The content for this article was originally featured in the Daily Journal of Commerce on March 5, 2020.
Burrard Group of Vancouver, B.C., made a bold bet four years ago, when it plunked down nearly $15 million for a corner parking lot at Howell and Minor, in the Denny Triangle. Almost no one else — fingers burned and bandaged by the Great Recession — was attempting a condominium project on such scale. But its 41-story, 389-unit Nexus, at 1808 Minor Ave. is now welcoming the first wave of residents, and only about 30 units remain unsold.
Those are mostly pricey units, from the low $900,000s to around $2.7 million, says Burrard. Sizes range from around 722 square feet for a one-bedroom to 1,750 square feet for a bilevel “SkyLoft” corner unit.
The smaller and more relatively affordable condos — studios and one-bedrooms — sold first and fastest. Some buyers camped on the sidewalk in the summer of 2016 to reserve units that started in the $300,000s for around 500 square feet. Penthouses on the uppermost residential floors, 39 and 40, now fetch the most premium prices. So, too, do the double-height corner units notched in the “erosion floors” that separate Weber Thompson’s offset five-box design.