Proposed housing types include garden suites, single detached homes, and townhouses. (Images courtesy of Biglieri and PECCPI).
The plans earned unanimous approval by the Planning and Development Committee on November 19th.
Village A will offer a variety of housing types across 257 detached homes and 201 townhouse units. Chris Marchese of Prince Edward County Community Partners Inc. said prices will start at $399,000.
“Some of these are housing typologies you just don’t find today,” said Steve Willis, Senior Principal of Stantec Consulting, the planning firm acting on behalf of the municipality.
The development also has the potential to offer over 300 additional rental units in the form of laneway houses and garden suites.
Buyers will have the option to add a laneway house or garden suite during the construction phase of the development, or build them later on. Some homes will have options for internal suites as well.
The Picton Secondary Plan requires that all new housing developments include five percent affordable or attainable units. While 10 percent of the rental apartments in the recently approved Building A will be designated affordable, Village A offers “attainable” homes to middle-income buyers.
The laneway housing is a feature that will both provide more affordable rental housing, and make Village A’s houses more attainable, with owners able to rent a laneway suite to supplement the mortgage.
“The initial property itself, if somebody buys it, may not be ‘affordable’ per se, but once they add a secondary suite or a laneway suite, life becomes more affordable,” Councillor John Hirsch clarified.
“If I know I can rent one of these units to help me pay my mortgage, that makes it fundamentally more affordable for me,” Mr. Willis echoed.
He suggested that the increase of rental units might drive down costs, contributing to the Official Plan goal of creating 200 affordable studio apartments and 200 affordable one-bedroom apartments in the County by 2028.
“More supply means more opportunity for people to get an affordable unit at a rental level as well,” Mr. Willis said.
But there was no confirmation that the rental units will fit the County’s definition of affordable housing: 30 percent of household income before tax.
Mr. Willis dispelled the rumour that required water and wastewater infrastructure for the new neighbourhood will fall to Picton’s ratepayers.
“All of the infrastructure built within the boundaries of this subdivision will be built by the developer,” he said.
The development will be built in phases as Picton water and wastewater capacity becomes available.
Jack Winberg, CEO of Rockport Group, one of the partners in PECCPI, called Village A a “critical step in the promise we made to you of housing for all.”
Amid economic uncertainty, he said, “we have confidence in PEC and in our project.”
Mr. Winberg noted that the goal of building a full community meant meeting other community needs, like new primary care practices.
The partners at Base31 have been courting doctors to form “full service medical facilities.”
“Those will be open, of course, to the whole County,” Mr. Winberg said.
Base31’s Area Concept Plan envisions the
750-acre site as a vibrant, mixed-use community
with a series of small villages connected by greenspaces,
landscaped corridors and trails. Inspired by the County’s villages,
the plan integrates its small neighbourhoods into the natural landscape.
The development received overwhelming support from community stakeholders and business owners in attendance.
Michael Taylor, co-owner of Wildings Play Cafe, soon to open at Base31, and a HUB board member, praised PECCPI’s efforts to address the child care shortage.
Earlier this month, the HUB announced a new daycare facility with 49 new spots would open at the Base in January.
Hazzem Koudsi, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Prince Edward Hastings, praised PECCPI for addressing the “massive shortage of quality affordable attainable housing.” He added that Habitat for Humanity and PECCPI have engaged in preliminary talks about working together.
Peter Lockyer, a historian and creator of History Lives Here, lauded Base31’s efforts to foreground its history as a military training base in its marketing.
Mr. Lockyer has recorded self-guided walking tours of the Base for visitors. He said he has “come to believe that telling stories is just not enough.”
“If we want history to matter, it needs to make money.”
Councillor Kate MacNaughton echoed the praise for the diverse range of housing types, but was struck by the fact that energy-efficient heating and cooling was not on offer.
“I’m very disappointed you aren’t going forward with heat pumps,” she noted, while allowing the plans offer some ”strong passive features,” including energy-efficient windows and insulation, heat recovery ventilation, and low-flush toilets.
Mayor Steve Ferguson recited the promises made by PECCPI when they took over the property: “we want to be respectful. We’re here to learn. We want to contribute to the community.”
“The commitments have been lived up to,” he said.
Opportunities for second internal units, as well as laneway and garden suites will be available to home buyers during construction.
A garden suite is a self-contained, secondary dwelling in the backyard of a residential property. It does not require the property to abut a public laneway. Access is typically via a side yard or rear path from the main house.
A laneway suite must be built on a public laneway. Its main entrance faces the laneway, providing separate access for tenants or family members. Laneway suites are often constructed above garages, maximizing privacy and space. They may be larger than garden suites and can include features like carports below the living area.
Publicly-owned rear laneways are a key feature of the village. Narrower than regular streets, they are designed for the use of immediately adjacent houses and garbage collection. Rear laneways offer several urban design benefits:
— No front-facing garages or driveways; garages and parking are at the back. At the front, homes feature porches, more landscaping, and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks
–Enhanced curb appeal: streets are more attractive andwalkable, promote community interaction and create a stronger sense of place
—Fewer driveways interrupt sidewalks
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