|
Media Coverage
The Edmonton Sun, June 17, 2007 Come on up for the RISING; Beauty abounds at BC's The Rise community By Kamea Zeliso Please scroll down for the article.
Come on up for the RISING Teetering on the edge of a cliff some 1,000 feet above Okanagan Lake, I'm wondering when the RV I'm in will roll back or even worse, get stuck in the mud as we venture upwards at what seems to be almost a 90 degree angle. All around me is a somewhat confusing landscape - gravel and sand mixes with fertile soil while dwarf blue and bentgrass struggles to sprout along the desert belts that characterize Vernon, BC, as well as much of the province's interior mountains. But as I reach the 17th hole of Golf Club At The Rise, a Fred Couples Signature Golf Course, it all begins to make sense, and boy, is it breathtaking. The extraordinary views range east past Camel Hump Mountain to the Monahees, south up Okanagan Lake and west past Terrace Mountain, and from this hole I can see nearby Predator Ridge and Silver Star Mountain Resort. I struggle to turn my attention to golf course general manager Rod Cochrane as he explains the details of the course, " ... $11 million to build ... Par 72 ... 222 acres ..." It all seems to run together as I take in the rocky knolls, bench lands, forested gullies, wetlands and gorgeous mountain and lake views set before me. I, as well as several other media types, are here for a media tour of The Rise, a 735-acre master plan property that includes a winery, vineyards, hotels, village centre, private lakeside beach club and several neighbourhoods consisting of home sites and villas intertwined around the Fred Couples Signature Golf Course. Couples himself even joined the tour of the course he helped to create. "The course is absolutely stunning," he said during a much-anticipated press conference later that day. "The lake views on the course are breathtaking and have to be seen to be believed. This course will set the standard for championship golf in the Okanagan." But unlike most of the golf and sports writers here, my focus is geared towards real estate, and luckily for me, our guides had no problem taking us to see the many residential projects currently on the go. And I'm not alone on this one - people from all over North America have held a strong interest in living in this beautiful community, and especially Albertans, who have already purchased just about half of the units. "Construction began on the homes two years ago, but this year it's really booming," said Paula Sharp, resort sales specialist for the project, as she and partner Bruce Salamandyk give us a tour of the property in which they not only sell, but live in. Anywhere from 100 to 300 workers a day call The Rise their jobsite, working year round to create the 1,200 single family and multi-family units that will make up The Rise. With an estimated one-year build out, homes at The Rise are separated into four popular neighbourhood communities - Clearview, Sagecroft, Sagecroft Villas and the exclusive Watermark. Home sites at Clearview, the first neighbourhood at The Rise, are already almost completely sold out, with only nine fully finished model homes remaining, starting at $709,000. And at Sagecroft Villas, 15 villas were sold in the first three months of sales. All of the homes follow strict Mediterranean architectural guidelines including accents of wood and wrought iron, cultured stone, low-E windows, R-40 insulation and a GeoExchange System (a heating and cooling system using the ground as a thermal battery, extracting heat from the ground in the winter and transferring it back in the winter). "The cost for installing these systems are paid by the owners at $90 a month for 20 years, but it pays itself off in five years when it comes to savings in high priced natural gas and electricity costs," said Sharp. We had a sneak peek at a standard version of one of the homes during the tour, and the interiors of these homes definitely match the standards of the exterior. Constructed by The Rise's own company Vineyard Homes at The Rise, granite kitchen countertops, hardwood and stainless steel appliances flank the 950 sq. ft walkout, which is priced at $795,000. The nearby condos range in size from 1,950-2,027 sq. ft. on the main levels, starting at $709,900. Meanwhile, the villas (modified duplexes with entrances on either end) come in three models ranging from 1,214 sq. ft. to 1,574 sq, ft (on the main level) with full basements. These start at $516,950. From the balcony at the rear of the home you get a beautiful view of the great Okanagan as well as the six acres of vineyard. Another 20 acres will soon be added along the bottom of the mountain. Once complete, a total of 50 acres of vineyard will run along the lower part of this mountainside. But perhaps the best part of this development is what can't be seen, thanks to president and CEO Leona Snider's longstanding vision for the community. Snider worked hard to create minimal impact on the environment by not only working with the mountain but protecting it. One-third of the 735 acre site has been preserved to protect the grasslands and wildlife, and Snider couldn't be more proud. "The Rise is happening and it is exciting watching it all come together. This is a landmark for me. It's an experience like none other to see your dreams come true."
For additional information regarding the project, click on the logo: 
Reprinted from The Edmonton Sun |
