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Amenity wars: Burnaby developers battle to top each other with lavish offerings

A running track in the sky and on-site daycares are some of the offerings

When people are looking to buy a new condo, more and more buyers are looking at what the building offers outside of the suites as much as what their individual units will look like.

Square footage, countertops and window sizes are all important, but many buyers are looking at amenities as the real clincher.

The means developers are looking at new and innovative ways to add amenities that will appeal to buyers.

And this means more than a gym with a couple of rowing machines.

During the summer, Sun Tower 1 by Belford Properties on Beresford Street across from Metropolis at Metrotown had a “topping off” ceremony as it gets closer to completion.

The developers were keen on promoting the fact that the building would include a 14,000-square-foot on-site child-care centre. That kind of amenity is a big draw for young families who don’t want to have to travel far to drop off their child before heading off for work.

Concord Pacific recently unveiled plans for its Metrotown development that will surround the Metropolis at Metrotown shopping centre on Kingsway.

And the amenities are designed to blow buyers’ socks off.

The first phase of the project, known as SkyPark, will consist of three towers with the tallest clocking in at a whopping 755 feet – the tallest building in B.C.

But it’s SkyPark’s amenities that look really enticing. There will be more than 66,000 square feet of outdoor amenities, including a 400-metre running and walking track with multiple lanes, and a pool – on the top of the buildings.

This SkyPark will also include a conservatory that will include live plants. There will also be a Baltic-style sauna in barrel-shaped cabins and an Ofuro spa. One of the photos also has a rendering of a Zen garden.

Concord is also planning a carefully curated array of art pieces and “office pods” for people looking to keep busy outside of their suites.

Scroll through the photos above to see what they’ll look like.

“It’s a massive podium in the sky,” said Peter Webb, senior vice-president, Concord Pacific Developments Inc., in an interview. “We know master planning. We know how to build neighbourhoods.”

Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.