Selected new urbanist projects across Canada

More than 25 projects are under construction or in planning across Canada. The following list briefly tracks progress in some of the most prominent communities. Lakeside Located in Ajax, Ontario, designed by the Planning Partnership, and developed by Tribute Homes, Lakeside has 200 occupied homes and about 150 more under construction. The 250-acre project will have 1,000 homes at build-out. The first neighborhood park is open, and a system of pedestrian trails connect the project to public lakefront land. Murray’s Corner All 79 units are complete and occupied in this 17.5-acre infill development in Langly, British Columbia. Alleys are used throughout the community, and many homes include granny flats above garages. Designer Ekistics Town Planning developed a custom design code to regulate building form and placement. Murray’s Corner was developed by Mel-Bar Ranches Ltd. Kettle Valley Another Ekistics design, Kettle Valley is set on a mountain plateau outside Kelowna, British Columbia. The first two commercial buildings with a total of 17,000 square feet of retail and offices were recently completed on Main Street. Three future buildings will raise the total to almost 60,000 square feet. According to Mike Younge, a project manager with Mission Hill Development Corp., the B.C. real estate market is in a depression, and just 85 of 1,128 units have been built on the 350-acre site. Home prices start at $113,600 (US dollars). Auguston This mountain community in Abbotsford, British Columbia, one hour east of Vancouver, has sold 40 single-family homes since breaking ground in 1999. An elementary school is under construction and slated to open in September. The master plan by Ekistics calls for a variety of housing options, ranging from estate lots, to townhomes, to garden apartments. The finished project will include 2,458 units and 55,000 square feet of office and retail on 568 acres. With no spec homes for sale and handicapped by a remote setting, Auguston has progressed slowly, says Jemma Cowhig of Beautiworld Development Inc. The commercial center will not begin construction until about 300 homes are occupied. Somerville Corner This project is the first compact neighborhood with small lots in Kelowna, British Columbia, where gated communities are common. The plan by Ekistics calls for 145 single-family and duplex units on the 17 acres, and a central commons as the community focal point. The 52 homes in the first phase will all sell for below $140,000. Somerville Corner is developed by the Rykon Group of Companies and Bromley Equity. McKenzie Towne Home sales in western Canada’s largest TND have been consistently strong, with 230 units sold in 1999 alone. About 900 single- family homes and townhouses are complete in the 2,400-acre project, and the town center, which opened in the summer of 1999, includes 143,000 square feet of retail space. A 37,000 square-foot supermarket lies at the end of the main shopping street. The Calgary, Alberta, project was planned by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ) and is being developed by Carma Developers. The Village at Niagara-on-the-Lake The first 46 units in this 55-acre, 450-unit project show great diversity in architectural style and exterior materials. The first intimate neighborhood square is complete and connects directly to the adjacent older subdivision. So far, two rows of townhomes are mixed in with the single-family homes on narrow streets. Construction has begun on the village center just off the main highway from Niagara-on-the-Lake. The first completed building — a nicely detailed two-story brick structure — houses a bank with a drive-in lane at the rear of the building. The emerging center is still separated from the residential section by open fields. The Village was designed by DPZ. Oak Park Located in Oakville, Ontario, west of Toronto, Oak Park is similar in character to new urbanist projects in Markham, although vinyl siding is more common and backyards typically much shallower. The 204-acre community features a mixture of townhouses, duplexes, and detached homes, but builder/developer Tribute Homes will not build townhouses in future phases. Approximately 320 homes have been completed, as have the first of eight four-story apartment buildings and an elementary school. The community includes a conventional shopping center, but it is not yet accessible on foot and currently turns its back to the residential section. Oak Park was designed by Urban Strategies. terwilligar towne The Edmonton, Alberta, TND has close to 300 occupied, detached homes, and the first attached units are now under construction. All garages have alley access, and Terwilligar Towne is the only community in the area to offer accessory units above garages. Carma Developers sells homes in three categories: starter homes, mid-market homes, and estate homes. Prices range from $99,000 to $205,000. The plan by Ekistics Town Planners includes five neighborhoods on 1,235 acres and a town center with 125,000 square feet of retail and apartments above. Construction of the town center will likely begin in two years, says Louise Gibson of Carma.