A community of 'little villages': eQ Homes launches Clarence Crossing

If it takes a village to raise a child, maybe it also takes a village — or a series of them — to help slightly older folks thrive.

That’s what eQ Homes is betting on with Clarence Crossing, its huge new master-planned community of bungalows, bungalow towns and low-rise condos launching Saturday in Clarence-Rockland just east of Ottawa’s city limits.

Aimed at the 50-plus crowd, the project on the north side of Highway 17 borders the Ottawa River and is bisected by Clarence Creek. It will consist of a dozen or so “villages,” each with roughly 150 homes. The project will eventually contain about 2,000 homes.

“There will be a (wooded) boulevard from Highway 17 lined with parks and with streets punched out leading to villages,” says eQ Homes president Denis Laporte. “The theme is a green development of little villages.”

Green space will abound on the 430-acre property, including conservation areas with trails on both sides of the creek. A footbridge over the creek will connect the development’s first phase of about 170 homes with future phases. Plans are also afoot for a town centre with retail, a community centre, and, eventually, a marina.

A footbridge will connect the homes on either side of Clarence Creek.

Homes will range from 1,100-square-foot bungalow towns starting at $294,900 to bungalow singles from $374,900 for 1,400 square feet. The Foxwood condos, which sold out in six weeks when originally introduced in Kanata, will start at $293,900 for 1,045 square feet.

The company is also introducing its new eQ Series of bungalow towns. Starting at 1,175 square feet and $334,900, it comprises several existing models and four new ones with more open-concept designs, fireplaces abutting the kitchens and higher ceilings.

Lots range from 42 to 50 feet.

This is eQ Homes’ largest development to date, and the company may sell some lots to “complimentary” builders, says Laporte. Those builders won’t necessarily build just adult-lifestyle homes. The project follows naturally from eQuinelle, eQ’s successful golf course community launched nine years ago in Kemptville.

“For many years, people have come to (eQuinelle) and said, ‘Wow! I wish someone would do something like this in the east end,’ ” he says. “We’re turning it into a lifestyle project, a big one with some fairly big amenities.”

The project will not include its own golf course like eQuinelle, but the Club de golf Outaouais is on the other side of the highway. Laporte says he’s working on a potential arrangement between the club and homeowners in the new community.

Calling it a “beautiful development,” Clarence-Rockland Mayor Guy Desjardins says Clarence Crossing will help grow the city and its businesses, which include Walmart, Canadian Tire and a new Rona. “A lot of our businesses complain people do their shopping in Ottawa or Orléans, but with a retirement community they’re here so they may not travel to Ottawa, they may encourage more of our local businesses.”

Vaulted ceilings are one of the features of eQ’s bungalows, many of which come on a 50-foot lot like the two-bedroom Summerside.

Desjardins adds that a bike path will lead from the development into the heart of Rockland, and that the new community will help spur development of the city’s waterfront and trail systems.

Like other outlying areas, Clarence-Rockland has seen an uptick in growth as Ottawa’s efforts to contain urban sprawl put a limit on new housing and the city’s development charges continue to rise.

That growth includes Morris Village in Rockland proper. It will eventually comprise as many as 3,000 homes, about half of which have already been constructed by multiple builders, including Minto.

Higher ceilings allow for large transom windows.

Back in Clarence Crossing, buyers can anticipate a blend of rural and urban advantages. Aside from its own natural features, the development is roughly a half-hour drive from Limoges Forest, a 10,000-hectare, man-made spread with everything from hiking to cross-country skiing. Even closer is the Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail, a 72-kilometre walking/biking trail on a former railway line.

On the urban side, grocery and drug stores, a new 45,000-square-foot recreation complex, and other amenities are a short drive away. The development is also close to the Canadian International Hockey Academy. With two NHL-sized rinks and other facilities, it offers public skating and other services.

The Alexander comes with an optional four-season sunroom and 12-foot ceilings.

Laporte — who is also stickhandling the upcoming launch of eQ Homes’/Regional Group’s large Greystone Village on the Oblate lands off Main Street in Ottawa — expects most buyers at Clarence Crossing to come from east of St. Laurent Boulevard all the way to the Quebec border, eventually expanding into western Quebec and the west end of Montreal. The project is being marketed in both English and French: “A bit of a first for us,” says Laporte proudly.

He’s not concerned about the nightmare that is the daily commute on Highway 17/174 since many of Clarence Crossing’s residents will be retired or edging in that direction.

Having seen sales at eQuinelle rise, plateau and then rise again at various points in the project, including as the golf course itself and now the clubhouse came into being, Laporte says he’s realistic about sales at Clarence Crossing.

“We don’t expect to sell 100 houses a year to begin with. We’ll start slow. We’ll be patient. People will eventually know Clarence Creek is a prime location to live.”

Clarence Crossing

What: A multi-phase development of 2,000 bungalows, bungalow towns and low-rise condos in Clarence-Rockland

Builder: eQ Homes

Prices: From $294,900 for bungalow towns, $374,900 for bungalow singles and $293,900 for condos. Condo fees are 32 to 35 cents a square foot.

Sales office: 8616 County Road 17

Hours: Monday to Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends and holidays, noon to 5 p.m. Closed Thursday and Friday.

Information: 613-862-0167; eqhomes.ca/clarence