At the recent Georgie awards gala, Century Group took home five prestigious awards for its master-planned community of Southlands in Tsawwassen; Best Single-Family Home Production (for the Courtyard Cottages), Best Environmental Initiative, Best Sales Centre, Best Project Identity, and the Grand Georgie - Residential Community of the Year.
Canadian Home Builders Association (CHBA) CEO Neil Moody noted that “The Georgie Awards are a testament to the excellence, professionalism and innovation that defines the residential construction industry in British Columbia. They are an opportunity to celebrate the incredible work being done by builders, renovators, designers, and marketers and to recognize their contributions to the communities they serve.”
The path to this success certainly did not come easily. The ultimate deal reached between Century Group and the City of Delta is a testament to the hard work that both parties engaged in over several years.
One of the main stumbling blocks to the initial development proposal was that there was a concern that farmland would be compromised in the development. The reality is that much of the farmland in question on the Southlands was not farmable and one only has to remember when whole potato and corn crops were lost to poor drainage and the inability to get equipment into the fields.
One part of the eventual compromise for the development was for millions of dollars of investment into drainage and irrigation. Today, even if there is an atmospheric weather event, equipment will still be able to get into the fields after a couple of days.
If you drive, or better walk or bike to the Southlands from the 4th Ave. and 56th St. entrance, you will see how expansive the large-scale farming operations are. The irony is that there is far more production in the works now than there has ever been before. There is vast acreage producing food now where land lay fallow in the past.
Southlands, the Residential Community of the Year, has clearly shown that a community built around food and farming is a sound planning concept that should be considered elsewhere.
Congratulations Century Group and City of Delta.
