Many of us grew up with the experience of growing food—a farm owned by grandparents or a kitchen garden and fruit tree in your backyard. We understood and appreciated food well before we ate it, as we pulled potatoes from the garden or watched Mom or Dad make jam.
But most of us have lost touch with farms and growing food. The global economics of food and agriculture mean there are fewer family farms and fewer connections to agriculture in our society. In a world with plentiful food, we often lack the sense of connection we once had to how food arrives on the table.
If we could create a place where farming and food could energize a neighbourhood then, in a modern sense, we could reestablish something we lost. That is the promise of Southlands—that we try to make those connections and reestablish the culture of agriculture in a new sense of place.
Come for the homes we build but stay for the connection to farming and food we want to help create.
Sean Hodgins, President, Century Group
Southlands is just across the street from Boundary Bay Regional Park and Centennial Beach. More than 530 acres, it is North America’s largest community deliberately rooted in food and farming, and 80% of the site is now public land. Land use is modelled on traditional agrarian villages, placing homes next to small organic farms that feed their communities.
Southlands filters the farming lifestyle through a modern, slightly urban lens. Residents will walk to the Market District and meet for coffee or take in an outdoor performance. They’ll walk and cycle 4km of multi-use pathways and roam 100 acres of parkland. They’ll also live close to nature, watching barn swallows dive over the fields, picnicking on the beach, and gazing at stars.
With a diverse selection of 950 homes, people of varying life stages will put down roots here. But more than just a place to live, Southlands is a place to make a life.
Southlands is a unique community that came into being because a number of people shared a compelling vision. That vision has evolved over time, but has never wavered from its original idea: to create an extraordinary neighbourhood that preserves farmland and farming as a way of life, offering people rare opportunities to live where their food is grown.
The Southlands team combines extensive experience with qualities that are rarer and harder to come by: a reverence for the land, a deep understanding of the community, and a passion for the project’s overall purpose.
Family-owned Century Group began building homes for Tsawwassen families more than 60 years ago. Their concept for mixed housing made them local pioneers, and over the years they have earned a leadership position in the design and construction of mixed-use communities. The company’s services have since expanded to include property management, hotels, restaurants and seniors’ living communities. Whether a property’s purpose is residential, commercial, or mixed, the result will be a brilliantly designed, well-built space in a superbly planned neighbourhood.
BlueCity Construction is Century Group’s construction division, created to deliver high-quality new home products as we launch our Southlands community in Tsawwassen and pursue other opportunities. With its dedicated team of experienced home building professionals combined with the very best trades, BlueCity Construction is a recognized leader for quality homes, and meticulously planning liveable communities.
ZGF Architects’ work is built on community engagement, design excellence, and environmental stewardship. The firm’s team designs responsive habitats that integrate beauty, materiality, and craft. They are lead planners for the Southlands community and principal Patrick Cotter was living in Tsawwassen when he started work on this project.
Boundary Bay is a seaside community and a well-kept secret. Locals love its quiet pace, safe streets, slow country roads, wild birds, and sunny climate that receives 40% less precipitation than downtown Vancouver. Live just across the street from a long, sandy beach—an extension of your backyard. You’ll feel wonderfully away from it all, but you’re just minutes from anywhere you need to go.
Southlands is directly across the street from Boundary Bay’s wild, untamed beachfront. Live a short walk from the park’s open space, where sea breezes moderate the hottest summer day and birdwatchers observe an astonishing variety of species. More than 16km of trails invite cycling, walking, and running—with stunning Boundary Bay and Mount Baker in view.
A highlight of Boundary Bay Regional Park, Centennial Beach offers swimmers the warmest seas in Metro Vancouver. With its shallow waters, long sandy beaches, fascinating tidal flats, and wonderfully wild setting, Southlands residents will be drawn to soak up the sun, paddle the shoreline, and explore its beauty in all seasons.
You’ll find gourmet goods and most things you need locally, in the shops of Tsawwassen Mills and Tsawwassen Commons, yet venturing further afield is easy. Downtown Vancouver is just a 30-minute drive, YVR is only 20 minutes, and BC Ferries is just 5 minutes away. The Point Roberts beach town is right next door.