Brian J White : International Relocation Specialist : Sunstone Community

Spyglass at Sunstone

The Sunstone neighbourhood has attracted a draw in North Delta since the opening of the Radiance project, which brought a queue of wannabe homeowners to camp out overnight and sold out quickly. Spyglass's first phase of 50 town houses sold out in three months; its second phase includes 38 homes.

Once it's complete, the entire master-planned community, including every project connected to Polygon -- Radiance, the sold-out Cardinal Point, and Spyglass -- will include 800 homes linked by a network of trails and parks.

Ralph Archibald, Polygon's vice-president of sales and marketing, says the community has become popular because new homes in the area are so rare.

"There hasn't been anything new built in North Delta for over 25 years, of any scope. There wasn't the land to do it, and this is a unique piece of property," says Archibald. Polygon purchased about 80 acres from the family estate of landowner Dennis Elsom, the namesake behind a local playing field in North Delta community park.

Design-wise, the Spyglass project plays on an East Coast-theme with shingles and gabled roofs, covered porches and Juliet balconies.

That look is reflected across the street from the new builds, where the ground has been broken in preparation for a shopping area designed in a similar architectural style. Across the street from the future shopping village stands the 12,000-square-foot Craftsman-style Sunstone Club, which houses two guest suites, a kitchen and party rooms, outdoor pool, spa and barbecue area, a movie screening room, fitness rooms and a basketball court. In a nod to the family-friendly a storytime centre, complete with oversized outdoor furniture that brings to mind the gargantuan set of Alice in Wonderland. That whimsical area overlooks the man-made small lake, aptly named Sunstone Lake. On a clear day, residents will be able to see beyond the lake to Burns Bog and the Gulf Islands.

"One of the reasons I was first reluctant to move to Delta is that I don't want to be far away from [amenities]," says Victoria Johnson. Her fears were unfounded, she now admits; she's a regular visitor to the gym and clubhouse, and is eager to mingle with new friends at the planned shopping village and the clubhouse.

That won't be difficult. When she first moved in to the community, she realized she already knew many of her neighbours through work, or found out they were friends of friends.

"I lived in Vancouver for 14 years and I can't remember one name of a neighbour I had in the city," she says. "But here, I find there's a 'six degrees of separation' with a lot of my neighbours."

If you have any questions or would like any further information on the Suntone development or North Delta in general please feel free to call me anytime.