Toppen Ridge to make its home in North Vancouver’s Moodyville
Kathleen Freimond
The Province
Toppen Ridge, a project from Formwerks Boutique Properties, comprises 24 two- and three-bedroom townhomes.
Toppen Ridge townhomes in North Vancouver will range up to more than 1,500 square feet with interior designs that feature a neutral pallet and a boutique feel
Some of the homes at Toppen Ridge will open to a central courtyard
Toppen Ridge
What: 24 two- and three-bedroom townhomes
Where: 237 Ridgeway Avenue, North Vancouver
Residence size and prices: 1,137 – 1,576 square feet; low $900,000s to $1.3 million’s
Developer: Formwerks Boutique Properties
Sales centre: 549 East 3rd Street, North Vancouver
Sales centre hours: Saturday and Sunday from 1 – 4 p.m. and by appointment
Phone: 778-724-0495
To meet the City of North Vancouver’s contemporary design guidelines for the Moodyville neighbourhood while also incorporating features that echo the area’s industrial past and meet homebuyers’ demand for a simpler design esthetic, Formwerks Boutique Properties came up with its own style for its Toppen Ridge development: ‘contemporanian.’
Toppen Ridge, a 24-townhome development, will be part of the transformation of the suburb that traces its industrial roots to the establishment of the Moodyville Sawmill in the 1860s.
Following the 2016 rezoning of the land east of St. Patrick’s Avenue to Queensbury Avenue and south of East 4th Street, the area is being redeveloped and when complete, will include about 1,500 homes, a renewed Moodyville Park and improved greenways.
Toppen Ridge’s contemporanian style is the result of considerations of many of the features that existed within Moodyville, says James McKenny, sales and marketing manager, Formwerks Boutique Properties. “At the port, there’s a lot of black metal, concrete and different hard materials, but the area also has a beautiful natural landscape and the [North Shore] mountains.”
These local influences are seen in the architectural design of the development with the peaked roofs showing the visual influence of the mountains, while the industrial gooseneck lighting and black metal awnings recall the industrial heritage of the area.
The development includes ground-level courtyard homes with townhouses stacked above them. The courtyard homes have a double-wide floor plan and open to a central courtyard.
There are several different types of townhouses, McKenny adds, noting a special zoning allows for live-work homes. Inside the live-work townhouses, sliding frosted glass doors easily close off part of the living area to create a space for a home-based business.
Two of the courtyard homes also have a feature that broadens their appeal: lock-off studios with their own entrance. The space can be used as a third bedroom, a nanny suite or rented to generate income, McKenny says.
Interior designer Natalia Kwasnicki, partner at Portico Design Group, says Formwerks retained its single-family home boutique-builder creative philosophy for the development, an approach that resulted in more character and distinctive features for Toppen Ridge than is typical in most multi-family developments.
“We pushed the boundaries a little. Most multi-family offerings have a more neutral palette, whereas Toppen Ridge will have a more boutique feel with more personality and character in the materials selections,” she says, pointing to choices like the hexagon-tile floor in the ensuite bathroom and a darker-than-usual marble-look porcelain backsplash in the kitchen.
Buyers can choose from two colour palettes: Freya, the lighter scheme, and Finn, with its darker floors and cabinetry.
In the kitchens, both palettes feature the same marble-look backsplash, white countertops and white upper cabinets. For homebuyers who select the Freya palette, lighter wood-tone lower cabinets and lighter laminate floors will distinguish their homes from the darker hues that differentiate the Finn option.
Cabinetry is flat panel in keeping with the contemporary style, while the white uppers make the space light and fresh, she says.
In the main ensuite bathroom, the colour palette is more subdued: the white marble-look countertop and white cabinets allow the hexagon-tile floor to attract all the attention.
Each floor tile has its own marble-look variation that will collectively fill the space with character, Kwasnicki adds.
Toppen Ridge
What: 24 two- and three-bedroom townhomes
Where: 237 Ridgeway Avenue, North Vancouver
Residence size and prices: 1,137 – 1,576 square feet; low $900,000s to $1.3 million’s
Developer: Formwerks Boutique Properties
Sales centre: 549 East 3rd Street, North Vancouver
Sales centre hours: Saturday and Sunday from 1 – 4 p.m. and by appointment
Phone: 778-724-0495
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