Nanaimo waterfront lures Vancouver buyers
Chantal Eustace
Sun
The appeal of lower prices and waterfront living at Pacifica in Nanaimo is a powerful lure for out-oftown buyers and those who commute by seaplane to downtown Vancouver.
Scenic views of the ocean, as well as mountain vistas, are part of the scenery to be enjoyed on the patio at the Pacifica, a new-home project on the Nanaimo waterfront
Pacifica
Project location: Nanaimo
Project size: 18 storeys, 169 townhouses and apartments
Prices: from $450,000
Contact: Glynis Hayes, Coast Realty, 1-888-716-7001 (toll free) or [email protected]
Developer: The Cape Group: Ralph Schwartzman, Bill Wright and Edward Calb and Reisa Schwartzman.
Developer/owner: Nanaimo Harbour Front Development Corporation
Web: pacificananaimo. ca
Occupancy: immediate
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When Dwayne Yaretz needs a break from the business of life in Vancouver, he hops on a seaplane to relax in his apartment at Pacifica on the Nanaimo waterfront. “Literally, you hop on your ‘private plane’ — almost -and it drives you to your doorstep, and that’s it,” says Yaretz, of the 20-minute Harbour Air trip from Vancouver’s downtown to Nanaimo.
Yaretz, who counts his Yaletown home as his primary residence, is just one of a number of local harbour-hoppers to purchase in Pacifica, says Glynis Hayes, of Coast Realty Group.
Of the development’s buyers, she says, about 20 per cent are from Vancouver. Another 20 per cent are from other major centres like Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Victoria. The remaining 60 per cent are Vancouver Islanders, she says.
The appeal of lower prices and waterfront living is a powerful lure for out-of-town home shoppers, she says, standing on one of the apartment’s patios surrounded by breathtaking ocean views.
“They say ‘wow’,” she says, of home shoppers’ reactions to Pacifica‘s prices. “Then they settle down and they just get taken in by the views.”
On one side, Pacifica faces the mariner’s hub of the Nanaimo Harbour, a colourful mix of marine traffic ranging from water taxis to floatplanes. You can also see Protection Island, home to the floating Dinghy Dock Pub, and Newcastle Island, a protected marine park accessible by ferry.
The other side of Pacifica, once the site of the old Malaspina Hotel, looks out to businesses on Front Street.
Hayes points to a floatplane dock visible below, adding the nearby option of air travel is an added bonus for commuter buyers.
(Sales incentive alert: The developer is offering buyers a year of free commutes with returns once per week with Harbour Air.)
More and more people are commuting by floatplane, says Randy Wright of Harbour Air/ West Coast Air.
“We estimate about 400 commuters a day,” says Wright, adding this is about double what it was five years ago.
“I’d say it’s a growing trend.”
He thinks this has a lot to do with Vancouver Island’s more affordable real estate combined with the ease and speed of commuting by floatplane. Not all commuters fly.
Pacifica buyer Stan Carter and his wife of 60 years, Florence, take the ferry every week and a half or so to spend time at their 940-square foot Pacifica apartment. The couple spends about 50 per cent of their time in Nanaimo and 50 per cent in their Vancouver home, he says.
They were drawn to the development for many reasons, says Carter, including the building’s location on the waterfront — within walking distance to amenities like a park, shops and restaurants.
“We just love it. We spend as much time as we possibly can there,” says Carter. “It’s just a little piece of heaven.”
Vancouver designer Cliff Ford says he was impressed with the views he faced while decorating the 1,000 square foot patio of one of the show suites.
“The view is ridiculous,” says Ford, who lives in Vancouver, sitting on a large, white bed he had set up in a corner of the patio. “There’s nothing like it on the planet.”
Behind the bed to one side is the ocean, the quaint cityscape also visible below. Instead of traffic noises, sea gulls squawk. At noon we hear the boom of the Sunday cannon.
Inspired by the space and sweeping views, Ford says, he worked to showcase how the area could be used for what he describes as “gracious living.” He created pockets for a dining area, a bar, comfortable lounging spots and yes — a bed for sleeping under the stars.
Inside Pacifica, buyers can take in the views through thermal, low-e glazed windows.
Standard amenities in all the homes include things like granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms as well as cook-friendly comforts, like Frigidaire Gallery Series appliances.
Underfoot, buyers find laminate wood floors throughout. Some of the units have carpeting in the master bedrooms.
Master bedrooms also come with generous, walk-in closets — a luxury for Vancouver shoppers, tight on space — and modern ensuite bathrooms with plenty of smart storage.
Hayes walks us through one of the penthouses, just released for sale this month.
With its 14-foot high ceilings in the living facing floor-to-ceiling windows and jaw-dropper ocean views, the 1,200 square foot space is unique. “It has the ‘wow’,” Hayes says, smiling. “Everyone who comes through the door says that.”
Hayes adds, the $750,000 price tag is a fraction of what a view like this might cost in Vancouver. “It’s the most beautiful view in the world.”
But Nanaimo-living is more than just good views and clean smelling air. Hayes, who moved to Nanaimo from Toronto in 2001, says the smaller Vancouver Island city offers people a nice lifestyle too.
“I think the number 1 would be that it’s easier,” Hayes says. “You get up in the morning, you don’t have to worry about traffic. It’s just a different frame of mind.”
As for Yaretz, he says, he’s considering buying a scooter for when he spends time in Nanaimo.
You don’t need a car, he says, especially since the seaplane parks him right at his front door.
“It’s almost like pulling into your own private garage,” he says, chucking. “It just doesn’t get a lot better.”
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