?This is as close to Vancouver as you can get without paying Vancouver prices?
? SIMON BRIAULT
The Vancouver Sun
Triomphe
Project location: Gilmore Avenue and Halifax Street, Burnaby
Project size: 340 homes, one — four bedrooms (including three townhomes), 482 – 2,138 square feet.
Prices: from the $380,000 range
Developer: Millennium Development Group
Architect: Chris Dikeakos Architects Inc.
Interior designer: Mitchell Freedland Design
Sales centre: Unit B — 4247 Lougheed Highway, Burnaby
Hours: noon — 5 p.m., Sat — Thurs
Telephone: 604-828-1373
Website: http://www.triompheresidences.com
Occupancy: Spring 2020
Why pay extra for an apartment in Vancouver when you can get one that’s just a block outside the city and a one-minute walk from a SkyTrain station? That’s the thinking of the people behind Triomphe, a residential tower planned for the corner of Gilmore Avenue and Halifax Street in North Burnaby.
“One of the main attractions for first-time buyers is the proximity to Vancouver,” said George Wong, principal at Magnum Projects, which is marketing Triomphe on behalf of Millennium Development Group. “It’s going to be great for people who work in Vancouver when they can be at Waterfront Station in 20 minutes via rapid transit from Gilmore SkyTrain. It’s a short commute, but people will be saving easily $100,000 on the cost of an apartment. This is as close to Vancouver as you can get without paying Vancouver prices.”
Triomphe is a set to have a major presence in the community, rising 46 storeys and including a separate amenity building, three townhomes and a total of 340 homes ranging from 482 to 2,138 square feet.
“There’s been a lot of interest from buyers and we’ve already sold more than half of the homes on offer,” said Peter Malek, principal at Millennium Development Group. “We’ve got very well thought-out floor plans that are super efficient and functional in terms of space and they’re proving very popular with first-time buyers. At the same time, we’re offering balconies of more than 1,000 square feet in the larger homes and that is very unusual.”
Wong said that there has been a sizable number of North Burnaby residents purchasing units, often first-time buyers in their twenties and thirties who grew up in the area and want to stay there because of the liveability of the community.
“We’ve seen more than 1,200 people coming through the display suites and the top reason they say they’re interested is the location,” he added. “This neighbourhood is really beginning to hum – we have a Whole Foods, a Save-On-Foods, all kinds of restaurants, amenities and services. We’re also super close to both BCIT and Simon Fraser University, as well as the soon-to-be revitalized Brentwood Mall.”
That revitalization is part of the City of Burnaby’s long-term plan to develop a dense, walkable community hub around Brentwood Town Centre Station along the lines of Metrotown further south. The existing Brentwood Mall has more than 90 stores and services and it’s only an 11-minute walk from the Triomphe site.
“The design and the architecture of this development are proving very popular too,” said Wong. “It will be a stunning building and a real landmark in the community. Buyers are smart and they understand the value of a development that is designed to such high standards.”
All homes will have nine-foot-high ceilings (10 feet in the penthouse suites) and central air conditioning. Each unit comes with a parking spot and a storage locker and the building features fob-controlled access to the lobby, a concierge service and a car-charging station.
Kitchens feature two-tone, soft-close cabinetry, polished white quartz slab countertops and marble-inspired porcelain tile backsplashes. There are rectilinear stainless steel sinks with Riobel polished chrome professional kitchen faucets. The appliance packages are by Bosch and homes also feature stainless steel Panasonic microwaves and stacking Blomberg washers and dryers.
The spa-style bathrooms feature wall-hung European-style vanities with soft-close hardware, polished quartz countertops and above-counter vessel sinks with Grohe chrome faucets. You’ll find floating mirrors and back-lit medicine cabinets in the master bathrooms and environmentally friendly dual-flush toilets throughout. There are also large porcelain floor tiles in the tub/shower surrounds in all bathrooms.
“Most people choose a location, a building’s design and its amenities before they choose a suite,” said Wong. “But the amenities that are included in a new home development are becoming more and more important. When you buy a home at Triomphe, you’ll have private membership to a highly exclusive clubhouse right off our 40-foot-high grand lobby designed by Mitchell Freedland.”
The amenities at Triomphe come in the form of a deluxe three-storey pavilion and lobby with more than 13,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor features. There will be an outdoor rooftop pool, a hot tub, and a lounge area. There’s also a wellness centre with a gym, yoga/dance studio, and his-and-hers steam rooms. Elsewhere, there’s a great room for socializing with a fully equipped kitchen, a dining area, and a comfortable lounge with a big-screen TV. Triomphe Pavilion will also include a business centre/library, a games/music room and an expansive outdoor entertaining area with a barbecue and fire pit.
“When the development is complete, residents will enjoy beautiful views of downtown Vancouver and the North Shore mountains, some of it unobstructed,” said Malek of Millennium Development. “We purchased the land a few years back and we’ll begin excavation early next year with a view to completing the project in the first part of 2020.”
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