For a growing number of Canadian seasonal-home buyers shopping the Greater Phoenix market, upscale North Scottsdale has caught their discerning eye.
Granted these snowbirds are finding the warm winter weather, outdoor recreation opportunities, and professional sports very appealing, but Optima Inc. has added a few other elements to woo those north of the 49th Parallel.
The Chicago-based development company is adding more green to the Sonoran Desert’s urban settings with its vision and technology.
Kierland Optima Center is the company’s latest residential offering — a $500 million high-rise condominium campus just down the street from the trendy shopping and dining offered by Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Quarter.
And the latest addition to the overall development is the 7180 Optima Kierland building with just over 200 residences in one-, two-, and three bedroom layouts priced from mid-$400,000 to more than $2 million US.
Well into construction, 7180 Optima Kierland will be completed late in 2020, but is already seeing strong interest from buyers, including Canadians from five different provinces, including Alberta.
“Canadians play a significant role in the success of Optima Kierland Center, adding to the diversity and vitality of the resident base,” says David Hovey, Jr., president and principal architect for Optima.
“Many Canadians are drawn to Optima because they are looking for a design-driven second home with a focus on sustainable green building, unmatched resort-style amenities, and walkability to North Scottsdale’s premier shopping and dining district,” Burnham says, adding that Albertans and other Canadians continue to show strong buyer interest.
For Ed and Marianne Upenieks of Toronto, 7180 Optima checked off a whole lot of lifestyle boxes.
The Upenieks bought a large one-bedroom unit but will have to wait the better part of next year before it’s ready for occupancy, the Toronto lawyer says.
Besides the “predictable” weather offered by Arizona compared to Florida and the sports and recreation opportunities, Upenieks says location was a factor in the couple’s decision to buy.
“The appeal specifically of Optima is the prime location — walking distance to shopping and dining, nearby spectacular mountain golf courses. Optima has lush foliage and plants on the grounds, including on owners’ balconies, high-end finishes and appliances, and a common area that includes a rooftop pool and lounge, sports courts, golf simulator, and zen and yoga areas,” he says.
The Upenieks were not shopping the market, looking for a place to spend their winters, but Optima just happened.
For a decade, the couple has been vacationing in the Phoenix area and the future includes spending at least six weeks there until such time as retirement beckons.
“We just walked in after the first two buildings were up and inquired about the complex and saw the quality construction. As I say, we were not looking to buy at that time, but we were so impressed with the development that we decided to jump in,” he says.
It has been this high degree of quality blended with countless amenities and eye-catching appeal that has worked so successfully for Optima Inc.
At all of its Arizona multi-family residential communities, which include Optima Sonoran Village, Optima Camelview Village, Optima Biltmore Towers, Optima Inc. has integrated the environmental benefits with design aesthetics.
One of the hallmarks of each development are the hanging gardens where plants grow from private terraces and across the building’s exterior, rooftop gardens, overhanging bridges and cantilevered landscape terraces, shaded pedestrian courtyards, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
“We have always been focussed on pushing the envelope with each Optima development when it comes to sustainability, design, and technology. It’s the right thing to do,” says Hovey Jr.
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