Base31 has submitted a draft plan application for a seven-storey rental apartment building near the Revitalization District with 120 units and a minimum of 5% at affordable rates. Its first village will be just north of Kingsley Road. About 500 of a variety of housing types will be arranged around a large central park and stormwater pond. Construction could start late 2025, though the pace depends upon Ministerial approval of a housing accelerator application, still in the works.
Alexandra De Gasperis is Vice President at DECO Communities, one of the PEC Community Partners. She spoke with the Gazette about what’s happening at the Base. The consortium has invested $50 million and three years of work revitalizing the former Camp Picton. It is at once an unparalleled investment in the County’s heritage, and the foundation of a compelling vision, to bring the past into the future.
Now Phase One, which includes a 7-storey purpose-built rental apartment building and the first of a “constellation of villages,” is on the way. Affordable, worker, and rental housing, as well as social infrastructure, are the first priority.
Asked why she and her partners chose the County, Ms. De Gasperis says the leadership at Shire Hall was impressive — that a crucial planned infrastructure expansion was already underway sealed the deal.
“We all love the spirit of the place, the intersection of an entrepreneurial drive with the dedication to innovation, the arts, the rich heritage, a traditional farming culture — there is just so much here, I can’t say enough about it — but we also had to be practical. We had to ask, can we actually build here?
“We went through a full year of due diligence, which meant going through every report on growth capacity and on infrastructure. We discovered the County was planning for growth. The Wellington system was going to tender. Then the regional system most likely would connect to that Wellington WTP and eventually service Picton and the surrounding region.
“That kind of infrastructure development and planning told us we would be welcome here and that the County is open for business.”
She leans forward. “I’ll be frank,” she says — I wonder if she is ever anything else. “We are anxious that the planned Wellington infrastructure proceed. We will be building on that. If we need that pipe (the watermain bringing water from a new regional WTP in Wellington) in the next five to ten years we fully understand we would need to upfront that cost. That is a normal and expected part of doing business in a municipality. We are very well versed in upfronting infrastructure in municipalities such as Peel Region, Vaughan, Markham, and Whitby.”
It’s been a rough road since the pandemic, with inflation and high interest rates. Some worry the real estate market in the County will never be the same. For a developer, though, those are just bumps in a very long game. Plus, the creators of Base31 envision a very special place.
“It is absolutely true that if you build it, they will come. But more than that, we are creating a destination that we believe will convince people to move here. This is not just a vacation spot. We want to help grow the economy. If we create the jobs and the opportunity, we are certain, people will come.
“We are intent on investing to make the County even more desirable than it already is.”
Exceptionally, much of that investment is around heritage.
“We have to ensure the barracks and warehouses from the old Camp Picton can be reused and safely opened to the public,” she stresses. “That is a crucial part of what we are doing. There is a deep history here and people feel strongly about this place.”
The team has also created jobs. One of the largest employers in the County, PEC Community Partners employs 60 people year round, and 100 in the summer. “We have also made a clear commitment to the community to source, procure, and hire locally. The ripple effect is significant.
“We firmly believe this place is going to be a huge draw. It already is a huge draw. And this company is a force for good.”
The Picton water treatment plant has the equivalent of 2,200 residential units of capacity left — with about 5,400 units in the approvals process. As a result, the planning portal has been flooded with applications for draft plan approvals this month alone. Time, and water, are running out.
“Developers in Picton are in a race to get what’s left of the water capacity and jostling for position. Our partnership has spent $12 million on water infrastructure already without even a guaranteed allocation for our future housing,” she notes.
Water supply in Picton is so limited, allocation is only guaranteed at a subdivision’s final approval stage, with the execution of a site plan agreement.
Ms. De Gasperis nods, serious: “development is here, the County is experiencing growth, and with that growth incredible things can happen. Much needed social infrastructure can be built, affordability can take centre stage, we can collectively work toward a year-round and thriving economy.
“But before any of that, infrastructure needs to be built. The entire County will suffer if that is stopped.”
Above: Rendering of the future Revitalization District by Sasaki.
Inset: PEC Community Partners Alexandra De Gasperis VP at DECO Communities, and Tim Jones, CEO, Co-Creators at Base31. (Supplied Photo).
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