaire9222 UniverCity Crescent. 604-298-1182

Coquitlam(10)Levo1170 Pinetree Way & Northern Ave. 604-464-5856(11)The FoothillsBurke Mountain. 604-944-3188

(12)TattonVictoria Drive, Coquitlam. 604-696-1502(13)Whitetail Lane1357 Purcell Drive. 604-552-3003(14) Belmont1456 Avondale Street. 604-461-7113(15)Burke Mountain Heights3398 Don Moore Drive, Coquitlam. 778-285-6299

Port Coquitlam(16)Links2418 Avon Place, Port Coquitlam. 604-460-9907

Port Moody(17)Heritage Woods300 Panorama Place, Port Moody

Richmond(18)Alexandra GateCambie-Garden City. 604-279-8866(19)Centro7180 No.3 Road-Bennett. 604-270-8305(20)PradoNo.3 Road & Lansdowne. 604-276-8180(21)Hennessy Green9800 Odlin. 604-303-6840

South Surrey-White Rock(22)Highland Park160th & 24th Ave. 604-542-8995(23)Glenmore at Morgan Heights161A St. & 24th Ave. 604-542-8863(24)The BrownstonesMorgan Heights. 604-538-9897(25)Wills Creek160th & 32nd Ave. 604-542-6200(26)Nuvo15454 - 32 Avenue, South Surrey. 778-294-1201

(27)Morgan Heights26th Ave & 164th Street. 604-531-1111, 604-420-4200(28)Ocean Park2026-128th Street. 604-538-2345

Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows

(29)Falcon Hill23719 Kanaka Way. 604-466-5723(30)Crest at Silver Ridge22850 Foreman Drive. 604-466-9278(31)Solo11749 223rd Street. 604-467-0800(32)Turnstone14-19490 Fraser Way, Pitt Meadows

New Westminster(33)Victoria HillMcBride Ave. 604-523-0733(34)Q at Westminster QuayRenaissance Square @ Quayside Drive. 604-515-9112(35)Red BoatEwen Ave & Furness St., Queensborough. 604-520-9890

Delta(36)Trend7445 Scott Road. 604-590-5483(37)Radiance at Sundance8385 Delsom Way. 604-581-8144(38)Cardinal Pointe10605 Delsom Crescent, Delta

Langley(39)Bedford Landing23015 Billy Brown Road. 604-888-2176(40)Seasons & Prelude at Milner Heights208th St & 72nd Ave. 604-539-9484

Surrey(41)Augusta at Provinceton18199 70th Ave, 778-571-1088(42)Springfi eld Village8678 156 Street. 604-591-1121(43)Kaleden2729-158th Street. 604-541-4246(44)Woods at Provinceton70th & 180th Street. 604-574-7820(45)The Highlands at Sullivan Ridge60A Ave & 146th Street. 778-565-1865(46)The Estates at Vistas West16327 60th Ave. 778-574-1380(47)Tate18983-72A Avenue, Surrey(48)Vista’s west6093 - 164 Street, Surrey. 778-571-1389(49)Panorama Hills15038 - 59 Avenue, Surrey. 604-543-9302

On Tour

(12) Mosaic Homes’ latest Coquitlam project, Tatton, o� ers stylish rowhomes to consumers.

(2) ParkLane’s single-family homes in Squamish feature views of Howe Sound

and Furry Creek Golf Course.

Map page July9.indd 1 7/6/09 3:49:41 PM

Above, grand rooms in the High Point show home feature 20-foot-high ceilings. At left, a rendering of the Club High Point equestrian centre and clubhouse that is currently under construction. Below, kitchens in the show home feature stainless steel appliances. The equestrian-themed custom-built communi-ty is already more than 50 per cent sold.

An elegant, country lifestyleNew Local Home | July 9, 2009 • 11

“The idea is to ensure that property values are maintained because of the type and quality of the homes. So you have a uniformity that is still unique - every house is completely different.”

The community offers 86 acres of dedicated park-land scattered with eight kilometres of trails; those trails connect to an additional 29 kms of equestrian trails in neighbouring Campbell Valley Regional Park. Robertson and Pacific Rim partner Anthony Miachika both point out that, because High Point is located amid acres of parkland and agriculturally protected land, the site itself limits future develop-ment in the area.

“It’s not going to change – what you see is what you get,” Robertson says.

Miachika, who adds that several communities had been proposed for the area before High Point was accepted, agrees.

“Some seem to worry that the community will lose that country feel. That won’t happen here,” he says.

Still, High Point is about a 45 minute drive to downtown Vancouver and 10 minutes from the U.S. border. It offers residents designated horse trailer parking and Club High Point equestrian centre, which is under construction. When finished, it will include paddocks and stables for 80 horses, large indoor and outdoor riding rings, and a 31,000 sq. ft. clubhouse with three viewing lounges. The clubhouse will feature a lounge, a bar, a media room, a covered patio and a state-of-the-art fitness facility.

“The buyers are coming from everywhere,” Robert-son says. “We have buyers from as far away as Asia, but a lot from Greater Vancouver who want more space and love the small, hidden enclave feel.”

Half-acre lots start at $599,900. Visit www.high-pointestates.ca for more information.

CONTINUED FROM P.8

Pick the home you want

12 • New Local Home | July 9, 2009

Make mine The Morgan

THE DEAL: The Morgan, in the heart of Surrey’s Morgan Heights neighbourhood, is 242 condo-minium residences in two buildings. The com-munity captures the charm of quiet, tree-lined streets and the vibrancy of an urban centre.

OUTSIDE: Designed by Gomberoff Bell Lyon Architects, classic West Coast architecture is highlighted with a prominent roofline of exposed cedar timbers, distinctive wood trim detailing and a sense of verticality. A lush, manicured central court garden is available for residents to enjoy, as is The Morgan Club, an 8,200 sq. ft. amenities building constructed just for residents’ use. The club has a pool, hot tub, children’s room, yoga studio, movie theatre, entertainment lounge and a library, among other attractions. Set atop a sunny slope, the views of Mount Baker and the coastal mountains set the tone for these elegant community residences.

INSIDE: Functional and spacious, The Morgan residences feature open floor plans and high-end finishing details. The design brings together com-fort, style and distinction. Overheight nine-foot ceilings and expansive floor-to-ceiling windows brighten your home with natural light, while gourmet kitchens are equipped with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. Bathrooms are spa-inspired with soaker tubs.

Address: 15916 26th Ave., SurreyHome-types: condominium residences Note: only four homes remainPrice: From $279,900Online: www.amacon.com/themorgan/

Transit: Close to Highway 99, the Peace Arch U.S. border crossing, transit busesShopping: Morgan Crossing, Grandview Corners, Semiahmoo Shopping Centre, South Point ExchangeRecreation: White Rock and Crescent beaches, South Surrey Athletic Park, Softball City, Centennial Park, South Surrey Arena, Sunnyside Acres park

>>Nearby amenities

The Morgan, above and right, offers home buyers options. Rob Newell photos

Amacon: The Morgan

Clockwise from top: living areas at The Morgan are open and spacious, while kitchens feature stainless steel appliances and granite counter-tops. Bedrooms allow natural light inside, and The Morgan Club has a children’s room just for the youngsters. Residents also have access to a pool, hot tub, fitness centre, yoga room, entertainment lounge and more in the amenities building. Rob Newell photos

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