Parksville's 100 Lombardy a draw for retirees
Credit to Author: Barbara Gunn| Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2019 12:15:28 +0000
Whenever Albertans Sandra and Ted Beath have visited the Vancouver Island seaside town of Parksville, they enjoy a coffee at the McDonald’s off the city’s main drag. It was on such a recent stop that they saw something — something that will end up being a game changer in their lives.
“We had noticed that a building had been torn down beside the McDonald’s there and said to each other, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to be right beside McDonalds?’” Sandra said laughing. They dropped into the showroom for the 100 Lombardy new-home project and fell in love with what they saw.
Sandra admits there were other factors that played into their decision to buy a penthouse in the boutique collection of 29 condominium homes in a five-storey wood-frame building located but a stroll from the inviting sandy shore and boardwalk on Parksville Beach. Like the nine-hour highway drive from their home in Drayton Valley, 130 kilometres southwest of Edmonton, to their vacation home at Shuswap Lake in the north Okanagan. Or the fact that it will be much easier for their three adult children to bring their grandkids on a 90-minute flight from Edmonton to Nanaimo airport, about 40 minutes south of Parksville.
Yet another reason is that the Beaths have friends from Alberta who purchased a home in Parksville home and a boat, prompting the Beaths to follow suit, which they did by buying a 40-foot Grand Banks-style vessel to explore the Gulf Islands and Georgia Strait.
Garwin Wuerch, whose company Radcliffe Development Corp. is building and selling 100 Lombardy, says the Beaths, along with Metro Vancouverites looking to cash in on the equity on their homes, constitute a good portion of those who stop by the project presentation centre.
“Our market is mainly the retirement market,” he said. “People who are 55-plus who want to scale down, get rid of the yard and move into this form of housing, where they can lock (up) and go travelling. Even local residents are finding “they can buy our new homes in a better location and maybe put some money in the bank.”
The building that once occupied the one-acre site was a 28-room resort motel with a restaurant and swimming pool. “Back in the 1960s and 70s, Victoria people would come up for the weekend and use the pool and the beach,” said Wuerch. “But over the years, it just deteriorated, so we bought the property in 2012 and deconstructed the motel and restaurant.”
In its place will rise a modern design condo development with both surface parking and parking under the building. There will also be some retail space taking up the ground level. All the floor plans have two bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a flex space that can be used for a study or for storage. The homes range from 1,134 to 1,528 square feet with some homes having an unrestricted views of Parksville Beach, just 200 metres away.
Wuerch said 100 Lombardy has a few different features compared to an earlier project Radcliffe built nearby called Stone’s Throw, not the least of which is the flex space, measuring about eight by eight feet.
100 Lombardy is a project from the Radcliffe Development Corp. in Parksville. [PNG Merlin Archive]
”We did originally have some plans that were two bedroom, but didn’t have the flex space. But the flex space is really important because people, especially the older demographic, still want a place for a computer, for their desktop and have it separate from the rest of the living space.”
100 Lombardy is a project from the Radcliffe Development Corp. in Parksville. [PNG Merlin Archive]
The other major difference is that all homes are all one level units with no stairs. “Stairs are a real barrier in this market,” said Wuerch. “If we’re selling to someone that’s thinking about (aging in place) in future, it’s a real issue. So I really liked the idea of developing an apartment condominium with the elevator. And the other consideration is resale value for people who are thinking they want to sell the unit and move on it’s going to be easier.”
Outdoor spaces range from 170-square-foot balconies up to terraces on ground floor units of up to 783, he said.
Inside, Radcliffe has included features that it knows will appeal to a seniors’ crowd, including premium KitchenAid full-sized stainless-steel appliances with the option to upgrade to Bosch appliances for an additional $3,500. There are quartz countertops throughout the home, including a generously sized nine-foot-long kitchen island with a waterfall edge on the entry side.
100 Lombardy is a project from the Radcliffe Development Corp. in Parksville. [PNG Merlin Archive]
All homes come standard with smart home features, including a NEST learning thermostat that ‘remembers’ temperatures the homeowners are accustomed to. Those features can be controlled from a mobile device anywhere in the world. That same distant mobile access applies to controlling the Yale keyless lock.
100 Lombardy is a project from the Radcliffe Development Corp. in Parksville. [PNG Merlin Archive]
The homes are heated and cooled through a ductless system for advanced energy efficiency.
Radcliffe has increased soundproofing levels by adding a 3/8-inch underlayment system, and added to that is sound-reducing drywall and a concrete topping on all floors. Flooring is a luxury vinyl planking.
All homes come with a Whirlpool full-sized washer and dryer and a Napoleon 42-inch electric fireplace that can be upgraded to a natural gas unit.
Another feature bound to be popular among some retirees is low strata-maintenance fees, averaging around $215, Wuerch said. One couple recently purchased sold their condo in an upscale development elsewhere in Parksville to buy into Lombardy because they were paying more than $600 a month for amenities they didn’t use, he noted.
100 Lombardy
Project city: Parksville
Project scope: Five floor building with 29 condos with two beds, two bathroom and flex room. A shot walk to the beach and close to city amenities, including a gym, stores and restaurants
Prices: $485,000 to $879,000
Size: 1,134 —1,528 sq. ft.
Developer: Radcliffe Development Corp.
Architect: dHKarchitects, Nanaimo
Sales centre: 100 Lombardy St.
Centre hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Contact: Garwin Wuerch
Sales phone: (250) 228-0512
Website: lombardystreet.ca
Completion date: November 2020