Emerging location a major draw
Kerry Moore
Province
The suites have a contemporary feel, with bedrooms encased in sliding glass doors. Photograph by : Gerry Kahrmann, The Province
The Ginger building’s design embraces its Chinatown location with a strong contemporary component to the suites, including glass-encased bedrooms. GERRY KAHRMANN PHOTOS – THE PROVINCE
Cabinets are white wood grain with stainless edging
Ginger is the place for first-time city buyers.
“We are where Yaletown was 12 years ago and likely will have the same appeal for young people,” says David Porte, president of Porte Development. “These people love the city and want to be in the middle of its energy.”
It may also appeal to hockey fans. Situated at Main and East Georgia, Ginger is four blocks from GM Place and the 2010 Olympic hockey games. “This is the place to be,” laughs Porte, “if you can get a ticket.”
Ginger’s location in the heart of thriving Chinatown is just the beginning of its story.
“This is an emerging location: Strathcona is on one side, the Olympic village just a few blocks away, while sports arenas and shopping are on the doorstep. Ginger gives residents an opportunity to be in the area as it emerges around them.” Porte adds that St. Paul‘s Hospital has a proposal for another hospital adjacent to the VIA Rail station, so health care, too, will be close.
Porte Development’s commitment to the neighbourhood includes absorbing elements of Chinatown.
“The architects, who also are on the Olympic project, took design cues from traditional buildings but did not copy directly to ensure a contemporary tone.”
While Ginger will have brick exteriors, recessed balconies and metal railings — all design elements common to the neighbourhood, says Porte, “ours will be an up-to-date version of the area’s orange and green balconies.”
The building’s interior will be contemporary with unique features.
“Images of Chinatown will be laminated on each hallway door, so getting out of the elevator will be like entering an art gallery.”
A sense of something different extends to the interior of the condos.
“Each suite should feel like an open, welcoming space,” says Porte. “To unify it, all the rooms have bamboo floors, except for tile in the bathrooms. In most suites, bedrooms are enclosed in sliding glass doors to emphasize the openness.” Adding to that feeling are the balconies, which Porte considers part of the living space. Most are 20 to 25 feet wide and covered, he notes. Outdoor fireplaces are possible as an upgrade.
Kitchens come with a full stainless appliance package; washer and dryer are an upgrade. In the studios, says Porte, “buyers can get a built-in Murphy bed as an upgrade.”
There are unexpected choices in colours. While cabinetry and walls are the same throughout the building — cabinets are white wood grain with stainless edging, walls a clay beige — the personality is in the details: from a list of five colours, buyers select one for a glass stripe in bathrooms, backsplash tile and counter tops in kitchens.
Ginger’s buyer-friendly advantages include ensuite storage in almost every suite. “If it’s not in the suite, it’s elsewhere in the building,” notes Porte.
There are 60 underground parking spaces. One is included with each of the two-bed and penthouse suites, while other units can purchase a space.
Already located in a shopping hub, retail will increase with Ginger’s development. The ground floor of the building will be retail and, on the land adjacent to Ginger, there will be 200 linear feet of new retail.
Retail and domestic occupancy is aimed for early fall, 2009, “just in time to settle in before the Olympics.”
GINGER
What: Nine-storey midrise
tower, containing 78 condos.
Where: 718 Main St., Vancouver‘s Chinatown District.
Developer: Porte Development Corp.
Sizes: Studio, 470 sq. ft.; one- bed, 567 sq. ft.; one-bedroom and flex, 670 sq. ft.; two-bedroom, 825 sq. ft.; penthouses, 1030 sq. ft.
Prices: From $268,800
Open: Display suite, 663 Gore St. Information: www.gingerliving.com or 604-785-0146.
© The Vancouver Province 2007