Latimer Village the urban hub of master-planned Langley community
Credit to Author: Barbara Gunn| Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2019 13:23:05 +0000
In 2013, Vesta Properties approached homeowners in the Carvolth neighbourhood of Langley with an offer to purchase and then develop their lots. Fast forward six years and a landmark master-planned community – the largest in the Fraser Valley – is beginning to take shape. Set on no fewer than 74 acres and comprising 31 lots in total, Latimer Heights will provide the area with just under 2,000 new homes.
Latimer Village is the newest section of Latimer Heights to go on sale and represents the urban hub of the entire community with 487 condos. Set for completion in the late summer of 2021, it will include restaurants, retail outlets, amenities and an urban village space. The community will also have more than 17 acres of park space and provide easy access to the Carvolth Exchange, which in turn connects to the SkyTrain system.
Vesta Properties’ Latimer Heights, as shown in an artist’s rendering. [PNG Merlin Archive]
Community building on this scale offers potential homebuyers all kinds of options. For Fisher Lietz, it’s the opportunity to own a home for the first time.
Vesta Properties’ Latimer Heights, as shown in an artist’s rendering. [PNG Merlin Archive]
“It was very affordable,” said Lietz. “I’m a pretty young guy and don’t have a crazy amount of money to work with so it was really nice to be able to get into a new development like this. It’s not something that I expected to be able to do.”
“It’s a really great area in my opinion or, at least, it will be soon,” Lietz added. “I work in downtown Langley and it’s getting to be really busy. I wouldn’t want to live right downtown, but this is just close enough to it that I can still get there, but still have access to the highway and good transit options.”
Tara Desmond, sales manager at Vesta Properties, said that Latimer Heights will allow different generations to live in the same location based on their different needs.
“We have young families who have bought one of the townhomes and their parents are going to be moving into one of the condos,” said Desmond. “It’s a very walkable community that’s completely sustainable on its own – people can very much age in place if they want to and have the amenities and the facilities they need right on their doorstep.”
“There are schools, there’s shopping and there’s recreation in abundance here,” said Desmond. “I think it also offers a certain amount of accessibility and less traffic congestion than you might find in places like South Surrey. Langley seems to appeal to people because you have all the restaurants and all the shopping, but you’re also close to the border and close to the airport.”
The first two buildings of Latimer Village, comprising approximately 100 homes, are on sale now, with new phases to be released shortly. Homes range in size from 507 to 1,331 square feet. Available homes have between one and three bedrooms – some with a den as well – and are priced from the mid-$300,000 range.
Homes at Latimer Village will have nine-foot-high ceilings, oversized windows and laminate hardwood-style floors. There are three colour schemes to choose from – grey, caramel and dark – and the kitchens come with Samsung appliance packages, gas ranges and french door fridge freezers with ice and water dispensers.
Latimer Village at Latimer Heights is a project from Vesta Properties in Langley. [PNG Merlin Archive]
Bathrooms have dual sinks, frameless glass shower doors, large format tiles on shower surrounds and floors, and quartz countertops.
Latimer Village at Latimer Heights is a project from Vesta Properties in Langley. [PNG Merlin Archive]
“There’s a ton of variation here,” Desmond said. “A lot of the time with condo buildings you’ll see the same plans repeated on every floor. That’s definitely not the case with the architecture and the design at Latimer Village. There are at least 40 different floor plans – it’s really unique.”
“We are a local, Langley developer so we know what people are looking for,” she added. “We’re very much involved and invested in the community and our head office is here. We’ve been part of the initial transformation of this area and it’s become one of the most popular places in the Lower Mainland to purchase a home as a result.”
At Latimer Village, Desmond said there has been lots of interest from residents of Burnaby and Coquitlam who are attracted by the value on offer, as well as people who already live in the area. Lietz is one of them and he jumped at the chance to own a condo in what is set to become a highly desirable new area of the Lower Mainland.
“I live in Brookswood, south of downtown Langley,” he said. “I like it where I am but I’m really looking forward to going to the new place. I find renting to be kind of an unfortunate situation. All the rent is just going away to nothing, but with a mortgage you get to keep a lot of your monthly payment as equity. It will be really nice to not have to be losing $1,100 a month.”
The Latimer Discovery Centre, showcasing a typical two-bedroom condo at Latimer Village, is open from noon to 5 p.m. every day except Friday.
Latimer Village at Latimer Heights
Project location: 8242 200 Street, Langley
Project size: The first two buildings of Latimer Village, comprising approximately 100 homes, are on sale now, with new phases to be released shortly. Homes range in size from 507 to 1,331 square feet. Available homes have one to three bedrooms – some with a den as well – and are priced from the mid-$300,000 range
Developer: Vesta Properties
Architect: Ciccozzi Architecture
Interior designer: Area 3 Design
Sales centre: 8242 200 Street, Langley Township
Sales centre hours: noon to 5 p.m., Sat — Thurs
Sales phone: 604-371-1669
Website: http://www.latimervillageco