Langley Real Estate

CREDIT: Jon Murray, The Province The living room in a Milner Heights rowhouse features most of the high-end designer details found in the development's detached houses.

CREDIT: Jon Murray, The Province The centre island in the rowhouse kitchen doubles as an eating area.

In the world of B.C. real estate, there are two kinds of master-planned communities: Those that plop residents into the lap of luxury and those that emphasize a more down-to-earth motif.

Milner Heights in Langley, which just celebrated its grand opening two weeks ago, is definitely one of the latter.

Rather than erecting a swanky communal clubhouse, builder-developer Vesta opted to design a lush human habitat surrounded by natural amenities, encouraging owners to step outside of their homes and smell the roses.

"It's not about living in a resort, it's about living in a more natural setting. It's less asphalt, fewer buildings and more green space," said Lynn Harrison, director of marketing for Vesta.

"When you come home, there's that sense of peace, and having nature around you. It's going to be known as a really pretty, suburban place to live."

The southeast corner of the 18-hectare site will also become home to the as-yet-incomplete Milner Heights Pond, an engineered permanent body that will give rise to a new ecosystem and simultaneously control water discharge from the sloping site to nearby Worrell Creek.

Landscaped swales (that's realtor-speak for ditches) polka-dotted with boulders, gravel and indigenous plants frame the streets, adding greenery to the scenery while also maximizing water absorption into the soil to purify downstream runoff.

An internal trail system will also connect with the township's existing Arbour Ribbon Trail system along 210th Street, encouraging residents to walk or bike to local shopping and recreation facilities.

The array of homes at Milner Heights is all about making bold statements.

Currently, detached single-family homes and two different incarnations of rowhomes are available, and next spring the development's lineup of strata-hold townhomes will also go on the market.

Luxury and space abound in the single-family detached home, named Madison, now on display.

Completely unexpected, the door on the quaint front porch opens into a grand foyer and formal living room with 20-foot ceilings, light streaming in through a high window, which is set back into a deep cut in the vaulted ceiling, and a visual buffet of dropped ceilings and elegant archways.

The kitchen is full of high-end finishings and very well planned, with granite on the counters and centre island, and a closet pantry efficiently positioned between the fridge and main cooking area.

Art niches, some deep, some shallow, abound, providing places of shelter and prominence for books, technology and other aesthetic treasures.

The spacious main floor in the three-bedroom house also comes equipped with a powder room, a truly oversized laundry room, and a bright, open-concept living room adjacent to the kitchen.

Upstairs, all the bedrooms offer the generous square-footage and storage space one expects in suburbia. The master bedroom comes with vaulted ceilings, a window bench with built-in shelf space and a five-piece ensuite bathroom that not only boasts his-and-hers sinks, but also separate his-and-hers vanities to boot.

The basement, if finished, will add yet another generous swath of living space, perfect for teenagers, in-laws or perhaps the type of independent introvert who needs a quiet place to hide.

The townhomes offer most of the same high-end designer details as the detached homes, with the option of choosing between a small strata four-plex or a non-strata rowhouse.

One difference from the detached homes is in the master bedroom; instead of separate his-and-hers sinks, couples will enjoy separate his-and-hers closets, one of which (presumably hers) is a roomy walk-in.

Luxuries and scenery aside, Milner Heights is a green bet because it's being constructed to the B.C. Built Green bronze standard, which means it's part of a certification program that addresses a range of environmental issues, from energy efficiency to toxin-free materials and resource conservation.

Move-ins at Milner Heights begin in January 2009.

kwebb@theprovince.com

THE FACTS

What: Milner Heights, a master-planned community of 320 units of mixed-style homes

Where: 208th Street and 70th Avenue, Langley

Developer: Vesta

Sizes: Two to four bedrooms from 978 Sq. ft. to 2,501 sq. ft., plus unfinished basements

Prices: $329,000 to $699,000

Open: Presentation centre and four display homes open 1 to 5 p.m., Saturday to Wednesday, at 20843 69B Ave., Langley

More info: www.milnerheights.ca

The Schacter Team - Willoughby Developments