Okanagan Shuswap British Columbia 2011/2012 ANNUAL Relocation &REAL ESTATEGuide KELOWNA WEST KELOWNA VERNON PENTICTON LAKE COUNTRY PEACHLAND SUMMERLAND NARAMATA OLIVER OSOYOOS GUEST2 JUNE ROOM 2010 COPY okanaganlife.com | PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE SEE OUR NEW SHOW HOME & HOME SITES 39th Ave Hwy r D 97 ark P 30th Ave xis le A SEE OUR NEW SHOW HOME & HOME SITES TWO EXCEPTIONAL TOWNHOME COMMUNITIES FROM THE LOW $300,000s move in now 3 bedroom townhomes next to Knox Mountain Park in South Glenmore area of Kelowna DISPLAY HOMES Caramillo Rd 619 Boynton Place Knox Boynton Pl N 250-868-6680 Mountain Park For current pricing and open hours Clifton Rd Highpointe Dr visit missiongroup.ca move in now 2 & 3 bedroom city homes with rooftop sundecks 39th Ave in mid-town Kelowna Hwy r DISPLAY HOMES Harvey Ave (Highway 97) D 97 1841 Ambrosi Road ark P 30th Ave 250-979-4343 xis For current pricing Spall Rd Cooper Rd Ambrosi Rd le A and open hours visit missiongroup.ca Springfield Rd mission group.ca OK Life-Combo Ad.indd 2 11-08-29 1:41 PM 4 RELOCATION GUIDE 2011/2012 okanaganlife.com CONTENTS publisher/editor J. Paul Byrne senior editor Laurie Carter SUSTAINABILITY managing editor Karen Slivar creative director Mishell Raedeke 6 BUILT IN 6 graphic designer MaryAnn McCooey New building projects are a administration Wendy Letwinetz common sight in the Central account executive Jim Murphy Okanagan. We decided to get to know some of the people behind contributing writers Laurie Carter the steel and concrete of today’s Karen Slivar forward thinking residential contributing Laurie Carter developments. photographers Karen Slivar Andrea Williams VALLEY COMMUNITIES 25 Introduction 13 Kelowna 15 cover photo Colin Jewall West Kelowna 19 okanaganlife.com Laurie Carter editor Vernon 22 Lake Country 23 Peachland 23 Penticton 24 Summerland 25 Naramata 25 Okanagan Life is published by Byrne Publishing Group Inc. Oliver 26 magazine is a member of the Thompson Okanagan Association, Tourism Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, To subscribe or advertise: 26 Osoyoos 26 Call 250.861.5399 Toll-free 1.888.311.1119 Okanagan Life / Email [email protected] ) Write to: #10–1753 Dolphin Avenue Kelowna, BC V1Y 8A6; or visit www.okanaganlife.com Wine | Food 28 Okanagan Life is available at several newsstands Arts Culture 30 throughout the Valley. For a full list, please visit | Okanagan Business 37 www.okanaganlife.com/wheretobuy.php Nature | Ecology 31 © 2011, All rights reserved. Opinions and perspectives expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and Hiking | Biking 32 do not necessarily represent the views of the ownership or management. Reproduction in whole or in part Road Trips 34 ISSN 11803975 ( without the publisher’s consent is strictly prohibited. / ) Golf 36 CIRCULATION VERIFICATION Winter Sports 37 COUNCIL Okanagan Life ( PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40028474 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO BYRNE PUBLISHING GROUP INC. #10-1753 DOLPHIN AVE. KELOWNA BC V1Y 8A6 Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce, Summerland Chamber of Economic Development Greater & Tourism, Vernon Chamber of Commerce, Westbank and District Chamber of Commerce, British Columbia Association of Magazine Publishers (BCAMP), City and Regional Magazine Association (CRMA) and Circulation Verification Council (CVC). ISSN 08405492 email: [email protected] okanaganlife.com RELOCATION GUIDE 2011/2012 5 JoAnne Adamson, development manager, Mission Group JoAnne Adamson didn’t know what she was getting into when Jonathan Friesen for his vision, Randy she went to work for a developer. In 2002 she graduated from Shier for his brilliant ideas and Okanagan University College with a bachelor of commerce Gerald Heinrichs for his ability to degree and was working at a bank when Jonathan Friesen of build a strong construction team. the Mission Group was developing his vision of Kelowna’s Today, more and more people are first luxury lakeside resort called the Mission Shores. becoming environmentally conscien- “I was in awe of his vision and passion,” says tious and that means, “Builders have JoAnne. From talking with him she knew she to be smarter,” says JoAnne. She leads needed to be a part of it. She was one of the com- the company’s green approach and is a pany’s first hires and hasn’t looked back since. LEED accredited professional through The Mission Group is responsible for several multi-family the Canada Green Building Council. communities in Kelowna such as the Verve on Glenmore Road, Leadership in Energy and Amberhill in Kettle Valley and Dwell located on Ambrosi Environmental Design (LEED) is a within walking distance of Orchard Park Mall. JoAnne’s national third-party certification favourite community to date is the Mode, an 87-unit urban system that recognizes high perfor- condo project located in the Landmark neighbourhood and mance, green building solutions as completed in 2009. She led the project from start to finish. does BuiltGreen, a Canadian program “The vision for Mode was to create an environ- that certifies homes constructed to mentally sustainable community,” she says. “It’s strict energy-efficiency and envi- the first multi-family condo building in Kelowna ronmentally friendly guidelines. to use solar pre-heated domestic hot water.” Winsome Hill is the group’s latest As development manager for Mission Group, JoAnne is offering and a BuiltGreen community. responsible for planning and managing all aspects of devel- Every aspect of the project from land USTAINABILITY opment. What she loves most about her work is that “every selection to the choice of building day is different.” She also loves the passion and drive of all materials and mechanical systems has the people she works with especially the three partners: been looked at in order to minimize S PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED 6 RELOCATION GUIDE 2011/2012 okanaganlife.com By Karen Slivar New building projects are a common sight in the Central Okanagan. We decided to get to know some of the people behind the steel and concrete of today’s forward thinking residential developments. the environmental impact, says JoAnne. cooling. Built to last, the exteriors are clad with fibre For example, the location off cement siding made from 30 per cent recycled material. Clifton Road and beside Knox Natural Resources Canada is about to make shopping Mountain makes it equally close for and comparing green homes easier for consumers. to shopping and outdoor adven- The building code that takes effect in 2012 will require ture. There’s less of that new home new homes to have an EnerGuide rating of 80. Winsome smell with the builder’s choice Hill homes are ahead of the curve with a rating of 82. of green label carpeting and low- For JoAnne sustainability means, “Properly manag- VOC (volatile organic compounds) ing one’s resources.” All resources: water, land, air, energy, paints, while drought tolerant financial and human. She’s a strong believer in shar- landscaping with native plants and ing her resources and has an unofficial co-op between front-loading washing machines friends and family to share things like a lawn mower. help reduce water usage. Further On her days off JoAnne likes to spend time with her eco-friendly features include husband and riding her motorcycle. While the couple energy-efficient appliances, low-e claims no kids of their own, they have a total of five nieces double glazed windows, and air- and nephews in town. “I’m a great auntie,” she says. In source heat pumps for heating and the winter you can find her skiing and snowboarding. PHOTO BY KAREN SLIVAR okanaganlife.com RELOCATION GUIDE 2011/2012 7 Andrew Gaucher, operations manager, G Group of Companies Born and raised in Kelowna, Andrew he learned was cost control. He spent A few years ago sustainable develop- Gaucher says he got into house build- more than he budgeted and had to ment was defi ned as meeting the needs ing “totally by accident.” When he sell the house when it was complete. of the present without compromising graduated from high school he wanted But the foundation was set. Andrew the ability of future generations to to move out on his own while he started Green Solutions Inc. in 2006 meet their own needs. Today, sus- attended Okanagan College to study while he went to college. At 22 he knew tainability takes a more integrated business. He didn’t have the income he could build quality homes, but what approach. Andrew likes the chair to buy a home but came up with the he lacked was years of experience. At analogy. Sustainable development idea of building one, living in the base- the time no one was doing green so he is like a four-legged chair, each leg ment suite and renting out the top. got accredited as a BuiltGreen builder represents a different aspect: environ- With the help of his dad Grant to set himself apart from the hoards of mental, social, cultural and economic. Gaucher, an established and success- other builders in the Valley. BuiltGreen If one leg is neglected—shorter—then ful developer behind the G Group is a provincial program that has the chair won’t balance properly. of Companies, he was able to secure become the driving force in the indus- At the forefront of eco-living is fi nancing and armed with a list of con- try, it recognizes homes constructed one of Andrew’s current favourite tacts he set out to build his fi rst house. to energy-effi cient and environmen- projects, 555 McKay Ave., located in Andrew acted as the general con- tally friendly guidelines. On his own, the South Pandosy area of Kelowna. tractor and gained a wealth of experi- he built about half a dozen houses.