If you live at 667 Howe St. in downtown Vancouver, you can’t
avoid Bruce Langereis. It’s not only because he’s the developer of the
Private Residences at Hotel Georgia; he’s also your most enthusiastic
neighbour.
The show living room in the 48th-floor penthouse.
Fresh
from a trip to Singapore, the president of Delta Land Group apologizes
for being jet-lagged, then proceeds to energetically list off features
about the 48-storey tower.
Residents can access any of the
amenities from the adjoining five-star Hotel Georgia,
including catering from Hawksworth restaurant, spa services, maid and
room service, valet parking, and use of the saltwater lap pool.
Langereis and his company restored the 88-year-old heritage property,
which is managed by Rosewood Hotels.

The
Private Residences tower, which connects to the hotel on the fourth floor, began pre-sales in 2007 and now has six units remaining on the market.
But
they’re no ordinary suites: five sub-penthouses that take up half a
floor each, ranging from $7.7 million to $8.1 million — and a true
penthouse that covers the entire top floor.
The 6,832
sq.-ft.
home offers a glorious 360-degree view from several balconies. One
corner of the penthouse is set up as a sumptuous dining/living room for
now. The rest is an empty concrete shell, since someone who can afford
the $18-million price tag will presumably want to custom-design pretty
much everything.
"Selfishly, I’d like to see someone
who’s really going to enjoy this and appreciate it and embrace what
we’re offering,” said Langereis, stopping short of saying he would veto a
potential buyer.
"I could never not do that but I’d be a lot tougher to negotiate with," he offered.
"Let
me put it this way, if it’s someone’s who’s going to invite me back for
a social up here, I’d probably do a better deal than someone who’s
going to buy it and never invite me or invite anybody from the building.
Or never be part of the hotel or part of the chemistry of the city."
The front entrance of the Private Residences at Hotel Georgia and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia share the same front door.
Langereis has a "good for them" attitude.
"Bravo,
you’re selling it," he said. "But think about that, if you bought there
to live there, how are you going to feel if it’s so transient (when
people flip their condo).
"It’s not our style. It’s not the way we do things."
Langereis, who flies his own helicopter to go solo camping at remote sites, is willing to be patient.
Looking
out the floor-to-ceiling windows toward St. Paul’s Hospital where he
was born, Langereis reflects on coming from a "poor family from Europe
that immigrated here" and growing up in East Vancouver.
"I don’t want to just follow and do what’s easy, I want to do what’s right," he said.
"This
building will be here long after I’m gone. And I don’t want anyone to
point at the building with embarrassment.... I’d like them to say, ‘Oh
my dad, or I know Bruce, and that’s a great building!’ That’s what I
want."
Right now, Langereis wants a local buyer for that $18-million penthouse. And he's got a final pitch.
“One of the advantages to buying here is you get me as a neighbour.”