Mahogany: Quiet living in the heart of a growing city
Delves proud of ‘special’ project
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Artist's rendition of the 26 storey Mahogany High-rise |
Diane Delves, president and CEO of Quantum Properties, says the most exciting part of Mahogany, her newly-approved 26-storey Mill Lake highrise, is its location.
Right across from Mill Lake Park, the project will for a time be Abbotsford’s tallest building and will allow its residents an easy walk to major shopping and easy access to key employers.
“It’s still a nice, quiet residential neighbourhood but it’s also a very urban project . . . and really it’s in the heart of a growing city,” she says.
Delves claims the location is a big selling feature and beyond that it’s also a special building.
Mahogany is not the tallest city-approved building in Abbotsford. Other projects on the drawing board are Brio which is seven metres higher, and Riva at 10 metres higher. Delves says Brio was stalled with the market downturn in 2008 and is not proceeding at this point.
“Because we went for higher density, we will be making a contribution on behalf of Mahogany of approximately $450,000 to the city’s affordable housing fund. It will help Abbotsford provide affordable housing elsewhere in the city.”
Mahogany is a two-phase project consisting of a tower and low rise building, creating a total of 272 units, more than a third of which have already been sold.
Seven townhouses will be constructed at the base of the tower and 87 units will be in the low rise. Three penthouse suites in the tower all already spoken for.
Mahogany has been in the making for almost three years, with negotiations on the property starting in the summer of 2007.
Delves says she always intended to build a highrise on the site.
“When I got the opportunity to buy the property I felt it was a special one that deserved something better than just the ordinary multi-family development.”
Sharing her thoughts on density and development in Abbotsford, she says the city is really constrained by the land base.
“We’ve got the agricultural lands and then we’ve got the hillsides which are difficult to develop on and there are so many environmental issues. People want transit. They want services. You don’t get all those things without density. Density is the forerunner to getting better transit systems and amenities in the town centre.”
Abbotsford is expected to pick up a lot of population growth, and as part of the livable region strategy, density is how you do it, says Delves. “And it’s good for the economy.”
Her excitement about Mahogany’s geo-thermal heating as part the sustainable component of the project is evident: “We really are aiming to be different. We’ve got a lot of glass . . . so we definitely want air conditioning.”
The base of the tower will be incredibly green. Walking paths, seating areas, fountains are all part of the three-acre footprint. An open plaza with public art and gardens will be at the corner of Bevan and Gladwin streets.
An energy study with BC Hydro is in the works for Mahogany, and Terasen Gas is also talking to Quantum Properties.
Delves says a Mahogany display suite is set to be open by fall, and it will stay in place on the south portion of the site until the project is virtually sold out.
“We have a lot of work to do on finishing the plans. Building permit approval will probably come next summer. We’ll guage site conditions and start excavation probably next fall.”
Delves smiles as she talks about the public art she picked out for Mahogany two years ago in Granville Island at a “fabulous” gallery that features African stone carvings.
“Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. The art was still available for sale a couple of weeks ago and if you look closely, you’ll see it is part of our rendering.”
Click here to visit QUANTUM PROPERTIES
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Diane Delves is also working with owners of the 87-unit Brooklyn condo project, located at the corner of Maclure and Gladwin roads. She says she is fulfilling the role of developer with them as partners.
Click here to visit the BROOKLYN PROJECT
Quantum Properties also offers the Tamarind condo project in West Abbotsford: Click here for more details.
