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A sense of community and belonging. This might not seem synonymous with luxury high-rise living in downtown Vancouver, where you might imagine wealthy international types using a unit as a crash pad in their jet-setting lifestyle, leaving it empty half the year and never getting to know their neighbours.
But not so in the Private Residences at Hotel Georgia, according to developer Bruce Langereis, president of Delta Land Group, the company that completed the tower in 2011 after a tough few recession years.
“Value is driven by a lot of dynamics but what’s important is having a building where there is a culture of ownership – it’s more than just about kitchens and finishings,” says Langereis. “[The building] has fulfilled our goals and dreams about creating that really good culture.”
“[Our buyers] are going to rise to the next level and say ‘What’s the culture like at this building?’ – and not just check strata minutes and documentation.”
Langereis should know, having himself been a resident at the building since completion. “I’ve lived and breathed this building for seven or eight years now,” he tells REW.ca.
Service and Amenities
Part of what makes the building so eminently livable is the level of service that residents enjoy – for an additional fee, they can indulge in all the services that the Hotel Georgia provides, such as maid service and room service. And included in their strata fees are access to all the hotel’s luxurious amenities – swimming pool, spa and so on – as well as door-to-door garbage and recycling collection.
This “good life” vibe is bringing the neighbours together, says Langereis. “When I was growing up in Vancouver, neighbourhood was everything, but it’s not as strong as it used to be. That’s what we’re creating here.”
He tells of how, when showing some sports celebrities around recently, they met some residents in the elevator and the guests asked the residents what it was like to live there. “They said it was ‘the best’ and ’awesome’,” says Langereis with pride.
Selling the Penthouses
A great testimonial, especially for a building that is still marketing three of its highest-end units – including the top-floor “true” penthouse, a 6,830-square-foot pad with 360-degree views, plus two of the four sub-penthouses. Those are on the market for around $8 million and the penthouse listed for a cool $18 million. “It’s not a hard-and-fast price,” says Langereis. “There’s some negotiating room for the right buyer.”
This wriggle room for the “right buyer” has garnered Langereis some considerable media attention over recent months. Unlike many other developers, Delta has not marketed the property overseas, in the hopes of attracting buyers who will live in the building and contribute to the community, rather than leave their penthouse vacant much of the year.
“We’re going to be choosy in who buys here,” says Langereis. “If for example we see a buyer who we know is involved in organized crime, we simply won’t engage as it will be detrimental to the building.”
However, Langereis is quick to set the record straight regarding the potential nationality of the buyer.
“The media coverage we received almost made it seem like we were trying to exclude Asian buyers, which we weren’t. In fact our most recent sub-penthouse buyer is a local Asian family, and we’re thrilled with the purchase.”
He says that he is simply hoping that someone will come into the building and be a part of the culture – not that he would exclude a suitable buyer just because they might not always be at home.
“This isn’t just about business. At the same time, we’re going to be smart about our business.”
In the Pipeline
So what’s next for Langereis and Delta Land Group? A masterplanned community in Whistler is in the pipeline, as Langereis says the company has secured a unique site. “We’re hoping this will be a showcase of how a masterplanned community can be done from the ground up.” There are also plans for a 10-storey residential tower in West Vancouver.
Langereis’ prediction is for a general slowing of development as developers find land costs and lack of available space making it harder and harder to make the bottom line work. “We’re all proceeding with caution,” he says.
Click here for more information on the Private Residences at the Hotel Georgia.
