PROJECT PROFILE: New Westminster tower homes’ ‘green’ proximities attract those embracing sustainability
Province
Marinus sales manager Colin Chin says his new-home project on Carnarvon street in New Westminster keeps things close to hand. Photograph by: Ward Perrin, PNG, The Province
A spacious kitchen area invites diners to take in the view. – Ward Perrin/png
The bathrooms in the penthouse display suite boasts beautiful views and fixtures, while the bedrooms offer an airy feel courtesy of plentiful natural light. — WARD PERRIN/PNG
Marinus at Plaza 88 is the third component of a vision that developer Mike Degelder has been carrying around for about 20 years ago. Azure 1 and Azure II are now occupied, both 32-storey high-rises. Marinus is ready for occupancy. And Degelder has a fourth highrise planned.
Once that final highrise is occupied, Plaza 88 will be the village, or more, of Degelder’s dreams: 900 households living over, if not all the shops and services a household could want, then most and, further, living above a SkyTrain station and, therefore, with no reason to commute in a private vehicle, destination permitting.
“We’re trying to alleviate transportation [and] go green in the grand scheme of things,” sales manager Colin Chin says. “It’s sustainable, and it’s the concept for the future.”
Additionally Marinus buyers who accept an unassigned parking space — as opposed to a reserved spot — will see the price of their homes s reduced by $10,000.
All involved are making it very easy for households to do their “green” bit: Plaza 88 is a riverfront development and in the view-homes the views of the Fraser and the New Westminster Quay’s commercial hub are all-encompassing, with layouts designed to optimize prospects.
Granite tops kitchen and bathroom counters; stainless steel clads the appliances; the porcelain tile in the entryways and kitchens is imported; and the vanities in the bathrooms number two.
Real estate agent Chin has bought new homes in the development, and he’s been schooled in the politics of negotiations with six land owners and the city of New Westminster through various incarnations of its city council. While one drugstore chain is already on board as a tenant, Chin says he’s confident that the development’s size and proximity to transit will make it a magnet for more retailers and residents.
“The big defining difference of any condo is what’s outside the window and what’s directly outside — or in this case, right downstairs.”
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