Kingsgate Gardens is sure to appeal to buyers looking for an affordable home with easy access to downtown Vancouver.

Located in the rapidly changing Edmonds neighbourhood of Burnaby, this 81-townhome development will have three three-storey wood-frame buildings placed together in a well-established neighbourhood when it is completed in the summer of 2009.

Construction is already well underway, with sales begun for the first two buildings on Kingsway. Homes facing the quieter 14th Avenue will be released at a later date.

As sales representative Marcus Chee points out, the location is ideal for residents, since they won't have to cope with bridges to access downtown, yet they'll be close to shops and services. Just a few blocks away on Kingsway is HighGate Village, and within a short drive there are the outlet stores in Queensborough, as well as large box stores like Walmart and Home Depot.

"We're seeing a lot of changes in the suburbs with Vancouver prices extremely high [and] people are moving out here. They don't want to cross the bridge and this area is more desirable in terms of travel time," says Chee.

He adds schools are also nearby, including Sir Thomas Moore, a private school located around the corner from the development.

Since going on the market earlier this month, Kingsgate Gardens has attracted primarily first-time homeowners and investors, says Chee. Many of the one-bedroom units at the lower price points on Kingsway were quickly snapped up when the grand opening was held.

Chee adds that the area, once dominated by single-family residential, has been changing, with more townhome projects being installed in the immediate area -- another one is slated across Kingsway -- and concrete highrises further up the road closer to HighGate Village.

Some of the buyers of Kingsgate Gardens are, in fact, residents of nearby condo highrises who want to stay in the area, but are financially ready to upgrade to a townhome.

The Edmonds neighbourhood, where Kingsgate Gardens is being built, is zoned for single-family residential and lowrises.

"Because of the scarcity of land, we're seeing parcels of land like this being used for higher density townhomes. I think a lot of the municipalities are becoming more savvy with development and they're seeing townhomes as a good way to increase density," says Chee.

KINGSGATE GARDENS

Project location: Edmonds, Burnaby

Project size: 81townhouses

Location: 7428 14th Ave. at Kingsway, Burnaby

Size range: 634 sq. ft.- 1,015 sq. ft., 1 - 2 bed

Prices: $256,900 - $477,900

Sales centre address: 7428 14th Ave. at Kingsway

Hours: Noon - 5 p.m. Sat - Thurs

Telephone: 604-324-4663

Web: kingsgategardens.com

Developer: ALTA Group of Companies

Architect: Paul Leong Architect Inc.

Interior design: ALTA

Occupancy: Summer 2009

© The Vancouver Sun 2008