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East-end growth about to mushroom

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The long-term prognosis for Ottawa’s east end housing market? Robust, if Minto Communities’ guess is correct.

The company recently launched Avalon Encore, a master-planned community on the west side of Tenth Line Road in Orléans. A mix of singles, bungalows, towns and others, the development will see some 1,600 homes built over the next decade.

It’s all part of the apparent non-stop mushrooming of the east end, where builders like Minto and Richcraft will eventually construct 2,000 homes and commercial properties at TrailsEdge just east of Blackburn Hamlet while Tamarack Homes this past spring launched its biggest project ever: Cardinal Creek Village along Highway 174, where the company will eventually build over 3,000 homes on 450 acres.

At Avalon Encore, Minto is betting on a diversity of buyers, from first-time homeowners to families trading up and downsizers going the other way. “For all of life’s stages,” is Minto’s tag line for the development.

Rick and Stephanie Kearsey are among those moving up. Currently living with their two young children in Orléans’ East Village, they bought a four-bedroom Drake on launch day Oct. 18. The 2,638-square-foot model starts at $481,900.

“We bought here because of space and location,” says Rick. “We could have put another bedroom into our home but by the time you put the money in for that you could just put it into a new home.”

“Can you tell we’re excited?” he adds.

The Drake is part of Minto’s entirely new product line introduced at its east-end Enclave site in TrailsEdge and at Arcadia in Kanata this past spring. It will also be rolled out at Minto’s next development, Quinn’s Pointe in Barrhaven in early 2015.

The new homes, which start at $334,900 for two-storey singles, comprise Victorian, Colonial, Prairie, French and English-influenced elevations with a new colour palette. Inside, floor plans can be paired with any one of three selected elevations, and there’s a fresh emphasis on functionality and efficient use of space.

In keeping with Minto’s emphasis on green building, the homes also spotlight energy-efficiency, including tankless hot water heaters and, in the singles and bungalows, energy-monitoring displays.

  • The Ballard is one of two bungalow models introduced at Avalon Encore that are proving to be popular.

  • The Ballard bungalow is 1,478 square feet with one bedroom plus a den and 1.5 baths. Main floor.

  • The Ballard, which is meant for a 43-foot lot, starts at $421,900. Basement.

  • Two-storey singles (shown is the Marquette) will offer Victorian, Colonial, Prairie, French and English-influenced elevations.

  • The Marquette is a single-family home starting at $541,900 on a 43-foot lot.

  • The Marquette has 3,242 square feet, four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.

  • Basement of the Marquette.

  • The Drake starts at $483,900 on a 43-foot lot. It has four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 2,638 square feet.

  • The Drake is a single-family home on a 43-foot lot. It starts at $483,900 and has 2,638 square feet.

  • The Drake has four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.

  • Basement of the Drake.

  • The Bellevue starts at $334,900 on a 30-foot lot. It has three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 1,441 square feet.

  • Main floor of the Bellevue.

  • Second floor of the Bellevue.

  • Basement of the Bellevue.

  • The Cartier is a bungalow loft on a 43-foot lot. It starts at $469,900 and has 2,404 square feet, three bedrooms plus a den and 2.5 bathrooms.

  • The Cartier bungalow loft has 2,404 square feet and includes a den and 2.5 bathrooms. Main floor.

  • The loft of the Cartier allows for two extra bedrooms.

  • The Cartier is meant for a 43-foot lot and starts at $469,900. Basement.

Buyers have responded well to Minto’s new homes, says senior vice-president Brent Strachan.

“What people are resonating to is the amount of glazing, the openness, the kitchens, the mud rooms. We’ve changed our energy efficiency specs to include triple-glazed windows. (People like) the exterior materials and some higher ceiling heights.”

Several of the singles, which range from 1,441 to 3,242 square feet and come on a 30-, 36- or 43-foot lot, should suit the needs of multi-generational families. Sales staff say a number of such families were among those crowding into the sleek and bright sales centre on launch day. Minto, which was named Builder of the Year at the recent Ontario Home Builders’ Association awards, also re-designed its sales centres in the spring.

Avalon Encore includes two new bungalows: the Ballard, starting at $419,900 for 1,478 square feet, and the Cartier, from $469,900 for 2,404 square feet. The latter is a modified bungalow with a main-floor bedroom plus loft and bedrooms on a second storey.

“People have been asking for bungalows, and we have some 43-foot lots that back onto a pathway/green space that (some) of the bungalows are situated on,” says Strachan. Bungalow shoppers include downsizers currently living in Minto’s original Avalon neighbourhood built more than a dozen years ago on the east side of Tenth Line Road.

By mid-afternoon of the launch, sales staff reported that three bungalows had already been sold.

Along with the singles and bungalows, towns and condo flats that have already been built nearby are now considered part of this new community. The site plan also shows future towns near the sales centre and terrace homes will eventually be added as well.

Related

The towns include the popular Executive II series, which starts at $291,900 for the 1,686-square-foot Astoria II, and the more compact Avenue series. Introduced in the spring, the Avenue series starts at $245,900 for the 1,154-square-foot Abbey. The largest Avenue unit, the Madison at 1,382 square feet and starting at $274,900, has three bedrooms and space for a home office. All the Avenues have a second-storey balcony.

The new community will include schools, parks and commercial space, according to the site plan. There’s also a man-made pond in the works, although at roughly 27 acres it’s almost a lake.

The development is close to the myriad big and medium-sized box retailers that now populate a good chunk of Innes Road. The development is also a short drive to the sprawling Mer Bleue conservation area and swimming at Petrie Island on the Ottawa River. And there’s the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans, which hosts theatre and arts schools, concerts, and more.

Avalon Encore’s site map shows the proposed Transitway running just north of the project. That should be a godsend for commuters.

Avalon Encore

What: A new community of singles, bungalows, towns, and more. The community will eventually comprise roughly 1,600 homes.

Builder: Minto Communities

Prices: Singles start at $334,900, bungalows at $419,900, and towns at $245,900.

Sales centre: 2370 Tenth Line Rd.

Hours: Monday to Thursday, noon to 8 p.m.; weekends & holidays: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Friday.

Information: 613-834-6400; minto.com


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