Don’t ever let it be said that one of Don Charity’s developments is boring or plain.
Jukebox, with its stylish, curved-glass and turret exterior and funky, colourful design with rich finishes inside, is the latest project he is partnering on with Fraser McColl.
Well into construction at View and Vancouver streets, Jukebox was designed for urban living, with the majority of its 220-plus suites either one-bedrooms or studio condominiums.
Charity, whose company redesigned and rebranded the Mosaic building around the corner on Fort Street and built The Reef in James Bay, a near-waterfront development designed to mimic a cruise ship, is excited about his current undertaking.
“We have a good following,” he said, noting that Jukebox is already about 75 per cent sold, despite not having a presentation centre for prospective buyers. “People are looking for something different and we designed this building to be affordable.”
The average square footage in the building is 500 and the units still available start around $295,000.
That combination, and the solid reputation of the builders, has helped sales motor right along ahead of the projected late 2018 opening, says Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty agent Alli Munro, a member of the sales team working on Jukebox.
“We are getting a lot of first-time buyers, we’re getting families buying for their children who are going to university or college, and those people who know the developers and like what they’ve built,” she said.
Its location places it just outside the hustle and bustle of downtown, but close enough to allow people to walk to work, or shop or attend events downtown, Munro added of the appeal. To that point, and highlighting the changing face of urban living with less need for vehicles, the building will have only 130 parking spots.
Charity and his team are providing such extras as three high-speed glass elevators, lights projecting suite numbers onto the floor, vibrant colours in the lobby and hallways, and art for the common spaces that includes a four-foot metal coin – a throw to the building’s name. Inside, oak floors, an on-demand hot water system, and upscale light fixtures make for interesting design elements.
“I’m a builder by trade and I know what I’m looking for in design, so I keep pushing the envelope,” he said.
The projected completion time is late 2018. To find out more and see a rendering of the finished product, visit jukeboxvictoria.com.