Activity from BC to Ontario

Canada has at least 24 traditional neighborhood developments (TNDs) underway, 15 of them under construction. Based on New Urban News’ research, Canada appears to be moving ahead with New Urbanism more quickly than any part of the U.S., with the exception of Florida. Canadian consumers so far have embraced TNDs. The following are brief descriptions of 13 projects outside of Markham and Quebec: Montgomery Village Located in Orangeville, Ontario, this neotraditional project has been under construction since 1994, with alley-fed lots, front porches and an interconnected street network on 250 acres. Not yet built is a three-block main street style town center. The project was designed by Berridge Lewinberg Greenberg Dark Gabor (BLGDG). Village of Morrison Nearly complete in Oakville, Ontario, this is a 15-acre infill project surrounded by suburbia. It contains 175 homes, a central green and a village store. This project was designed by BLGDG. Murray’s Corner Similar to the Village of Morrison in scale but less dense, Murray’s Corner is a mixed-use neotraditional infill project located in Langley, British Columbia. A formal civic garden is the focal point for 103 homes, some with granny flats. The project is 80 percent complete. Ekistics Town Planning Inc. is the planner. McKenzie Towne With homes under construction since early in 1996, this project in Calgary, Alberta, is one of Canada’s largest and most successful traditional neigh-borhood developments (TNDs) from a sales standpoint. More than 400 homes are built or under construction. McKenzie Towne eventually will have 14 neighborhoods on 2,400 acres, including a major town center, which will be under construction this year. The first neighborhood is substantially built, centered around a village square. This project design was by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ). Oak Park This dense 204-acre project in Oak Park, Ontario, will have 4,600 dwellings and a huge commercial/employment center, all organized on a radial grid. Designed by BLGDG, the project has been under construction since late 1996. Kettle Valley This traditional neighborhood devel-opment (TND) includes 1,128 units and 50,000 square feet of commercial on 350 mountainside acres in Kelowna, British Columbia. Fifteen homes are built and six under construction. Ekistics Town Planning Inc. is the planner. Terwillegar Towne The first phase of this 1,235-acre project in Edmonton, Alberta, is 75 percent sold out. Terwillegar Towne is being developed by the same company that is building McKenzie Towne. The mixed-use commercial center is focused around a small town square. Blocks in the town center are characterized by continuous building frontage on the sidewalk and interior parking lots. Ekistics Town Planning Inc. is the planner. Straiton Neighborhood This mountainside town in Abbotsford, British Columbia, will be built on extreme topography. Alleys are used extensively, housing types are mixed, and a town center will provide about 55,000 square feet of commercial. The 568-acre project, designed by Ekistics Town Planning Inc., has broken ground. The Village at Niagara-on-the-Lake Developers of The Village at Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Canada, are aiming to create a “Seaside” of Canada, i.e. a dense neotraditional resort community with a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented center and high quality custom architecture. This project, designed by DPZ and in the early stages of construction, has a lot of potential. The 450-unit, 53-acre Village is located at a prime site to appeal to tourism. The historic town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has three million visitors annually. “Because we have such a high traffic count, we can build the town center sooner than if we had to wait for the community to develop,” says John Hawley, one of the development partners. New Amherst Located in Cobourg, about 65 miles west of Toronto, New Amherst is another DPZ designed project. A total of about 1,900 homes are permitted on 270 acres, along with commercial, institutional and recreational components. The project manager, Plan Master Construction and Development Inc. of Toronto, is negotiating with a few builders to begin construction of the first phase of 600 units. Presales will begin in the spring of 1998. Somerset Cove Infrastructure development is underway and lots are for sale in this 1,000-unit neotraditional project in Ajax, Ontario. The master plan is by the Planning Partnership. East Riverside Located in Windsor, Ontario, this 1,200-acre project, designed by BLGDG, creates long residential blocks in a pattern inspired by historic development along Lake St. Clair. Areas Five and Six, Nepean A sizable community is under planning review in Nepean, Ontario, designed by the Planning Partnership.