The public preview of Appia Development's Solo District drew about 2,000 people last weekend, necessitating the opening of the show suites for a second day.

“We originally only planned on opening up on Saturday, but we knew this was going to be big when we had over 60 people lined up outside the door more than two hours before we were scheduled to open," said Lisa Murrell, sales and marketing manager for Appia in a press release. "There was a lineup all day on Saturday and with so many people wanting to bring friends and family back, we decided we should open on Sunday too.”

Units in Solo, located on the southwest corner of Lougheed Highway and Willingdon Avenue, are not for sale yet as the project is still awaiting final approvals from Burnaby city hall. When the four phases of the six-acre development are complete, it will be home to four towers, just under 1,400 homes, offices and commercial space, including the first Whole Foods supermarket in Burnaby.

The first phase, dubbed Stratus, will be a 45-storey, 374-unit highrise, the Whole Foods and additional retail space on the northwest corner of the site, at Lougheed and Rosser Avenue.

The project will feature geothermal heat exchange systems, nine-foot ceilings, air conditioning and individual gas meters in each condominium, a car sharing agreement with auto co-op Modo, electric car charging stations and transit passes for some residents.

Of the people who showed up at the preview, many already live in Burnaby and are in their 20s and 30s looking for their first home, said George Wong of real estate marketing firm Magnum Projects. They were drawn by Brentwood SkyTrain station being across the street and having Whole Foods in the complex.

The preview centre, at the end of Sumas Street near Willingdon, will be the site of a community event on July 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring free entertainment and  food and another chance to check out the two display suites.

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com

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