Pearce Gardens

Streetside Development Corporation completed this two-phase four-storey development in 2003, housing 148 suites in two frame-with-overlay buildings atop concrete in-ground garages that house parking and storage for all suites. Top-floor suites here enjoy a variety of vaulted ceilings into what would otherwise have been wasted attic space. All other suites enjoy nine-foot ceilings and better-than-standard finishing.

The location is bordered on the east by a CPR spur line, but traffic is light and Blackfoot Trail is out of earshot. The location is also adjacent to the Bow River and its pathways and Pearce Estate Park, so these make for a pretty nice trade off.

Suite layouts are interesting, many enjoying a projection from the rectangle or offering an angled layout as the buildings turn a corner to make their "L" shape. Finishings here were good, with double-en-suite-bathroom layouts, in-suite laundries, fireplaces, large balconies or patios with natural-gas outlets, and of course the higher ceilings with those terrific fourth-floor vaults. Suites start at 622 square feet, with the more common two-bedroom plans in the 900-foot range and topping out at 1,032 square feet. The titled indoor parking stalls are extra long to allow for large storage spaces in front of cars, and the few stalls that had to be shorter are supplemented with a titled locker elsewhere in the garage.

Each building has piston-driven elevator service and offers a social room on the main floor opposite the lobby. The large courtyard allows for plenty of visitor parking and makes the development feel wide open. Many suites face outward to parkland and some upper-floor suites have partial views of downtown and the mountains beyond. The exteriors are vinyl cladding with cultured-stone facing for the first floors and for balcony columns up through the third floor.

The phased development operates as a single condominium corporation in which all exterior windows and doors are common property for maintenance and eventual replacement. The Condo Plans allocate suite unit factors in proportion to floor areas. I keep both Condo Plans on file.