Agent Will

In my line of business, I see a lot of projects and talk to a lot of people. I have clients who have varying degress of interest in projects and design for the latest buildings. Some are serious buyers well qualified, others are just merely curious about what is going on. All of them, myself included, have a vested interest in seeing this city thrive and prosper. There is no doubt among anyone I speak to that the Olympics coming will be a boon to the city. We are seeing dramatic transformations occur as the world rediscovers the beauty of Vancouver. It’s not just the Olympics which will introduce Vancouver, that already happened, but it will reinvigorate an already very international relationship between the city and the rest of the world. One suchbenefit is the incredible transformation occuring to the South False Creek Flats from industrial land to dramatic village. The main project is Millenium Water being built by Millenium. Last time I went by there were 11 cranes at work assisting countless boots on the ground. This is huge. The last time I personally saw anything so dramatic in development was in Berlin 1998.

Off to the Millenium showroom for a preview (this occured in December). It was quiet and calm and very relaxing. Very different from the “manic get in quickly, browse, and drop two hundred large, sign here, Next!” approach that has gone on for too long. I’m really happy that developers are taking this approach nowadays (a few other projects have had relaxed preview days, too).

A lot of you who have read my comments (here or elsewhere) on projects before will know that I am not easily impressed. Fixtures and finishings do not wow me as I can go out and get the same finish in any place (and I won’t spend over half a mil to do it). In fact, I can safely say that not one project has significantly stood out for me in the past several years. They were mostly investor driven boxes lacking imagination and designed to be built fairly quickly and cheaply. Perhaps the only project that did leave an impact was Brava (nice design, theatre between buildings, felt modern and edgy and very much at home downtown) or Jameson Foster’s The Jameson House.

I have seen so many showrooms and talked to so many staff that they all blend into one. Each time I got expected and disinterested answers to questions which mirrored the expected and disinterested stucco-covering container or repainted vacant commercial building sales office design. If it wasn’t for the free food and beer, I’d never go.

That’s how I felt.

Until I went to this showroom. Wow! Millenium Water is stunning. Large and expansive with many models and all the floor plans. The sales staff were enthsiastic as they ran through all the features and details. I guess that’s what happens when you actually have something to say besides “It has a granite counter and stainless steel appliances.”

Now on to the project. This is huge. This is the biggest thing to happen in the past five years of Vancouver development, maybe ever (though if it weren’t for the foundation laid by all the other projects and the development of the city over the past 30 years this never would have happened). Seriously, this isn’t a building for sale… It’s more like eleven buildings and all the amenities to go with. They aren’t selling a corner unit to buyers, they are selling a community. Think prices are high now? Wait till they put phase II and III(which includes Erickson’s buildings) on the market.

The suites are smartly designed with no wasted space. There are too many smart touches in the suite designs to name here. The style of the buildings actually have character. And it’s the Olympic Village which will always have cache.

Humourous detail: The athletes will be basically “camping” in the suites. While there the appliances will be wrapped and lots of protection to the suites will be in place so that when delivered to the Buyer it will be pristine. Question: Who gets to camp in the 3.6mil penthouse?

I’d never left a showroom wanting a condo. Before today, that is. And no, they didn’t give me any food or beer.

 And now we have the Floor Plans for phase I and II:

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