British Columbia's 20 Most Influential People in Residential Construction
David Baxter. Photo by Sandra Minarik
Not everyone expected the housing market in B.C. to reaffirm itself so swiftly and strongly after the recession. While housing starts have seen their ups and downs, sales and prices have remained sound. It is, in part, a result and reflection of the many exceptional leaders in the province’s residential construction industry. While it’s difficult to limit such a list, our British Columbia’s 20 Most Influential People in Residential Construction of 2011 counts some of the most interesting and impactful leaders of recent challenging times.
A committee of industry insiders, chaired by past winner and architect/developer Michael Geller, developed this year’s list of finalists from a variety of categories, with a focus on looking for those who have not been on the list recently — or ever before. Combined with all the notable winners of past years, this proves just how many outstanding people there are who help make B.C.’s housing industry the best and most innovative in Canada.
DAVID BAXTER
Numbers man
David Baxter is a demographer and economist, whose influence on builders and developers through his original research and entertaining speaking engagements is undeniable, even though he claims to be semi-retired.
Having developed projections of future levels of residential sales and housing starts, his forecasts have easily influenced builders to scale back or ramp up their activity, keeping their business responsive to the challenging economy of recent times. The executive director of the Urban Futures Institute, Baxter says he was “also the lead researcher on a project examining what is, and most importantly, what is not, known about housing affordability in British Columbia.” Add to that research on the changing structure of mortgage markets and the impact of the HST.
While he also plans on doing some more travelling in the near future and hopes “to improve my Japanese language skills enough so that someone other than my instructor can understand me,” Baxter is also working on the development of an economic model for British Columbia and its regions, along with projections of long run price movements in residential real estate in metropolitan Vancouver, and more.
Semi-retired? Perhaps. Influential? No doubt.
When it comes to advice for those on the front lines of the industry, Baxter says, “Stick with the fundamentals of knowing your market, base decisions on evidence and analysis, not on opinions and politics, and develop long run strategies to provide both the context and the reference for individual projects.”
JAKE FRY
No small influence
While the concept of laneway housing implies a small space, there is nothing small about Jake Fry’s influence on this new housing form. “Laneway homes are a new form of urban infill housing that I’d been advocating for several years,” says Fry, president of Smallworks. “It’s a whole new sub-set of the housing market that is finding its feet in one of the world’s most expensive housing markets.”
For his company, he says 2010 began “with a sprint off the blocks for our little company, with a full order book and a last-minute request from the City of Vancouver and Simon Fraser University to build one of our standard laneway homes for the Vancouver Olympic Pavilion. We also started building our first cohort of flat-pac, energy-efficient laneway homes.”
Smallworks built more than a dozen of these attractive and functional homes, and more projects are in the pipes for 2011, including a new garden cottage at three quarters of the living size and half the price of laneway housing.
Fry participates regularly in community events, and works with municipal agencies to help educate stakeholders in the advantages of laneway housing. “Our messages focus on the benefits to families and how laneway housing provides the best way to maintaining a neighbourhood feel to a city in the midst of a significant growth cycle,” he explains.
“A common complaint often heard is that young Vancouverites are no longer able to afford to own a house in the same neighbourhood they grew up in. At the same time, the aging population is faced with the option of cashing out on their high-priced equity and either moving farther away or to a smaller rental unit. What both these parties are often interested in is retaining quality of life for each. In this respect, the laneway house has proven to be able to provide this environment.”
DIANE DELVES
Quantum leap
As president and CEO of Quantum Properties, Diane Delves is one of only a few women at the helm of a development company, but her gender has nothing to do with her success. She has previously stated that, “I don’t feel like a ‘woman’ in the development industry. I feel like a ‘developer’ in the development industry.” Through Quantum, she is moving Abbotsford — what was once a rural community — forward into a community that is welcoming many new residents into its multi-family and high-rise projects.
“A notable achievement this past year was receiving rezoning approval for our Abbotsford high-rise project, Mahogany at Mill Lake. The tower portion of this two-phase project [low-rise second phase] will not only be the highest building in
Abbotsford, but will also be the tallest building between Surrey and Calgary,” she says.
“Another achievement this past year was taking over a condominium project, Brooklyn, which had been started in the summer of 2008 [in Abbotsford] and stalled with the downturn in the market. I partnered with the original owners and restarted construction the summer of 2010. This project will complete later this year.”
But she points out that it’s important for developers like her to understand the current market. “The biggest challenge we face is coming to terms with the new reality in terms of absorption. The days of projects selling out at launch will be rare events in the near future. Longer absorption periods require that we adjust our financing and marketing expectations,” she says. “[We need] to focus on providing quality housing, pay close attention to our market area and understand the needs of future buyers.”
RICHARD STEWART
Mayor on a mission
Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart has been a strong promoter of higher density and innovative developments in his hometown of Coquitlam and beyond, and his recent stand for a homeless shelter in his municipality, despite strong opposition, shows he’s willing to stand up for what he believes in, even if it could cost him some votes.
A former president of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of B.C. and member of numerous housing committees, Stewart says, “Following years of work in industry on housing issues, I now find myself working within local government on some of the same challenges — cost of regulation, cost of land, taxation and non-market housing.”
Stewart adds, “This past year, we’ve moved forward with the approvals for a new homeless shelter in Coquitlam, a shelter that had faced significant opposition from neighbouring residents. We’ve also moved forward with a number of initiatives on higher-density infill housing in our older neighbourhoods, including multiple single-family homes on a lot, laneway housing, etc.”
Other initiatives he has led include making strides in rationalizing the city’s regulatory structure and in shortening delays in the development approvals process. But he knows the road ahead is not without its continued challenges. “One of the biggest challenges that local government will face over the next decade, I suspect, is increased pressure on housing costs imposed by various levels of government — both capital costs and property taxes. We need to find new ways of funding infrastructure, and must resist continued downloading of these infrastructure costs on the backs of local property owners and homebuyers.”
But he optimistically foresees tremendous activity in the housing sector in Coquitlam in 2011, with many projects “on the horizon as we anticipate this year the start of construction of the Evergreen Line.”
JANICE ABBOTT
Woman power
As CEO of Atira Women’s Resource Society, Janice Abbott has helped developed a variety of innovative housing developments around the region for disadvantaged women, funded in part through the for-profit Atira Property Management Inc. Named Social Entrepreneur of the Year of 2010, Abbott was instrumental in leading the work on the Maxxine Wright Community Health Centre project in Surrey, leading Atira to placing as a finalist in the non-profit category for the 2010 Land Awards by the Real Estate Foundation.
“Atira continued work on the Maxxine Wright development in Surrey, which was completed in December, the Sorella development in Tinseltown, Imouto House at Alexander and Jackson in Railtown/the Downtown Eastside and purchased three additional sites, which are currently under development. [Our] primary service is the delivery of supportive housing to women and children at risk of violence, which includes homelessness and poverty, [and] these developments allow us to continue to meet our mandate.”
While Abbott’s influence is focused on social rather than market housing, her influence and example reaches deep into the private sector.
“Together, private-sector and nonprofit developers can build mixed-income and mixed-tenure projects, which will help alleviate the housing crunch and build inclusive communities,” she says, pointing to the example of their development at 33 and 41 East Hastings. (It’s) a brilliant example of the private sector reflecting on and recognizing their need to be part of the solution to the housing crisis. Cressey Development Corp, Rennie Marketing Systems and Busby, Perkins and Will have all been enthusiastic and encouraging private partners to date and all figured out profit can be made while also meeting a critical social agenda. Our hope is this project in particular will serve as a model for other projects across the city.”
Photo by Kristina Benson
BRIAN HAYASHI
Building green
With its roots firmly planted in the wood manufacturing and export industries, the NexBuild Construction team in Kamloops, led by Brian Hayashi, came together in 2002 to build homes with a difference. That difference is based on the company’s commitment to sustainable building at an affordable price.
As one of the few companies in B.C. recognized by the BuiltGreen™ BC program, Hayashi, who is also chair of the BuiltGreen™ BC Management Committee, is committed to building only “platinum plus” BuiltGreen™ homes, and is promoting its commitment to sustainable building and energy efficiency in building.
“Our biggest challenge is to address the perception that sustainable building is radical and expensive,” says Hayashi, first vice-president of CHBA Central Interior. As the project manager of the net-zero Green Dream Home for CHBA Central Interior, a special CMHC EQuilibrium project that was also the 2010 YMWCA Dream Home Lottery Prize, Hayashi sees green building as an accessible reality, not some elusive dream. “We are looking forward to the implementation of the code changes requiring more efficient building practices, and we are poised to offer solutions well beyond the code requirement at an affordable cost.”
Nexbuild is also focusing on growing into multi-family projects after successfully completing single-family homes in the spec market, including a near net-zero apartment building in partnership with a local nonprofit.
“We hope there is growing interest and commitment in sustainable building in mainstream practices,” he says. “As the economy picks up, we expect a growing interest in energy efficiency and renewable (non-carbon releasing) energy sources.”
BOB DEEKS
Chair for all
The past president of CHBA BC, Bob Deeks was the driving force in working with the provincial government to facilitate the change in threshold and raise the rebate for the impending HST calculation on new housing last year. More recently, he chaired CHBA BC’s inaugural Housing Affordability Symposium, which addressed solutions to improve affordability in B.C. “Our shared goal [was] to engage all stakeholders in the understanding and acknowledgement of their role in the change required to provide market housing within the means of all British Columbians,” he said.
In addition to still representing CHBA BC at the national level and holding a board position with BuiltGreen™ Canada, he is serving as founding and current chair of the new Professional Builders’ Institute (PBI) of BC, a new institute to raise the bar of professionalism in the residential construction industry and protect consumers in British Columbia.
The PBI was formed in collaboration with the province and the residential construction industry in anticipation of developing a system of minimum education and training requirements as a condition of obtaining and maintaining a residential builder licence.
And that’s just what he does in his spare time. As a builder, he has been busy accepting accolades, including a 2010 Georgie Award for innovative green features built by his company RDC Fine Homes.
JEFF VASEY
Living by the code
Jeff Vasey is one of those policy guys who works out of the limelight, but has an influence that reaches perhaps further than many parliamentarians. As executive director of the Building and Safety Policy Branch, Ministry of Housing and Social Development, Victoria-based Vasey has been busy most recently working on the new BC Building Code.
“The BC Building Code is an evolving regulation that responds to technological advances and innovative approaches,” says Vasey. “I have been leading a team on the technical and policy analysis of ideas that may be incorporated into the next edition.”
These include the continued efforts to “green” the code and support other government initiatives that are transforming how the industry builds, such as water conservation efforts through high-efficiency fixtures, energy efficiency and the use of sustainable building materials.
“It is all about balance and prioritizing what is new and beneficial. Through an honest, hard look, identifying what we can do without or do differently,” says Vasey. Despite the post-recession environment, he adds that “it is a good time to question why we build the way we do and perhaps challenge some of our ways.”
While his branch’s main objective is to support the minister responsible for housing to make the system for regulating building construction as effective and efficient as possible, with an ultimate aim of improving the affordability of housing, the greening of the code is something he continues to promote. “Changing the ways we design, build and live in our homes to be gentler on the environment is not always easy — and there can be added cost. I would like to see more progress in making green the new normal in a cost-effective way.”
BRENT TODERIAN
A tall order
Taking over for iconic city planner Larry Beasley might have been intimidating for some, but Brent Toderian has made the position of director of city planning for the City of Vancouver his own over the past five years, with 2010 no doubt being one of the busiest.
“On top of overseeing all building design approvals and land use decisions over the past year (and it has been a very busy year), 2010 saw our completion of the Mt. Pleasant Community Plan, the Norquay Neighbourhood Centre, our 20-year review of our View Corridors policy and approval for seven new taller buildings that will reshape our skyline while preserving public views, and the plan for the North-East False Creek (NEFC) area around BC Place,” says Toderian.
“This year, we’re close to completing the Cambie Corridor groundbreaking new plan, and are making progress working with communities and stakeholders on plans for Little Mountain, Shannon Mews and the Broadway Corridor,” he lists off.
“We’re also completing the first of the STIR [Short Term Incentives for Rental Housing] purpose-built rental projects, are approaching 300 approved laneway housing units since 2009, and have had a wave of full-basement approvals in new single-detached houses since we revamped the basement rules.”
Toderian is also working on many initiatives related to green density and design. “It’s not enough to be one of the most livable cities in the world. We strive to also be green and sustainable, affordable, healthy and resilient, and diverse and vibrant. In short, a complete city.
BOB RANSFORD
More than talk
This year marks the 10th year that Bob Ransford has been writing a regular biweekly column in the Vancouver Sun, addressing issues related to housing, urban development and urban design. “Over the past year, I have tried to focus my commentary on those issues that are impacting housing supply and I have attempted to illuminate the very real connections between those forces that impact housing supply and the effect that constraints on housing supply have,” says Ransford.
He is more than just a pundit, however. Ransford is not only a senior consultant with Counterpoint Communications, but also a former developer and an urban designer, dealing with complicated urban development and land-use challenges.
“I have been involved in my consulting practice directly playing a role in residential development. I am proud to have assisted one developer over the past year in planning, obtaining approvals and launching construction of an 80-unit purpose-built market rental apartment building in Richmond,” he says.
He has also been involved with two other multi-family condominium projects, one of which is now under construction in North Vancouver and another to-be approved project in East Vancouver.
But in his role as commentator, Ransford’s hope is to continue to provoke a public discussion about those issues that are most important to the future of our region. “I want to spend some time focusing on the need for better planning — especially long-term planning that reconciles all of the forces and realities we face … I hope to illuminate the fact that housing diversity will be the key to preserving our current quality of life and housing supply can temper the affordability challenges today and in the future.”
MICHAEL DELICH
Rocky mountain man
During the day, Michael Delich is president of Fernie Vacation Properties, but in his spare time, he has dedicated loads of energy on behalf of fellow builders in the Kootenays. In 2010, he was a leader of an independent builders group known as the Fernie Area Builders and Developers Association. “It was an organization that actively participated in informing and educating government, communities and businesses on the importance on the housing industry in the local economy,” says Delich.
Recognizing the need to further strengthen the position of builders in the Rocky Mountain region, Delich was instrumental in marshalling the organization to move under the CHBA banner.
Recently ratified, the new CHBA Rocky Mountains association represents builders in the Kootenay region (south of Fairmont Hot Springs) in the communities of Cranbrook, Kimberley, Fernie and Sparwood.
Delich, a professional engineer with an MBA from the Ivey School of Business, quickly recognized the benefits industry members in eastern B.C. would reap if they made the move to the CHBA family. Delich, the chapter president, is certainly no stranger to good business sense — in 2010, he celebrated 20 years of business in Fernie and area, focusing on building visionary properties at the Fernie Alpine Resort.
He sees the secondary home market as a continuing vital sector of the economy in his region. “And it will strengthen as the commodity economy strengthens locally and in adjacent provinces.” His company has approved plans for townhomes and slope side ski cabins projects, as well as plans for a new 60 multi-family project in Fernie.
In addition to his business reputation in the ski and resort industries, his dedication to giving back to his local industry has earmarked Delich as a true leader in the Kootenays. “As a business, [we must] be a corporate leader for the industry by participating in our community.”
DAVID PODMORE
Deserving recognition
Just coming off his recognition as Residential Construction Person of the Year for 2010, it may be a little repetitious to include David Podmore, chairman and CEO of Concert Properties, on this list of 20 Most Influential People, but it’s no less deserving.
Podmore has been seemingly everywhere lately, from the radio news to speaking at luncheons. Although some of his focus is increasingly on the commercial and public/private partnership end of construction, there’s no denying that Podmore is one of the most respected residential builders in Canada, influencing the way others look at pivotal issues such as density and affordability.
He’s also been a repeated leader in bringing smart rental properties to Vancouver, and more recently senior’s homes, both for rent and for purchase.
One of his more exciting recent residential projects has been the completion of the first phase of the Robert Lee YMCA building, the foundation of their newest Vancouver 42-storey luxury highrise, Patina, located on Barclay Street just west of Burrard.
“In exchange for development rights to build the residential tower, we also rebuilt the Y. It’s open and operating, and been an incredible success.”
Concert’s redevelopment of the YMCA recently took home the award for Best Outside the Box development from the Urban Development Institute’s Awards for Excellence.
But perhaps most of all, Podmore is revered as an influencer because of his willingness to give back to the industry he loves so much in addition to the community at large.
“It’s always important to give back to the community,” he says, adding that this community engagement, in turn, has been a good thing for Concert Properties.
And not least among his accomplishments is his daughter, Jennifer Podmore Russell, who is next on our list of influencers.
JENNIFER PODMORE RUSSELL
In her own right
She may be part of a family residential construction legacy, but Jennifer Podmore Russell’s influence on the industry has been totally self-made. She was managing partner of firm MPC Intelligence, which provided real-time, new home market data to the Western Canadian real estate industry. And when Deloitte & Touche came knocking, they not only bought her practice out, but asked her to stay on.
“Returning to a professional firm has afforded me and the team that made the move from MPC with a more well-rounded perspective of not only our industry, but some of the greater forces that influence and shape the growth of real estate in B.C.,” she says.
She adds that, for her, 2010 was a milestone year. “We completed the successful restructuring of three major developments in Western Canada, participated in the early stages of planning more than 1.5 million square feet of new home communities, expanded our practice into new geographies and grew our team.”
And she predicts more of the same to come. “Our practice has grown nearly threefold since 2008 as we are involved from cradle to grave. I am pleased to be in an environment where the feasibility study is truly just simply the start of a relationship. We have had to work to adapt our delivery model to accommodate longer engagements, which involve multiple disciplines from planning reviews to capital advisory, tax structuring and (my favourite) business reviews and strategic planning.”
She adds that as a consultant and analyst, it’s important that she and her colleagues view their role “as being a compass and to translate data and market activity into actions.
“Too often I have found that reports on the market have focused on specific events instead of providing commentary on the major market influences.”
And, in the long term, she points out that candid debate is needed on the natural constraints on housing in the Lower Mainland. “Our vision of a home has departed from the picket fence and will, perhaps forever more in our region, be a tapestry of varying descriptions from a piece of downtown skyline to a riverfront condo. How, where, what and who we build for will continue to evolve.”
Photo by Sandra Minarik
STEPHEN TORRENCE
Merging expectations
Stephen Torrence was the CEO of the Construction Safety Network since 2001, and it was under his leadership that the network merged with the Construction Safety Association of BC into a new unified industry-wide safety association.
With the merger complete, Torrence looked around for his next adventure. “After completing that project I took up the challenge of heading up the newly created Professional Builders’ Institute (PBI),” he notes. “As executive director, I have been given the task of bringing to life the industry’s goal of an industry-managed accrediting and certifying body dedicated to raising the bar in residential home construction standards.”
It’s no small task. He admits that introducing education/training to builders has always been a challenge. “Education has been seen by many to be an expense rather than an investment. This was particularly true during the recession. The PBI will need to establish a clear link between increased profitability and education/training,” he explains.
If all goes as planned, he sees 2011 as a turning point in the evolution of industry professionalism. “For the better part of a decade, the residential building industry has sought a mandate to manage its own professional standards and to issue certificates for the achievement of those standards. It is my personal goal to partner with builders and others to see that industry’s longheld vision of professionalism is achieved.”
He adds that in times of downturn, such standards will only benefit builders. “Those companies that focus on workplace safety have a stronger chance of withstanding economic challenges through the increased productivity that safety brings. In 2011 and beyond, I hope to provide residential home builders with new tools and initiatives in all aspects of management, as the PBI takes on its mandate as industry’s very own accrediting and certifying body.”
TOBY SEWARD
Island development
Toby Seward likes to talk in the third person when speaking of his accomplishments as director of development with the City of Nanaimo. He uses words like “we” and “our.” His successes are the city’s first, his second. But ask anyone involved in the industry in the island city, and they’ll tell you exactly how important Seward’s influence has been.
“Our primary objective is to promote positive and ongoing communication between builders, developers, consultants, suppliers, local government politicians and municipal staff,” he notes deferentially.
Each January, it’s Seward who calls a meeting to get all residential construction industry stakeholders together to discuss the economic forecast along with the opportunities and challenges for the year ahead.
On a day-to-day basis, “I focus on methods to move the application process in a fairly expeditious manner,” Seward says.
A recent challenge he took on was the establishment of criteria for steep slope single-family home development. “Steep slope development was at a standstill, so I developed a way to show builders homes are buildable on these very complex lots by following requirements for retaining walls and so on. These regulations led to a better understanding of developing these lots.”
Developing on such lots is an indicator of what’s happening in the industry in not only Nanaimo, but all of B.C., Seward suggests. With the recent downturn, Seward felt accountable to help builders come out of the slump quickly, with new options.
“One of the ways we have done that is working with builders to recognize the market shift away from mid- to high-end homes; the affordable market has created some opportunities for local builders,” he says. “We’ve encouraged them to look at small development sites with maybe, four, eight or 12 units, and promoted them to build fairly dense units with suites and carriage houses — there is a real demand in that market range.”
Photo by Sandra Minarik
SANDRA CAWLEY
Risk and return
It’s likely that Sandra Cawley influences more housing on a daily basis than even large-scale developers as a partner of appraisal firm Burgess Cawley Sullivan.
Her expertise is working with real estate investors and developers in valuations and assessing risk in the residential, office, shopping centre, industrial park, land subdivision and hotel markets.
The humble Cawley called the honour of being named on the list as coming “out of left field,” but to the residential developers she shares her vast knowledge and research with, it’s no surprise. “I have the privilege of discussing site opportunities, land values, end product values, costs and more with those actively buying and selling and in the ‘trenches’ on a daily basis,” says the past director, Vancouver chapter, Real Estate Institute of British Columbia.
“With this insight, sales research and statistical evidence, I am able to help identify market trends and risk factors in many market areas.”
Over the past few years, she says that development has become more complicated and sensitive to various factors including approval processes, community amenity contribution (CACs) negotiations, environmental impact studies and more, which is why her input becomes so valuable to a developer.
“Perhaps one of the greatest challenges is trying to define ‘value’ in a very fast-moving economy. It is important to understand purchaser motivation, the impact of economic policies and, on a more micro scale, why one asset in one location may trade at a very different number than another asset or why one residential sector is moving at a much different pace than another.”
She foresees 2011 as a strong year, with the first half stronger than the second. “Although the Bank of Canada has tightened up some mortgage policies, interest rates are still at historical low levels, immigration should continue to be strong, tourism should increase, and the market is not oversupplied.
“[But] the need for understanding market fundamentals will become even more critical given market niches and global market dynamics,” she adds, advising developers to “take the time to understand and assess the risk.”
GEORGE WONG
Marketing machine
He may not be as well known to the public as some real estate marketers, but Magnum Projects’ George Wong’s efforts have steadily been reshaping the housing industry.
A recognized leader in the marketing and sales of condominium projects, Wong is renowned for his ability to create effective and efficient sales and marketing programs that speak directly to the target audience, resulting in high-velocity absorption.
He must be doing something right, because 2010 was a record-breaking year for Magnum.
“I’m very proud of our team. Magnum launched nine projects and sold $482 million in product, the highest sales volume compared to all other project marketers in Greater Vancouver,” says Wong.
In May 2010, under his leadership, Magnum launched River Green by Aspac Developments, the first true luxury product in Richmond. “With the general Richmond market selling at $500 per square feet, River Green was launching at $700. Like Coal Harbour or the Expo Lands, we had to communicate to our buyers that River Green offered the opportunity to purchase at the beginning of a new, premium location in Greater Vancouver,” he says. “Within two months, we had sold more than $200 million in product, and sales continue to be very strong.”
A project that soon followed was 60 W. Cordova, in Gastown, but this time instead of promoting luxury, Wong had to market a social-affordability model. “It was a prototype for providing achievable home ownership in Vancouver, and priority was given to buyers who lived, worked or volunteered in the area.” 60 W. Cordova sold out in two weeks.
And that’s at a time when many developments still felt the impact of less-than-hot post-recession market. What’s Wong’s strategy for success?
“Through listening to consumers, our approach works in both super hot and cautious markets,” says Wong, who shares his strategies as a regular guest speaker at the Urban Development Institute and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
“Today’s real estate buyer is well informed, smarter and more discerning. Now more than ever it is necessary to understand your audience and tailor product development and marketing programs that will connect with them.”
Photo by Adam Blasberg
GREGORY HENRIQUEZ
Ethical architect
Known as Vancouver’s ethical architect, Gregory Henriquez, the visionary behind the Woodward’s redevelopment, is slowly becoming one of the most influential architects in the city.
At a time when affordability in the Lower Mainland is top of mind for homebuyers and thus developers, Henriquez is responsible for creating innovative mixed-use housing projects, including social housing.
“The projects of the past year I am most proud of are the Woodward’s redevelopment and 60 W. Cordova, Vancouver’s first attempt at affordable ownership,” says Henriquez.
The challenging Woodward’s project involved a mix of market and some non-market housing units, in addition to anchor food, drugstore and retail spaces, urban green space, a public plaza, federal and civic offices, a daycare and a new addition to the SFU downtown campus. It is considered to be one of the largest mixed-use projects in the history of Vancouver. As an architect shaping our built environment, Henriquez believes it’s his duty to not only listen to what the community wants, but ensure the structure is in the best interest of the society as a whole.
“As a society, we need to address the issue of affordable housing in a region that has become a ‘resort city’ for the wealthy. All levels of government need to work together with private industry to create more homeless housing, affordable rental for families and affordable ownership options. We are blessed with clean air and water and a meaningful social safety system, we just need to make sure everyone has a ‘roof over their heads.’”
The managing partner of Henriquez Partners Architects says things are more challenging, yet more exciting than ever. “We have been very fortunate and find ourselves very busy with interesting work,” he says, including the new $750 million Telus headquarters in downtown Vancouver featuring mixed-used office, retail, residential and cultural elements.
PEETER WESIK
Power in dialogue
As chairman of commercial-focused Wesgroup Properties and president of ParkLane Homes, Peeter Wesik is a busy man.
“At ParkLane, we are pleased to have commenced servicing of our 130-acre East Fraser Lands project in the southeast corner of Vancouver on the Fraser River,” Wesik says.
ParkLane’s work and leadership were recognized recently when the company won the Top Homebuilder Award in Canada at the CHBA national SAM awards.
In addition to being one of the development industry’s power set on the business side, he has more recently proven influential at an analytical level, as president of the Urban Development Institute.
“I was fortunate to serve as president of the Urban Development Institute this past year, which gave me an opportunity to work with a great staff at UDI and fellow directors to understand some of the challenges facing the residential development community in B.C.,” says Wesik. “In particular, we identified two key goals to focus our activities: our environmental leadership initiative, which will identify best practices in land use and transportation planning and green building technologies that are practical, affordable and science-based; and housing affordability.”
He adds that the biggest challenge the industry faces is “the affordability of new housing, while attempting to meet the amenity goals of the community, navigating municipal land use processes, and meeting new environmental standards.”
Under the UDI banner, he’s helping to create a dialogue to look for new solutions to these challenges in co-operation with all levels of government and stakeholder groups.
“A strong and relevant housing sector that meets the housing needs of British Columbians will need co-operation and a dialogue among all the stakeholder groups,” he says. “Our industry is very good at building quality projects, but we must remember we are not just building housing units, we are building homes for families, seniors, first-time buyers and single-parent households.”
NEIL CHRYSTAL
Builder in the know
As president and CEO of Polygon Homes, Neil Chrystal is regarded to be the one of most influential homebuilders in British Columbia. Chrystal manages all aspects of Polygon's homebuilding activities in Greater Vancouver, as well as oversees the planning and direction for Polygon’s land acquisition, and sales and marketing groups. One of his latest projects is Anderson Walk, a three-building, 234-unit development project in North Vancouver that has made a connection in the community, because it’s named after a local teacher, features public art projects, and Polygon also preserved about 30 or so of the 100-year-old chestnut trees that circle the property.
Like his peer Peeter Wesik, Chrystal also currently serves on the board of executives of the Urban Development Institute.
At a UDI luncheon focusing on the outlook for the development industry, the audience listened to Chrystal as he spoke optimistically about the positive conditions that still-low interest rates and steady immigration are creating.
But he sees the industry facing increased competition pricing issues as developers search for elusive residential sites that meet the increasing consumer demand for lower prices.
Still, he forecasts a 15 to 20 per cent increase in housing starts this year, from 900 units in 2010, to about 1,200 in 2011.
“It’s looking steady for 2011,” said Chrystal in January to the Vancouver Sun. We won’t break any records, but it should be a solid year. And this year, we think consumer confidence is back.” BCHM
Want to know more? Click here for an alphabetical list of the winners with brief bios.