Powell River’s new apartment complex named Evo, in the heart of Westview, is on schedule and taking shape, soon to be providing 40 new rental units for the community.
Brett Giese, president of Crowne Pacific Development Corporation, the project’s development company, said ground was broken in early January, with some of the existing building structures at the site being decommissioned. Evo is being constructed on a former commercial site between Franklin and Alberta avenues that was destroyed by fire years ago.
Giese said his company had all the excavations ready to go for when they finished the Uptown apartment complex, with 141 units located on Joyce Avenue close to qathet General Hospital.
Giese said the new apartment complexes’ name, Evo, is shorthand for evolution.
“It’s a nice, simple name, but was also fitting for the area,” said Giese. “It’s a catalyst of change. It is situated where an old commercial building burned down, and a new one is taking shape.”
Giese said that Evo, and a similar project in Campbell River, will offer great living for tenants in the future. While Evo faces west toward the water, in Campbell River, that project faces east toward the water.
“They are quite similar settings in terms of proximity to amenities, to the ocean and panoramic views,” said Giese. “They are both unique in terms of size and the fact that they are very much located on infill sites. In Westview, we have neighbours in close proximity to the north and south, so Evo is fitting into an existing neighbourhood, into a fairly compact site, which has taken a lot of planning and working with the existing neighbourhood.”
Evo will offer an array of apartments. There will be some two-bedroom apartments with dens, plus two-bedroom apartments without dens. All the two-bedroom apartments will have two bathrooms. The two-bedroom apartments will be located on the west side of the building, facing the water.
There will also be bachelor units and one-bedroom apartments facing east.
Giese said Evo’s structure is now up and the crane at the site will be coming down.
“The roofers have started, so that’s a big milestone,” said Giese. “We’ll be capping and sealing the roof. The first racks of windows showed up this week, literally coming from across the street from Modern Windows. So, all those are ready for installation.
“Bathtubs are being loaded into the units and all the rough-ins will be started.”
Giese said during construction, the project has not had to fight the weather. He said over the summer, and coming into the fall months, the inside of Evo can be finished and fully sealed up. From this point on, he doesn’t expect any big challenges weather-wise.
Giese said the planned occupancy date is February 1 of next year.
The apartments will feature higher-end finishes, such as quartz countertops throughout and nine-foot ceilings. There will also be custom millwork and luxury plank floors. Giese said the windows will be generous in size to take full advantage of the views. Climate control will also be an important detail, with fully conditioned spaces and individual controls in each apartment unit.
“It’s a mid- to higher-end building,” said Giese. “There are some luxurious units in terms of proximity, size, view, and all that.”
In terms of the exterior of the building, Giese said it is going to be unique in terms of any of his previous apartment complex builds.
“There’s a lot of contrasting colours,” said Giese. “The base colours are white, with a really dark charcoal colour. We’ve added another element, which are metallic, copper-looking panels. That will be accented throughout.
“We feel it is going to fit really nicely within the surrounding area. It has a really clean, crisp, fresh element to it. It’s going to blend well into the area.”
Giese said Evo is going to be something he will be proud of following its construction. Between Evo and Uptown, his company will have built more than 180 rental units in Powell River.
“Both properties have their unique place in the market in terms of different locations within the community and different proximities to different amenities,” said Giese. “Uptown is close to the recreation complex, the hospital and the commerce at that end of town. Evo is very much in the core of Westview. It’s nice to see some new life coming to some of the commercial buildings in the neighbourhood and all that lends itself to bringing new residents to the area.
“We really had to think outside of the box in terms of the property for Evo, with its graffitied old wall. I saw an opportunity to get these great, unique views and to be part of town that was underserved from a residential standpoint. Hopefully, with the influx of clientele living in the neighbourhood, we’ll start to see a shift in the area as a whole.”
Evo will be managed by Veyron Properties Group, of which Giese is president.
Powell River mayor Ron Woznow said developments such as Evo and Uptown are an important signal for other developers coming to town who will create jobs.
“If they are going to create jobs, people will need a place to live,” said Woznow. “People don’t want to move into a community that has no housing, or where housing is incredibly expensive, so whether they are nurses, or health-care workers or others, it’s a great opportunity.”
Woznow said his working relationship with Giese on bringing rental facilities to the city has been productive.
“The thing I like about working with Brett is there are no surprises,” said Woznow. “He does his analysis and if it is economically feasible, he’ll make the project work. He has a lot of local contractors and next thing you know, people have a range of places they can live in. It’s a real mix that he provides.”
Woznow said he will be doing his best to encourage further housing development in Powell River.
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