It was probably the biggest open house Canada has ever seen. 12,000 people toured Vancouver’s Olympic Village over last weekend, taking a peek inside the maze of gleaming new high-rises that housed 2,800 athletes and officials during the Winter Games. By the time it was all said and done, 36 condos had been snatched up by eager buyers, ranging from a $445,000 one-bedroom to a pimped-out $4.75 million waterfront condo.
I checked things out last Saturday, the big opening day, when a mix of buyers, curious onlookers and a few dozen protesters thronged the new neighborhood to witness VANOC (Vancouver’s Olympic committee) officially hand over the keys to the village to the city.
The excitement was understandable. From the beginning, Olympic Village – which spans seven city blocks and consists of 16 separate buildings – has been shrouded in mystery and dogged by controversy; from restricted access to the area, to cutting affordable housing and the objectionable $760 million Vancouver gave in low interest loans to help pull the project through last year's recession.
So what did Vancouver’s newest and most anticipated neighborhood feel like? Well, to be honest, it still had that fresh-off-the-shelf feeling. Streets looked like they never felt the tread of a single tire; gardens and courtyards were immaculately manicured, every blade of grass in place; and thousands of new windows glimmered in the afternoon sun.
Though architects clearly worked to integrate buildings into the waterfront setting of False Creek, and each building had a distinct design, color scheme and flowing lines that fit the unique spot along the banks, the newness of it all was all a bit jarring. Most neighborhoods grow organically over time – the slow build-up of different styles, blending and interacting with one another. But Olympic Village is a whole neighborhood planned out on paper and brought to life almost overnight.
Still, that didn’t seem to discourage prospective buyers on Saturday. With real estate brochures tucked under their arms, young couples and empty-nesters rushed back and forth between 9 show homes decorated by different interior designers. Crowds also checked out the brand new waterfront community centre (set to open this summer), as well as the planned sites of an Urban Fare, London Drugs and a brew pub. There’s even an elementary school and new park in the works.
Back in the main square, demonstrators protesting the lack of affordable housing chanted and held up signs that read “Homes for All.” While they may have a point about affordability (the cheapest unit in the whole village is a tiny one-bedroom for $389,000), Olympic Village's -- or Millennium Water, as it is now known -- waterfront real estate and colorful heritage make it undeniably hot property. But don't worry -- if you’re in the market, there are still about 450 units up for grabs.
By: Remy Scalza
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