Dear Tony: I want to thank you for your many years of columns, and hope that you would consider a column about the really good side of living in a condo.
We are fortunate to live in a 48-unit condo building that has had very few issues, but most important is a wonderful community of people who are there for each other.
The technical information in your columns has been very helpful, but it does make condo living look a bit gloomy sometimes.
Jean Robertson
Dear Jean: Thank you for your encouragement to take a view from the positive side of strata living.
The condo lifestyle has many great benefits for owners and residents and is one of the best uses of land distribution and density in many parts of the province. For every problem or crisis that arrives in a gloomy email, there are thousands of strata owners who are extremely happy with condo living and how their strata corporations operate.
There was a time when people chose condos more because of affordability. While strata living still provides affordable housing for many people in the province, it is now a positive lifestyle choice for many homeowners and tenants.
New condo developments usually take a few years for their communities to develop and form a cohesive function, but take a close look at communities that have developed over the past five decades and you will find a very strong community bond and a close network of mutual support, assistance and understanding of strata living.
Noise, lifestyle, pets, cultural diversity and use of property for parking or storage facilities are rarely ever an issue. The success in these communities is based on the understanding of the owners that a certain level of tolerance and respect are necessary. Some of the best potluck dinners l have had the privilege to attend are at strata annual general meetings.
Older buildings in high-density areas are currently being courted by a number of developers because they are now at the stage of requiring major renewals and upgrades. It makes sense to consider a redevelopment of a site that could have a higher density around services such as transit, community centres and public facilities.
Yet what I find most intriguing is the number of established communities that have refused developer offers. In some cases the offers are substantially higher than current market value but, because the owners are protecting the value of the community that they have developed, they are not interested.
I attended a general meeting in November where a land buyer offered 150 per cent of the market value, and more than half of the owners voted against the offer. One owner who spoke at the meeting supported their community and wasn’t willing to move.
“Where will I go to find the same wonderful people whom I have grown to trust as my neighbours? If we do sell and I do move, I won’t be able to afford another condo at the same size in this neighbourhood.”
Strata living provides occupants with many advantages we often take for granted. They are a collective that purchases many services and amenities that are not so affordable in detached home ownership. For travellers, working families and seniors, we can collectively contract our building maintenance and services and maintain higher security in a contained neighbourhood.
No more gutters to clean, lawns to mow, trees to prune or snow to shovel. Meanwhile, games rooms, pools, exercise facilities, golf courses, marinas, resort access, community gardens, libraries and guest suites all add to the enjoyment of our properties.
Tony Gioventu is executive director of the Condominium Home Owners’ Association (www.choa.bc.ca).
