Project from Create Properties has been attracting more than a little interest
Simon Briault
The Vancouver Sun
Second + Main
Project location: 180 East 2nd Ave., Vancouver
Project size: 233 homes ranging in size from 479 to 999 square feet and price between the mid-$500,000s and $1.5 million. Home styles: studios, one-bedrooms, Micro 2 suites, two-bedrooms, two-bedroom plus den and three bedrooms
Developer: Create Properties
Architect: DYS Architecture
Interior designer: False Creek Design
Sales centre: 180 East 2nd Avenue
Telephone: 604-877-3222
Hours: By appointment
Website: secondandmain.ca
In a city like Vancouver, where space is at a premium and highrise apartment living is the norm for many, it can sometimes be hard to find a multi-family project where residents are truly able to feel a part of the community in which they live. In this context, Second + Main is an exception.
In addition to the 233 homes on offer, this low-rise, mixed-use building incorporates commercial retail space on the ground floor and a plan by the City of Vancouver to develop below-market housing and an artists’ production space. Create Properties and Northchild Developments acquired the project from the Aquilini group and are working with DYS Architecture, Urban One Builders and False Creek Design Group to bring their vision of an accessible, dynamic housing project to life.
“The project really takes into account the vibrancy of the area and we’re ensuring that we maintain a meaningful connection with Mount Pleasant’s artist community,” said Lucas van den Berg, a real estate developer and the founder of Create Properties. “The terracing in the design of the building addresses the visual-impact considerations for the neighbourhood. We’ve got plentiful green roofs and gardens on top of this building and that’s going to be great for residents in terms of the liveability of the place.”
Second + Main has a retail breezeway running right through the building, opening out into a public courtyard. The City of Vancouver will retain some rights to use the space for public gatherings and art shows and there will be public art on permanent display as well. In addition to the 233 market units at Second + Main, the first three floors of housing along Second Avenue will comprise 30 below-market housing units aimed at working artists and those on lower incomes. These homes have a private entrance and a private rooftop and green space.
“Mount Pleasant is not only an eclectic community of artists, bistros and brew pubs, it’s also a light industrial area that is really in transition,” van den Berg said. “I’m always shocked walking in the neighbourhood at how many hidden gems you can find here. As a first public project for both ourselves and Northchild, we feel like Second + Main represents the scale of what we’re trying to do very well and highlights the importance we place on being at the heart of the action.”
“A lot of my work in the past in Vancouver has had to do with social housing, so being able to address the housing concerns here by being active in the development industry is very exciting for me,” van den Berg added. “It’s obviously a business, but the City of Vancouver is doing great work with the social housing component of this project and we’re proud to be a part of that.”
Interest from the locals as well as investors has been intense, according to van den Berg. People have been lining up for the previews and there have been more than 2,000 registrations already.
“We’ve got some exceptionally smartly crafted and efficiently designed homes,” van den Berg said. “This really comes down to value. We’ve maximized the utility of these homes, so if an owner needs to bring a roommate in to be able to afford a suite, we’ve allowed for that in the way we’ve designed the units.”
The “Micro 2” suite at the sales centre showcases a pull-out dining table, convertible living room and bedroom spaces and customizable storage units. The kitchens at Second + Main feature European cabinetry, mirrored backsplashes and polished quartz countertops. Bathrooms have large-format porcelain floor and shower wall tiles, wall-hung toilets and in-shower storage niches.
The building also features a rooftop garden, two outdoor kitchens with barbecues, fridges and sinks, a fitness room, a children’s play area, a lounge room with a full kitchen and a bike-wash and bike-repair room. There will be secure underground parking for residents and the developers are targeting LEED Gold certification upon completion.
“We’re really interested in being able to reach local buyers,” van den Berg said. “We’re looking to have a very efficient use of space, not just in the two- and three-bedroom homes, but also in the smaller units. So even if you’re looking at a smaller home, you’re going to be able to get a lot for your 600 square feet. The idea is to put these homes within the reach of as many local owner occupiers as possible and allow them to max out what they can afford.”
Second + Main has a huge range of home styles to choose from: studios, one-bedrooms, the aforementioned “Micro 2” suites, two-bedrooms, two-bedroom plus den and three bedrooms. They are between 479 and 999 square feet. Prices start in the mid $500,000s and top out at about $1.5 million. The building is scheduled for completion in late 2019 or early 2020.
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