Cascade at the Pier ? Cascade West (175 Victory Ship Way) Cascade East (185 Victory Ship Way) a total of 201 homes by Pinnacle International
Big outlooks on offer at Cascade at the Pier
Simon Briault
The Vancouver Sun
Cascade at the Pier
Project location: Cascade West (175 Victory Ship Way) and Cascade East (185 Victory Ship Way)
Project size: 201 homes, 1,2, 2 plus den, 3, 3 plus den, 625 to 3,050 square feet, $629,900 to $6,000,000
Developer: Pinnacle International
Architect: IBI Group Architects
Interior designer: False Creek Design
Sales centre: VIP Lounge, Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier, 138 Victory Ship Way, North Vancouver
Hours: 12pm to 5pm every day except Friday
Telephone: 604.984.0906
Website: www.cascadeatthepier.ca
Occupancy: fall 2018
In 1995 the City of North Vancouver partnered with the owners of the recently closed Wallace Shipyards and dry dock site at the bottom of Lonsdale to undertake a land use study.
The idea was to come up with a comprehensive plan to transform what had been a key industrial area since 1906 into a thriving new community. They completed the study in 1997 and, by 2001, a community plan. Pinnacle International purchased the development rights to the site later that same year.
Fast forward 15 years and the area has been completely revitalized – there has been a total of 1.25 million square feet of commercial, public amenity and residential development. There is extensive public waterfront access with a performance stage, a thriving summer night market, and plentiful commercial spaces used by shops, restaurants and services. Pinnacle International built the 105-room Pinnacle Hotel and eight apartment buildings.
The company’s last two residential buildings in this master-planned community, collectively called Cascade at the Pier, will be located right on the water. They will offer views of downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park and the Lions Gate bridge. Sales of the apartments have been brisk.
“You’re not going to find waterfront property anywhere in the city with views like this,” said Jo-Anne Duchscher, Cascade at the Pier’s sales manager. “It’s an extremely rare thing. The buildings are front and centre to the best part of downtown – the cruise ship dock and the five sales. At night it’s obviously all lit up, so you’ll always have an exceptional view at any time of day.”
Gabrielle Loren and her husband bought the three-bedroom, three-bathroom penthouse on the west side of the west building (Cascade West). She and her husband have two children, one in grade 12 and the other at university. Loren explained they were looking for somewhere that would give them peace and quiet, but also enough space for their kids as well as some community life around them to enjoy themselves.
“We’re going from a big house in West Vancouver with a big lot and all the upkeep that involves to an 1,800 square foot condo,” Loren said. “But it’s got about 2,400 square feet of outdoor living space so we’re pretty happy. We’ve got the rooftop deck from the penthouse as well as the patio right off the apartment.”
“I gotta say that the City of North Vancouver has really stepped up to the plate to provide a community where people can downsize to and one that allows for the type of living that our generation is now looking for,” Loren added. “The location is incredible. It’s got tons of restaurants. The best thing I make for dinner is reservations so that was very appealing to me. It’s also super close to transit, which will get us to the airport in quick time via a walk to the Seabus and a ride on the Canada Line. The idea of downsizing is that we’ll free up some money to be able to do some travelling when we retire.”
Grace Kwok, the sales and marketing director for the project, agreed that downsizers are a big part of the residential market these days. Cascade at the Pier is certainly proving popular with this demographic.
“But it’s not just downsizers,” said Kwok. “We have all kinds of people buying here. We have upgraders too – people who are living in a smaller one bedroom and want some more space. Our smallest one-bedrooms are more than 600 square feet, which is much larger than the average you would find in the downtown core.”
Cascade East and Cascade West will rise nine and 10-storeys respectively. They will have a total of 201 units with between one and three bedrooms in sizes ranging from 625 to 3050 square feet. All of them feature outdoor space and provide access to a sea walkway joining the two buildings.
Apartments feature hardwood flooring, Italian Scavolini kitchens and Bosch appliance packages. Bathrooms have separate showers and tubs, a feature in many of Pinnacle International’s residential developments. All units have ceilings of at least nine feet (main floor units and penthouses have ten foot ceilings).
The only individual expense for residents of Cascade at the Pier will be electricity. Everything else will be covered by the maintenance fees – hot water, air conditioning, gas for the cooktop and the use of all the amenities at the hotel. These include an indoor, five-lane, 80-foot lap pool, as well as a steam room, a sauna, a Jacuzzi, a whirlpool and a fully equipped gym. Homeowners get special VIP privileges.
“The views are just incredible and in fact the strata fees are extremely reasonable because you’re not paying for amenities in the building,” said Loren. “But as residents we get to use the facilities at the hotel as part of our maintenance fees. You can’t get a better deal.”
The sales centre at the Pinnacle Hotel is open from 12-5pm every day except Friday and completion of the development is scheduled for fall 2018.
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