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Port Okanagan development launches (Artist rendering / image submitted)
Bullish in the long-term

Developers of Vernon project cautious as financing costs escalate

Feb 21, 2023 | 5:00 AM

A chill has descended on the commercial real estate market, as higher carrying costs are seeing developers exercise prudence when it comes to buying property that may take years to develop.

“It is really tough to sell dirt right now, just because the financing costs are so much higher, like exponentially higher,” Jeff Hudson, Senior Partner in H-M Group Commercial Real Estate told Vernon Matters.

Among others, Hudson is marketing property at the Port Okanagan Development on Okanagan Lake, at the corner of Okanagan Landing Road and Lakeshore Drive.

“I would say the interest has been reasonably strong, despite what is going on in the market. I think that is a lot of what drove it, the land prices were high but the financing was almost free,” Hudson added.

Hudson noted the land, financing and construction costs are now all factors in the cool down.

“Construction costs haven’t come down, so I would say the interest in the overall marketplace has been quiet for now,” Hudson said. “Long-term, everyone is bullish, no one thinks the Okanagan isn’t going to be a good place to develop, that (Port Okanagan) is going to be a very spectacular parcel to develop.”

The insolvency filing by a major Vancouver developer sent ripples through the B.C. development community.

The interest rate spike caused Coromandel Properties Ltd., a major Vancouver developer specializing in high-density condominium towers, to file for creditor protection.

The company has $700 million of debt tied to 16 active residential real estate projects in the city, purchased between 2016 and 2021.

“There are more cautionary tales to come,” Hudson concluded.

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