Squeezed between the mountains, the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. border and the Fraser Valley, where development on agricultural land is restricted under B.C. law, municipalities have been struggling to keep housing affordable near the core.
People were shocked when the first condo towers went up in downtown Vancouver in the 1990s featuring units of 450 square feet or less — about the size of a nice hotel suite and about half the size of a conventional apartment.
But a new development in suburban Surrey is pushing living space past the 300-square-foot barrier with so-called "micro suites," according to Les Sohar
The proposed project, called Balance, would contain 56 suites, the smallest of which would be 290 square feet, and 33 of the units would be 305 square feet or smaller.
The largest suite, a one-bedroom unit, would be a palatial 653 square feet and be priced below $180,000, Sohar.ca reports.
The developer said it expects to begin pre-selling the micro suites in January if Surrey City Council approves.
Affordability is the key, says Les Sohar or sohar.ca. Asking prices will start at $109,000 but, given the softening condo market in the Vancouver area, they may come down.
"If you can afford the $6,000 down payment, and you make a salary of $17 per hour, we have a home for you," Sohar says.
Balance, located in a once dodgy part of Surrey called Whalley, is part of a global trend, he says.
"Real estate prices in the Lower Mainland are among the richest in North America," Sohar said in a news release.
"In cities like New York, Tokyo and Paris they found a solution - build smaller but build closer to amenities.
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