Belmont Residences to take its place in an evolving Langford
Michael Bernard
The Vancouver Sun
Michael Bernard
Updated: July 14, 2018
The sun
Belmont Residences, Langford
Project Location: 960 Division Ave., Langford
Project scope: 80 condominiums in a five-storey wood-frame building, the first phase of seven planned market and rental buildings in a 24-acre master-planned community west of Victoria. Located on the 55-kilometre Galloping Goose trail, homes range from one-bedroom plans at 622 square feet to two-bedroom-and-den suites at 1,224. An easy walk to grocery, banks, cafes and professional offices with quick access to outdoors recreation.
Price: From $324,900 to $649,900
Developer: Ledcor Property Development
Architect: Greg Voute, senior associate, RLA Architect
Interior Designer: i3 Design
Sales Centre: 915 Division Ave., Langford
Centre hours: noon —5 p.m., Sat — Thurs
Sales phone: 778-432-3777
Website: http://www.belmontresidences.com
Occupancy: January 2020
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At 79, Jean Maddocks has a pretty good idea what she wants. So when she saw the first phase of the Belmont Residences, a master-planned community in Vancouver Island’s Langford, she knew she had found what she was looking for.
Maddocks, a widow who owns a 1,425-square-foot rancher in nearby Colwood, has watched the community of Langford evolve in recent years.
“And I knew as I got older, I had to do some thinking about the future,” she said. “My yard and garden work are getting to be too much, so I had read about the new centre in Langford and I have known the area for many years.“
When she first considered downsizing to Langford a few years ago, essential services like the bank, a grocery store and other amenities were still a drive away. Her new home, however, will be a short walk from everything she will need.
“All the stores are in this area. My bank is being moved into this area. There isn’t going to be anything that isn’t at my fingertips.”
With some prompting from her son who lives nearby and her daughter in Vancouver, she bought a home with two bedrooms and a flex space on the fifth and top floor in the 80-unit initial offering at Belmont. Long term, the 24-acre community calls for seven residential and rental buildings on the site.
While Maddocks’ move is less than 18 months away, she has already done much of the downsizing she needs to do, including checking out the community’s charities so she can donate her surplus furniture and other items.
Maddocks is typical of many of the buyers who have flocked to the presentation centre for the Belmont Residences, says director of sales Peter Gaby. More than 50 per cent of the initial buyers at Belmont have been downsizers from the local and surrounding community, he said.
Location and access to amenities are strong selling points, Gaby said, adding that the 220,000 square feet of commercial and retail components at Belmont — including the popular Vancouver Island-based Thrifty Foods — will be open before the first residence is completed. Langford, which he described as the fastest growing community outside of Victoria, is also well located in terms of providing easy access to the rest of Vancouver Island.
But a prime factor is that Belmont is more affordable than the city of Victoria, yet it is only a short drive away, he said.
“I would say that prices are about 30 per cent lower than what you would pay for a comparable size property in downtown Victoria,” he said.
Scott Brown, president of the Vancouver-based Fifth Avenue Real Estate Marketing, agreed with Gaby, and added that there is very little wood-frame development available in Victoria.
“If you go to the concrete building downtown, you will pay in the low 900,000s,” he said.
“It has really gone up in the last two years.”
Brown, whose firm is one of the largest marketers of condos in Metro Vancouver, said the growth dynamic in Langford is similar to what has happened in some parts of Metro Vancouver in recent years. He noted that there is investor interest in Belmont as well because of the lack of affordable rental accommodation and the population growth in the area.
The modern West Coast-style homes feature large overhangs, oversized windows and high ceilings, generously sized balconies and ground-floor patios, and a combination of shingle siding and stone exteriors. The surrounding gardens and other vegetation have been created by Connect Landscape Architecture.
A common area at the building entrance features a large landscaped terrace facing the Galloping Goose Trail, including a barbecue area, lounge seating and an outdoor fire pit.
Incorporated into the building is the 4,000-square-foot Belmont Club, where residents will be able to host private functions at a large dining room table. The facility will also boast two craft rooms, a sound-proof music room, a kids’ room and a community room in partnership with the Belmont Market and retail shops.
Inside each home is a well-designed kitchen with contemporary flat-panel custom cabinetry with slim brushed chrome pulls on lower cabinets. Countertops are made from premium quartz complemented by a full-height porcelain wood-like tile backsplash. Flooring in the living areas is wide-plank laminate flooring.
Appliances are by KitchenAid and include a five-burner gas cooktop, an AEG slimline range hood, self-cleaning 30-inch wall oven, 30-inch 1.6 cubic foot microwave, and an Energy Star-rated refrigerator and a tall tub dishwasher.
The bathrooms have spa-inspired details including a rectangular soak tub, an oversized shower with frameless doors, quartz countertops and large format porcelain tile flooring.
Nine-foot-high ceilings contribute to the sense of space throughout the open-concept plan homes.
Each home comes with either a stacking Whirlpool washer and dryer or a side-by-side Amana set of appliances. Maddocks chose a stacking configuration because it allowed space for an essential amenity many contemporary condo homes lacked—a broom closet.
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