The resurgence in the Central Okanagan real estate market this spring has helped encourage renewed interest by developers to open up new residential building lots for sale.
The Creeks in the Mission is one development at the south end of the Upper Mission which is now bringing new lots on the market.
Located off Mountainside Drive in the Kettle Valley area, phase 2 of The Creeks has 20 new lots now available for sale, with phase 3 to open up a further 20 lots next spring.
Phase 1 saw 15 lots sold with most of them now being built out.
Daryl Graf, sales consultant for The Creeks in the Mission, says the growing neighbourhood is designed to highlight the natural beauty of the immediate surroundings, which includes two creeks and an abundance of parks, trails and greenspace.
And, Graf adds, the view vistas overlooking Okanagan Lake and Kelowna from many of the lots is unparalleled in the city.
“There are some outstanding unobstructed views from many of these lots,” he said. “It’s not a situation of looking over someone else’s roof top.”
The lots range in price from $235,000 up to $399,000, and vary in depth and length to offer building options for buyers, from those who want a smaller home to those who want features like extended garages and a swimming pool.
“If someone wants a three-car garage, on our larger lots they will be able to do so without having to turn the house sideways to accommodate that,” he said.
Graf says The Creeks is about creating lot opportunities for buyers to create their own template for a home design, unlike other subdivisions where the developers put strict design and builder choice options on the houses to create a look of continuity.
“There is an opportunity to build some spectacular houses on many of our larger view lots,” he said.
The attraction of the Mission generally as a place to live within Kelowna remains high, Graf says, aided by the opening of a new elementary school in recent years, the promise of a new middle school at some point in the future, and the development of a shopping centre in the neighbouring Ponds development.
“While the shopping centre isn’t directly in our neighbourhood, I think everyone in the Upper Mission will migrate to taking advantage of that. As the area has grown in population over the last decade, the need for more commercial services and the demand for it has probably increased,” he acknowledged.
The outdoor surroundings for residents are enhanced by the reminder of the smoke emanating from West Kelowna this week due to the Smith Creek Fire, Graf says, something all Upper Mission area residents are very familiar with.
The 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park fire’s destructive path blew through Kettle Valley as it carved a path across the Upper Mission, minimizing the chances of repeating that catastrophe, which destroyed 238 homes, from happening again for the immediate future.
Generally, Graf feels the Mission still has a high caché among local residents as a place to live over any other areas in the Central Okanagan, tending to attract higher income and higher post-secondary level educated buyers.
“I grew up in Rutland and still feel it’s a great place to live, but for buyers in the upper income bracket, the Mission area still is very attractive.”
“And for The Creeks, we do reach out to offer lot options from the lower to the top price range,” Graf says. “Just because we’re in the Mission doesn’t mean you necessarily have to pay more. We can find something for everyone.”
To access The Creeks in the Mission, from Chute Lake Road drive through the Kettle Valley neighourhood to the end of Chute Lake Road, make a left-hand turn onto Mountainside Drive and follow it until you arrive at The Creeks homesites.
The Creeks in the Mission sales office is located in Kettle Valley, open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call 250-764-4694 or email sales@thecreekskelowna.ca.
