http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybre ... 15709.html
People were shocked when the first condo towers went up in downtown Vancouver in the 1990s featuring units of 450 square feet or less — about the size of a nice hotel suite and about half the size of a conventional apartment.
But a new development in suburban Surrey is pushing living space past the 300-square-foot barrier with so-called "micro suites," according to Surrey Now.
The proposed project, called Balance, would contain 56 suites, the smallest of which would be 290 square feet, and 33 of the units would be 305 square feet or smaller.
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Affordability is the key, says Tien Sher president Charan Sethi. Asking prices will start at $109,000 but, given the softening condo market in the Vancouver area, they may come down.
"If you can afford the $6,000 down payment, and you make a salary of $17 per hour, we have a home for you," Sethi says.
Balance, located in a once dodgy part of Surrey called Whalley, is part of a global trend, he says.
