“We wanted to create a village essentially all to itself that had a distinct look,” explains George Mylonas, president of Landstar, the development company behind West Springs.

Encompassing four acres, the Village, an enclave of luxury multi-family residences, represents the culminating phase of the West Springs project, which began eight years ago. “Multi-family has always looked multi. We wanted to change the look of it and give it really great curb appeal,” says Mylonas.

Influenced by multifamily architecture in Portland and Vancouver, Landstar chose to capture the look of a single-family home in the architecturally styling of these multifamily residences. “We also wanted to make sure that the Village integrated into a community that was already established,” says Mylonas.  As a result, they actively engaged the community in the design process with a visual preference survey. “The community had to walk by the Village everyday, so it was important that they really liked it.” Landstar took the results from the community survey and had the architectural firm Poon McKenzie incorporate them into the architectural design.

The resulting look is neo-craftsman with lots of gabling, board and baton detailing and stone accents. Colours are earth toned, highlighted by splashes of merlot and spinnaker blue.  Garages are tucked in the back and are serviced by their own lane. “We have people from the community walking through all the time just so they can look at it. I hear them say things like – I chose that; I told them to put more stone on the exterior, etc.”

The Village will be built out in three phases  - The Residences, The Reserve and The Enclave - all of which will surround the central park.  These homes will exhibit very high end finishing with interior design by Connie Young of Ce De Ce Inc.  You can expect things like stainless steel appliances, Italian polished chrome single lever faucets, ceramic tile flooring and deep wall colours with complimentary trim. All are designed with an emphasis on outside terraces and decks and in fact some designs boast three separate terraces.

Phase I, The Residences, offers a combination of 51 homes comprised of two-storey townhomes stacked on main floor bungalow style homes. Square footages range from 900 to 1264. Only five two-storey units remain and are priced starting at $340,000.

Phase II, The Reserve, are stacked single level two bedroom garden apartments that spill onto the nine-acre environmental reserve, which borders the community. A variety of floor plans are available and range from 900 to 1100 square feet. These homes start in the low $300,000s.

The third phase, the Enclave is designed for those looking for a little more space. “This is the premium design,” says Mylonas. “With over 1500 square feet on three levels and a double under drive garage there is more than enough room for all of the toys.” Spa bathrooms, dual master bedrooms, and a flex room are just some of the extras that the Enclave boasts. These luxury residences start in the $500,000s.

Both the Reserve and Enclave will be released for sale in the spring of ’07. If the pace of sales of the Residences is any indication, these homes should sell quickly. “We feel that the marketplace will remain quite strong for multi-family. It gives you all of the benefits of single family homes without the price,” says Mylonas.  CL