Text below from Sept 18, 2021 Vancouver Sun article
Take the best beachside building site in the Okanagan and pour in the resources of one of Metro Vancouver’s leading luxury home builders, and it’s no surprise that you are run off your feet showing people what high-end condos can really look like. That’s been Taylor Musseau’s life since earlier this summer when she and her sales crew began showing hundreds of potential buyers both in Vancouver and Kelowna what Caban by Cressey will look like when the 127-unit development at Kelowna’s Gyro Beach is completed in spring 2024.
“It was busy. We did over 140 appointments in four days,” said the director of sales for MLA Canada, taking a minute away from a recent hectic day at Caban’s Kelowna sales centre. “COVID has not been an issue at all. We just extended the hours of the sales centre from 10 in the morning until seven or eight at night and did it by private appointment only.” In August, a similar campaign at a Metro Vancouver pop-up centre fielded crowds with more than 200 people saying they wanted to buy one of the 120 condos and seven townhouses overlooking Okanagan Lake in the city’s Lower Mission neighbourhood. While several projects have enjoyed brisk sales in Kelowna this year, Musseau says Caban stands out as distinctly different. With just 127 units on its 85,000-square-foot site, Caban has more of “a boutique feel” with half to one-third of the residents of others. The project consists of two six-storey concrete buildings and a 2,000-square-foot fitness room with Peloton stationary bikes, treadmills and other exercise equipment.
Collin Crabbe, a principal architect with the firm Meiklejohn, says the development’s smaller resident population means the amenities will not be overtaxed. Cressey could have sought a rezoning and built a more profitable highrise, likely with local council support, said Crabbe. “But Cressey stuck to its vision of a smaller scale which doesn’t feel overwhelming. It means the pool won’t be overpacked, and the gym will be usable.” In addition, his firm added another level of luxury to the project by expanding the exterior space of the penthouses and larger suites.