Family-sized condos becoming a popular trend

Thirty-something Dave and Brenda Paris are expecting their first child any day now. Rather than look in the suburbs for a home, these Millennials chose a condo in Vancouver’s sought-after Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.

“We bought a two-storey condo in the Independent and moved in two months ago. We have 1,000 sq. ft. inside and a 500-sq.-ft.-deck,” says Dave Paris, adding there are several young families in the building. “My wife and I love the energy of the city. Neither one of us wanted to live in the suburbs.”

What’s more, the location of the condo makes it easy for the couple to go downstairs and out the front door to get groceries or coffee.

“We enjoy the freedom condo living affords us … no lawn to maintain, and everything, like the park, community centre and schools, are within walking distance,” says Dave.

Over the last few years, the push to build larger, family-sized condos has become a growing trend, one that news reports over the years have attributed to the unaffordability of single-family homes in Vancouver. In spite of this, Millennial couples with children seem to be preferring an urban lifestyle, with its easy access to transit and entertainment, and find an urban condo to be a more appealing choice than a suburban home.

The trend doesn’t surprise Manuela Mirecki, senior vice-president of marketing and design, Ledingham McAllister Properties Ltd.

“Three-bedroom condominiums are certainly nothing new, but it is absolutely true that more families are seeing condominiums as a permanent lifestyle choice rather than just a step towards ownership of a townhome or single-family home,” says Mirecki. “As Vancouver has become an increasingly international city, there is a greater appreciation of the lifestyle ease that comes from living in a family-sized condominium, something that is incredibly common in the rest of the world.”

Cedar Creek, by condo developer Ledingham McAllister Properties, like other family-friendly condo buildings catering to young families, offers play parks, dedicated greenspaces as well as picnic tables, community gardens and bicycle repair stations, while being close to the urban amenities families want.

Boffo Developments is another company that saw an opportunity to provide the option of a family-sized condominium as an alternative to a detached home.

“Whether it be a family with young children, or a retired couple needing an office and space for visiting children/grandchildren – three bedrooms are a must,” says Karen West, director of operations and marketing for Boffo.

Its newest downtown Vancouver project, The Smithe, has more than 6,000-sq.-ft. of amenity space including indoor/outdoor entertaining lounges, a children’s play area and garden plots, to name a few.

“Everything is within walkable distance, like parks, the seawall, theatres, stadiums, restaurants, shopping, and schools (two elementary, several Montessori, a high school, and others),” says West.

The Oaks, by Strand, offers both three- and three-bedroom-and-den homes, ranging from 1,027- to 1,300-sq.-ft., all featuring generously sized decks.

“The Oaks’ proximity to family-oriented amenities such as parks, schools, shopping and transit, can be found within a 10-minute walk of the site,” says Mike Mackay, president of Strand. “It delivers many opportunities for people to enjoy park-like amenities, shared work spaces, a fully equipped gym and spin studio, residents’ lounge, outdoor BBQ area and media room… all without leaving the comfort of the building they’ll call home.”

Mackay says that every project Strand undertakes today has a significant number of family-oriented homes. “In fact, no project we are developing has less than 40 per cent of its units allocated to family-oriented units,” adds Mackay.