When a luxury mixed-use strata community wanted to prepare for the future of electric vehicles, Council chose to equip all 175 residential strata lots with EV charging infrastructure. Tribe helped guide the complex, approximately $1 million project from planning through installation—coordinating Owners, contractors, funding agencies, site teams and an adjoining hotel while securing government rebates that reduced the overall investment by nearly 50%. The result: a future-ready community, greater convenience for Owners, and flexible infrastructure designed to evolve with changing needs.
Community Snapshot
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Property Type |
Luxury mixed-use strata community |
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Building Size |
175 residential strata lots |
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Built |
2011 |
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Project |
Building-wide EV charging infrastructure |
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Investment |
Approximately $1 million before rebates |
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Management Focus |
Capital planning, funding, project coordination and stakeholder management |
Continue reading to explore how Tribe helped Council navigate a complex, multi-stakeholder capital project, while keeping the community’s long-term needs at the centre of every decision.
The Opportunity
As electric vehicles become more common, many Strata Councils and Condo Boards are asking the same question:
How do we prepare our building for the future without creating unnecessary costs or disruption today?
For this luxury mixed-use Strata Community, Council wanted to take a proactive approach. Rather than installing a handful of shared charging stations, they chose to future-proof the building by providing electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure for every residential strata lot.
The goal wasn't simply to meet today's demand, it was to protect long-term property values, enhance Owner convenience, and take advantage of significant government rebates while they were available.
As Tribe’s Regional Director Monika Zanet explains:
"EVs are the future. Council wanted to make sure the building was ready, not just for today's owners, but for future buyers as well."
The Challenge
Installing EV charging infrastructure in an existing high-rise is a significant undertaking. In this case, the complexity extended well beyond the electrical work.
The residential tower shares infrastructure with a luxury hotel, meaning any work affecting the building's electrical systems required careful coordination with multiple stakeholders. Power shutdowns had to be scheduled overnight during periods of low hotel occupancy to minimize operational impacts.
At the same time, Council and Management needed to navigate:
- Government rebate applications and strict program deadlines
- Technical planning and engineering requirements
- Funding decisions using the Contingency Reserve Fund (CRF)
- Equipment and billing system selection
- Owner communication and parking stall coordination
- Installation logistics across 175 residential parking stalls
Every decision needed to balance today's needs with long-term flexibility.
The Tribe Approach
Tribe Management’s Monika Zanet worked alongside Council and building site staff from planning through implementation.
The process began with an EV Ready Plan and electrical planning report, allowing Council to understand the scope of the project while positioning the Strata to maximize available rebates.
Working closely with Council, contractors, and funding agencies, Tribe coordinated:
- Rebate pre-approvals with multiple funding programs
- Contractor selection and project oversight
- Council decision-making throughout the planning process
- Owner communication and parking stall selection
- Coordination with the adjoining hotel
- Installation scheduling and risk management
- Final rebate submissions and documentation
Council also selected a Wi-Fi-enabled charging system that provides flexibility to adjust billing methods as community needs evolve.
As Monika explains:
“We wanted council to have options not only for today, but for the future. The system they selected allows them to adapt how charging is managed as the community's needs change."
The opportunity to work with a team that prioritized their best interests, not just those of Tribe Management, impressed the Council. This structure, often concealed in other companies, was a clear differentiator for Tribe, underlining their commitment to a closer, more involved community - not just better management.
Strata Management in Action
Large capital projects often succeed or fail based on coordination and management of all the pieces, stakeholders and timeline shifts.
One of the most complex aspects of this project involved coordinating electrical shutdowns that affected both the residential tower and the connected hotel.
To minimize disruption, Tribe worked with hotel operations, contractors, elevator technicians, fire safety personnel, and electrical teams to schedule overnight work during periods of lower occupancy. When an unexpected technical issue required the shutdown to be rescheduled, the team quickly reorganized multiple trades while keeping the project on schedule and maintaining eligibility for government rebates.
Throughout the project, Tribe acted as the central point of coordination between Council, contractors, funding agencies, site staff, and other stakeholders.
As Monika says:
"My role was coordinating between Council, the contractor, the funding agencies and everyone involved to keep the project moving forward."
Throughout the project, Tribe acted as the central point of coordination between Council, contractors, funding agencies, site staff, and other stakeholders.
The team also managed extensive communication with Owners. Because many Owners held multiple parking stalls, Tribe worked with each Owner to determine which stall they wanted their EV charger associated with, ensuring installation plans accurately reflected both ownership and future charging needs. Coordinating these decisions across 175 residential strata lots helped keep the project organized while minimizing changes during installation.
The Results
The completed project equipped every residential strata lot with EV charging capability, positioning the community for the growing adoption of electric vehicles while enhancing convenience for current and future owners.
The project also delivered significant financial value.
While the project represented an investment of approximately $1 million, careful planning and successful rebate applications helped the strata secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in government funding, substantially reducing the overall cost of the investment by approximately 50%.
Beyond the infrastructure itself, Council now has a flexible charging system that can evolve over time as usage patterns and billing needs change.
Most importantly, the community is well positioned for the future without requiring Owners to undertake individual charger installations later.
Tribe Insight
Preparing a strata community for the future isn't just about installing new infrastructure, it's about helping Council make informed decisions, manage risk, and maximize long-term value for owners.
Projects like this require far more than technical expertise. They demand strategic planning, stakeholder coordination, financial oversight, and clear communication every step of the way. That's where experienced strata management makes the difference.
