Condo goes smoke free - Vancouver Sun

ENVY

Location: Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver
Project size: 50 apartments
Residence size: Average size is 746 square feet
Prices: $350,000 - $650,000
Sales centre: 1 -- 156 West Third St, North Vancouver
Telephone: 604-983-3689
Web: envynorthvan.com
Developer: Wedgewood Marcon Homes Ltd.
Architect: Raymond Letkeman Architects
Interior design: Calvert Design Studio
Tentative occupancy: February 2008

Inhale deeply. You can't smell anything, right? That's the whole point. Clean air, healthy lifestyle choices, Grouse Grind scrambling and environmentalism are all part of the marketing plan for a new, 50-unit condo development on the North Shore.
But that's not all.
Envy will be Canada's first entirely smoke-free condominium development, taking green building ideals to new levels, project representative Kellie Lawson says.
It just makes sense, she says.

"Only 17 per cent of the people in B.C. smoke and we think it adds to the marketability of the development rather than limit it," Lawson says.

And the tactic is working well, since 50 per cent of the homes -- ranging in price from $350,000 to $650,000 -- have pre-sold.

"I don't know if we have sold to a smoker yet and we may not," Lawson says.

People "love the idea" of a smoke-free building, says Annette Denk of Sussex Realty, who is marketing the project.

"The response so far we [have] received is fabulous. People love the idea and think it is great," says Denk.

"We had a client that was a smoker and he said 'I guess it's not a building for me to buy in' and that was that. From talking to 55 buyers or so, we had only one with that remark. People's response is usually, 'really, that's great. I love the idea of a non-smoking building.' "

Denk says investors who are buying into Envy to rent also like that they won't have to worry about smoking.

"The response is truly overwhelming how people like the idea of a non-smoking building," Denk adds.

Cynthia Callard of Toronto, executive director for Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, applauds the project.

"I have not heard of another condo development [like this]," Callard says. "It's clever of them, eh?"

Callard says she isn't surprised that the smoke-free building initiative is coming out of B.C.

"I think that the west coast is often where great ideas happen and this is a great idea," she says.

While some condo stratas may have voted to ban smoking, many buildings allow occupants to light up on their patios. Not Envy.

Callard says this too, is a breath of fresh air.

"People have complained about balconies, because it drifts back into the windows of neighbouring occupants," she says.

Beyond the smokey debate, the rest of the project embraces environmental concepts like energy-efficient materials and recycling.

They aimed to use eco-friendly building materials like non-toxic paints and engineered concrete. LoE2 Smartglass windows keeps rooms warm in the winter and cool in the summer, conserving energy. On the podium level, a green roof will aid in the control of storm water runoff.

Even the carpets in the interior were chosen for a higher recycled content.

Homes are warmed up with radiant flooring and built-in Oakham thermostatically controlled electric fireplaces.

Gourmet cooks will enjoy the open-spaced kitchens, including a Kindred undermount stainless steel sink, an Energy Star dishwasher and Bamboo Series designer floor tile.

The eco-friendly bathroom features a Kohler Karsten toilet, using low consumption and a dual flush. The Venco deep, soaker tub is perfect for unwinding after an afternoon of mountain biking or hiking.

The overall look of the homes, sized about 750 square feet on average, exude modern, and clean, living.

Lawson says the two local developers -- Marcon and Wedgewood -- joined forces because they complemented each other while working on the project, built under the amalgamated name, Wedgewood Marcon Homes Ltd.

"They have partnered on this development because of the expertise they both bring -- Wedgwood's ability to find and design projects that add value to the neighbourhoods and Marcon's construction expertise," says Lawson.

For buyers with a hankering for a nicotine fix, Lawson says the new strata council could vote to reinstate smoking.

"The bylaws can be changed with a majority vote. Just as they can changed property managers, etcetera," says Lawson.

And while lighting up is taboo -- a big no-no -- people can still display their enviable collections of smoking paraphernalia, such as pipes or ashtrays.

"Smoking accessory collections are welcomed in the homes, just like stuffed pets are welcome in a no-pet building," she says. "Just don't smoke the pet. Just kidding."

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