the origins of Abbotsford. Today, it’s a recently-renewed and vibrant neighborhood “that blends rural charm with urban convenience.” It’s sometimes called the ‘Gastown’ of Fraser Valley. “We’re all born and raised in Abbotsford and we know the areawell,” Jess says. “Downtown Abbotsford is a place where ‘if you build it, they will come.’ We felt it was an area that was ready to take off.” “Stefan led the way,” Jess adds. “He approached James about doing this project. He was very involved in the Downtown commercial area. He owned lots of businesses and was on the Abbotsford Downtown Business Association. His motivating factor was to bring Downtown Abbotsford back to life. And that’s what happened. This project was a turning point. The area is doing really well now.” Again, Jess says that renewed commercial activity was a big selling point for the area. To market Upper Montrose, RFP converted an old Greyhound bus station into a presentation center. There, they “really tried to encourage people who were interested in buying to go out and check out the local businesses.” As part of that effort, they handed out gift cards and samples from different local stores. “A lot of people hadn’t come to the historic downtown in a while, or maybe they never had,” Jess says. “Having people see what was going on here from a business perspective opened a lot of eyes.” Jess also credits the project’s success to the appealing design by Keystone Architecture, which OCTOBER 2022
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