Cambie Gardens phase one a 24 storey and 26 storey towers at 650 West 57th Avenue by Onni Group
Two high-rises represent the first phase of Onni?s master-planned Cambie Gardens.
Kathleen Freimond
The Vancouver Sun
Project: Cambie Gardens
Project address: Cambie Street and West 59th Avenue, Vancouver
Developer: Onni Group
Architect: IBI Architects
Interior design: Onni Group
Project size: 25-acre master-planned community; one-acre urban farm; two and half acre park. First phase: one 24-storey tower, one 26-storey tower
Bedrooms: Studio, one-, two, and three-bedroom
Unit size: 450 to 1,710 square feet
Price: From $699,900
Sales centre: 788 West 57th Avenue
Sales centre hours: noon — 6 p.m., Sat — Thurs
Phone: 604-330-6776
Website: onni.com/cambiegardens
Completion of the first phase is scheduled for 2021
There will be 295 homes in the two towers, ranging in size from studio to one-, two- and three-bedroom units, from 450 to 1,385 square feet, and townhomes of 1,710 square feet. When completed, the entire community will include approximately 2,000 homes.
The two highrises, being built to LEED Gold certification and designed by IBI Architects, will be on Cambie and West 59th, the southeast corner of the site. Residents will enjoy views of the Langara Golf Course to the east, an unobstructed outlook to the south, views of internal parks to the west, and, in the distance, city and mountain vistas to the north, says Nic Jensen, Onni’s vice-president of sales.
The two towers — one at 24 storeys, one at 26 — will be among the tallest on the 25-acre site, says Jensen, who notes the planned height of buildings decreases across the site from east to west. Development of the entire site will also follow an east-to-west sequence, he adds.
Once completed, Cambie Gardens residents will enjoy the conveniences of a master-planned community with amenities such as a two-and-a-half-acre park, owned and maintained by the city of Vancouver, a central plaza and a one-acre urban farm in addition to 100 000 square feet of retail space. The retail space is expected to accommodate a large grocery store of about 40,000 square feet, and other convenience stores such as a coffee shop, drugstore and a bank. Most of the retail space will front on to Cambie, Jensen says.
The presentation centre at 788 West 57th Avenue showcases kitchen and bathroom vignettes in each of the three colour and material palettes designed by Onni’s team of interior designers.
The design team’s brief for the East and West towers was to create luxury interiors with fresh, sophisticated palettes and softened modern lines.
The Cambie and Langara palettes are a dark and light version of a similar palette with marble countertops and slab backsplashes, while the Heather palette has satin painted soft grey cabinetry and a brushed quartzite stone countertop and backsplash.
The Cambie scheme features textured rift-cut oak laminate upper cabinets and white satin painted lower cabinets, while the Langara scheme offers textured quarter-cut walnut laminate upper cabinets and white satin painted lower cabinets.
All three options have flat-panel cabinet doors and drawers with integrated finger pulls for a flush finish and soft-close mechanisms, while the pantry cupboards include pull-out shelves to maximize storage space. Pot lights in the kitchens are enhanced with under-cabinet recessed lighting, and in another practical touch the top drawers also feature motion sensor LED lights that come on when the drawer is opened.
Kitchen islands vary according to plans. Compact units – the Cambie vignette is an example – feature islands with dining space for four, while the larger units include islands with a sink and dishwasher and a single-sided breakfast bar overhang as seen in the Langara and Heather displays.
All kitchens include a 30-inch Sub-Zero refrigerator with freezer drawers and a dual-zone under-counter wine fridge. The 30-inch gas cooktop, dual convection wall oven and microwave are by Wolf and an Asko dishwasher completes the kitchen’s high-end appliance package.
The Langara and Heather bathroom vignettes at the presentation centre include on-trend freestanding soaker tubs with floor-mounted brushed nickel faucets, floating vanities with four-inch mitered apron fronts and under-cabinet LED lighting and generously proportioned walk-in frameless glass enclosed showers with floor-to-ceiling marble tiles and marble mosaic floors.
Wide-plank engineered oak hardwood flooring with a brushed finish connects the kitchen, living and dining spaces while wool-berber carpets will be soft underfoot in the bedrooms and closets.
Other standard features in Cambie Gardens’ East and West towers include: in-suite controlled energy-efficient forced air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems; wireless LCD smart thermostats; built-in speakers and sound control in the kitchens; double-glazed Low-E windows; underfloor heating in the bathrooms; wirelessly controlled motorized roller blinds in living, dining and kitchen areas; and convenient USB outlets to charge electronic devices.
All units have at least one parking stall (larger homes may have two) and a storage locker, Jensen says.
While there is a lot of redevelopment in the Cambie Corridor following approval of the Vancouver City Council’s Cambie Corridor Plan – a long-term framework to guide change and growth in the area and allow for higher density – Onni’s Cambie Gardens site benefits from its elevated position, Jensen says. The lifestyle associated with a home in a planned community is also attractive to buyers, he adds, and the units are also drawing interest from people who already live in the area and want to downsize.
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