Eight new three-bedroom townhomes—and eight nesting boxes for chickadees—are taking flight at Chickadee Lane.
The birdhouses on the south-facing side of the Chickadee Lane townhouse complex at 1165 Wilson Crescent are just one of the touches that builder Cameron Cope highlighted on a recent 小蓝视频 tour of the under-construction homes.
There is also an outdoor seating area and a wooden pirate ship play structure that Cope's kids had a hand in testing out.
‘We can build homes that have a positive impact’
Cope is the founder and managing director of .
With this project and others he has on the go, the goal is to make the homes as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible, he says.
At Chickadee Lane, the units have EV charger-ready outlets, solar panels on the complex's roof, pollinator plantings, rainwater collection and garden boxes.
The company only builds infill projects, meaning they don't clear land that was previously forested for their homes.
"[ReGen] was founded on the belief that we can build homes that have a positive impact on climate and biodiversity and play a role in regenerating the planet. So, we're really focused on building homes now that the future world needs. So to that end, all homes are built zero emissions and also certified to be built green platinum," he said.
Each home has its own built-in air conditioning to deal with the warming summers Squamish has been experiencing.
"Zero emissions means that throughout the operation of the building, there's no additional carbon or emissions going into the atmosphere, because we are reducing the amount of energy that we need as much as possible on site, and [all units] have electric heating and cooling systems and airtight windows and very thick insulation. Each home comes with solar panels on the roof, so that offsets all the non-renewable energy from the grid," Cope said.
The units are all three-bedroom and 2.5 bathrooms with a side-by-side garage as well. They're approximately 1,100 square feet plus the additional almost 500 square feet of the garage.
The chickadee nesting boxes were built by long-time local Carl Halverson, and the company consulted with Nature Squamish to ensure that the boxes to ensure that the boxes provide suitable habitat for local bird species.
"We're actually contributing new habitat by increasing the biodiversity in urban areas," he said.
The downtown location, close to schools and amenities, means it is a walkable location, he added, though acknowledging the limited frequency of the bus system to get to outside parts of town.
Room for adventure gear
Asked how a double garage fits into the sustainable plan for the project, Cope pointed to the need for space for equipment for the adventures people move to Squamish for.
"We don't actually expect each garage here to be filled with two cars. I think there might be one car and then a whole bunch of mountain bikes, toys, crash pads, snowmobiles, sleds, what have you,” he said.
“People in Squamish work hard, play hard, and they need space for all their stuff."
Also included in the development are two visitor parking stalls.
‘The operational costs of the building will be less’
Acknowledging increases in construction costs, Cope asserts that these sustainable townhomes are still more attainable than a lot of housing in town, with prices starting below $1 million.
The benchmark price—representing a typical property within Squamish’s market—for single-family homes was $1,678,300,
according to.
The benchmark townhome cost in town in May was $1,037,500.
"The operational costs of the building will be less because of how efficient it is and because of the on-site electrical generation as well," said Cope, who grew up on Salt Spring Island, and moved to Squamish 14 years ago for the outdoor lifestyle.
Cope listed his favourite outdoor pursuits—including whitewater kayaking, skiing, mountain biking and climbing—as reasons he chose Squamish, while noting a cubby in the garage of one of the Chickadee Land units that could be used to store skis.
Regenerative housing to address housing need
From a the same unit's kitchen window, future residents can enjoy views of Echo Lake Falls in the Tantalus Range—a scenic backdrop juxtaposed against nearby some remaining single-family homes.
Though multiple studies have shown that single-family homes are less environmentally friendly than multi鈥慺amily housing, per unit of living space, Cope knows there is resistance from some in Squamish to the building of any new multi-family housing, as the community infrastructure and amenities struggle to keep up with the population increase.
This especially comes from long-time residents who moved here when single-family homes with big yards were more the norm and expectation.
"I grew up on a farm on Salt Spring Island , so I definitely was used to the space and the wilderness," he said.
"Essentially, we have two really large problems. One is the housing crisis. Housing prices are very high and out of a lot of people's attainment, so we do need to build more housing. At the same time, building housing creates a lot of environmental impact.
“We have to build more housing, and it has to be, from my perspective, regenerative housing that actually gives back more than it takes from the environment. That's kind of the reality that we live in today, and especially in Squamish."
There will be a Chickadee Lane opening event on June 28.
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