A future view of Base31 looking north. The proposed seven-storey apartment building is in the background. Images are for planning purposes only; no approvals or entitlements implied. (Renderings by Norm Li)
Base31 is on the move. Named New Business of the Year at the 2024 Quinte Business Achievement Awards last month, it also announced three new partners — CaraCo Group, Fieldgate Homes and Paradise Developments have joined the consortium, more than making up for the loss of Tercot Communities earlier this year.
Now the first of a proposed “constellation of villages” is on the horizon. Plans for 481 new homes in a neighbourhood provisionally called Village A will be presented to the public next week. A separate application for an apartment building in the Revitalization District proposes 120 rental apartments in a seven-storey building.
The 29-hectare (71-acre) site is just south of Macaulay Heights between Church Street and Kingsley Road. Plans include 244 single detached houses and 237 townhouses.
“It’s a complete mix, everything from studios at 500 square feet to 1- and 2- bedroom apartments, up to 1100 square feet,” said Christopher Marchese, Development Manager at DECO Homes. “That wide range of sizes caters to all demographics and socio-economic backgrounds.”
Just 5% of the 120 apartments, or six units, will be offered at CMHC-defined “affordable” rents. But the developers are stressing entry-level prices across the new development. None of the 481 new homes in Village A are specifically defined “affordable,” but the category is top of mind.
“We are looking at partnerships with all levels of government to subsidize even more affordable housing,” said Mr. Marchese.
“This really is housing for all,” he said. “That is what we promised and that is what we will deliver with these rentals and across Village A, which will offer a real range of tenure types and housing typologies.”
Base31’s developers committed in its Official Plan Amendment application to offer 5% affordable housing.
“We intend to offer the 5% at a minimum,” affirmed Mr. Marchese.
Village A is the first of six proposed new neighbourhoods arranged around the Revitalization District. “It is a direct implementation of what we heard at the Ideas Fair in 2023,” said Base31 spokesperson Liz Kohn.
“There is a real continuity between that Area Concept Plan developed in consultation with the community and what we are starting to build.”
Each of the villages will offer a distinct design.
In “Village A,” front porches are a focal point throughout, with driveways and garages tucked in behind, putting cars and parking out of sight.
The emphasis is on a coherent, walkable community, punctuated with green spaces and laneways.
“This is not a uniform design, it’s full of a mix of houses and types,” said Mr. Marchese. “It’s a walkable, neighbourly design. The porches de-emphasize the car and the garage, which are on laneways in behind. Not having super large setbacks makes it pedestrian-friendly.”
Village A has a single, central park of 1.45 hectares (3.6 acres) alongside a stormwater pond of similar size, 1.32 hectares (just over 3 acres), which will be buffered and vegetated to look like a natural pond.
A network of clearly signposted pathways and bike lanes will connect the neighbourhood to Macaulay Conservation Area, Delhi Park, and the Revitalization District. Street A, the main artery through the Village, connects Church Street to Kingsley Road. It has bike lanes on both sides as well as sidewalks.
The developers are still awaiting an MZO, or Ministerial Zoning Order, to secure specialized zoning provisions for Village A and the Revitalization District to allow for a mixed-use residential and commercial community.
“The process is completed, we are just waiting for the Order to be issued, and the timing for that is not clear,” said Mr. Marchese. “Village A’s initial servicing construction will begin in early 2025, with home-building in 2026.”
The apartment building is the priority. Construction could begin before the end of 2025.
Michael Michaud, the County’s Manager of Planning, notes that while an MZO determines zoning, the municipality will still follow its regular subdivision approval process, which includes next week’s public meeting, arborist, environmental, and traffic studies, and negotiations about where roads, parks and ponds will go and how large they will be.
The proposed development will clear 29.5 hectares, including 31,881 mature trees. The eastern portion of the site remains undeveloped and its 19,062 trees will be retained for now.
PEC Community Partners holds a Public Information Meeting at the Sergeants Mess Hall at Base31 Tuesday 19 November at 6:30pm.
This article has been updated to reflect the planning application for Village A specifies 481 new homes.
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