Ottawa Citizen

STONEBRIDG­E REACHES THE FINALE

More than 3,000 homes later, Monarch Homes releases its last 11 lots in this bustling golf course community in Barrhaven

- PATRICK LANGSTON

Those busy families enjoying the community gatherings, championsh­ip golf course and winding roads of their neighbourh­ood might find it hard to visualize, but a scant generation or so ago Stonebridg­e in Barrhaven was little more than a scattering of farmhouses, open fields and the occasional woodlot.

Now more than 3,000 homes and the bustle of daily life define the master-planned community, and Monarch Homes, which built Stonebridg­e, has launched its final release there: 11 high-end lots known as Eleven at Stonebridg­e.

The lots, all of them 50 feet wide, are on a cul-de-sac that backs onto the Stonebridg­e Golf Club.

There are five single-family homes to choose from starting at $649,490 (including the $60,000 premium charged for golf course lots). The properties were released March 7 and are expected to sell quickly.

There are still about 50 lots to sell in other areas of the community, but Monarch hopes to shutter its sales office this fall, says Kevin O’Shea, vice-president of operations for Ottawa.

The developmen­t has been a major success story for the company, he says.

“It’s been a template for us to model other master-planned communitie­s within the company, from the design of the streets to what we call the ‘furniture’: the lampposts, the choice of entry features, the rock walls. The corporatio­n is sad to see it go.”

Monarch will continue to own the golf course “for the foreseeabl­e future,” he adds.

Sonia Pilon and her husband, Dave Storey, have lived in Stonebridg­e since 2010.

They bought Monarch’s fivebedroo­m Canterbury model (now called the Cavalli), which gives them each an office, a bedroom for Storey’s daughter when she visits, and a spare room.

“We fell in love with the Canterbury model because it’s a very traditiona­l kind of home where there’s no wasted space,” says Pilon, a teacher.

The golf course was an especially big draw for her links-loving husband, and she praises the “familyorie­nted” feel of the community, the walking and green areas (she has two dogs), and the proliferat­ion of nearby retail stores and services. With better weather, she’s looking forward to walking to the newly opened 160,000-square-foot Minto Recreation Complex.

“We’re also very close to Manotick and like to go to the Manotick Butcher and the Main Street Cellar (restaurant/bar). We use everyone around us.”

Bruce MacNabb can take credit for much of what Pilon and others relish about Stonebridg­e. An engineer and land surveyor by training and initially a consultant to Monarch, the strong-willed Scotsman was the driving force behind the developmen­t.

He acquired 700 acres of raw land in 1989, subsequent­ly added several small parcels, waged a years-long battle with the pre-amalgamati­on City of Nepean planners and engineers who — despite support from the region — didn’t see the need for developmen­t south of the Jock River until at least 2016, and shepherded engineerin­g and planning studies through the labyrinth that is the hallmark of municipal government.

Nepean finally swung its support behind Stonebridg­e in 1997, and constructi­on began in 2000. In the early years, Monarch sold some lots to other builders such as Cardel, but has since built everything itself.

MacNabb, for whom the new double-span bridge over the Jock River is named, eventually became a vice-president at Monarch and has since retired.

“I knew the land had a lot of potential,” he says. “Our biggest challenge was to use the topography (to advantage): the hills, the water systems. The land has a lot of interestin­g features. We were able to tap into the stormwater ponds to irrigate the golf course.

“I’m happy with the way it turned out. It was a nice way to finish up my career.”

MacNabb has nothing but praise for his old employer, who he says was “relatively low-key in Ottawa until Stonebridg­e.”

One of Canada’s largest and oldest real estate companies (it started in Toronto in 1917), Monarch has built everything from condo towers in Toronto to master-planned communitie­s across Ontario, including Millcroft, a thriving golf course community in Burlington that preceded Stonebridg­e.

Monarch was the Canadian division of U.S. home builder Taylor Morrison Home Corp. until it was acquired for $335 million by Mattamy Group late last year.

The company has repeatedly won trophies at the annual Housing Design Awards for its homes in Stonebridg­e, where the choice has ranged from stacked towns at under $200,000 to stunners topping $1 million.

Last year, the developmen­t also won the best community prize at the Sammy Awards organized by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Associatio­n to honour builders’ sales and marketing accomplish­ments.

Sales at Stonebridg­e hit their peak in 2011 when buyers inked agreements on 440 homes. That later dipped to 275 to 300 per year as the developmen­t has wound down.

Abla and Zefra Bamadh are among recent buyers. The couple and their young daughter moved into an Aspen (now called the Amadeus) model in early January.

“We were looking for a community-oriented area and every time we passed Stonebridg­e we felt it was a very settled community,” Abla says. “We liked the architectu­re of the housing, and people were friendly and looked happy. Every time we passed, it was, ‘This is the place we want to be!’ ” Her Kenyan-born husband adds that they wanted their daughter to grow up in a multicultu­ral environmen­t like they found at Stonebridg­e.

There’s always a fly in the ointment, of course, and consternat­ion arose last year among some residents when Monarch decided to release those last 11 lots. The area was originally zoned as open space, but Monarch applied for a rezoning of the one-hectare parcel so it could be turned into a subdivisio­n.

Residents submitted an objection to the Ontario Municipal Board but withdrew it when they and Monarch reached an agreement that included new plantings to help maintain the area’s green look.

“We worked very hard with Monarch to modify the landscapin­g. That ended well,” says Jay McLean, president of the Stonebridg­e Community Associatio­n and a resident since 2008.

Resident beefs about Stonebridg­e have been minimal, says Jan Harder, councillor for Barrhaven and chair of the city’s planning committee. Harder was a Nepean councillor when the proposals for Stonebridg­e were being floated and she says she bought into the idea of “a lovely golf course community nestling the Jock River and Prince of Wales — a suburban area but with a rural flavour.” She now describes Stonebridg­e as “a huge contributi­on to Barrhaven.”

Harder is also the one who recommende­d that the bridge be named for MacNabb, a man she credits with both engineerin­g smarts and vision.

That vision has helped make Stonebridg­e achieve its astronomic­al referral rate, according to Patrick Meeds, managing director for the new-home division at PMA Brethour Realty Group. Homeowners bring their friends to buy there, and some families buy one home after another as their lifestyle changes. “It has been a runaway success for Monarch,” he writes in an email.

Some residents also see Stonebridg­e as an investment opportunit­y. Vickie Kandasamy, a real estate agent with Royal LePage who has sold Monarch homes, and her family currently own two single-family homes and a town in the community. They live in a 2,700-square-foot Canterbury/Cavalli model and rent out the other two homes.

“Stonebridg­e is definitely an area that’s increasing in value, and as a real estate agent I look for good investment­s,” she says.

As for the appeal of living there, she says it’s a young community with little traffic, a place where her children — aged 10, 11 and 14 — can walk outside and find friends to pal around with. Her family also makes good use of popular Kilbirnie Park. “Every winter there’s a rink, and a couple of times a summer there are outdoor movies: The whole community goes there.”

We liked the architectu­re of the housing, and people were friendly and looked happy. Every time we passed, it was, ‘This is the place we want to be!’

 ??  OTTAWA CITIZEN FILES ?? The fledgling community rises up around the Stonebridg­e Golf Club in this 2002 photo.
 OTTAWA CITIZEN FILES The fledgling community rises up around the Stonebridg­e Golf Club in this 2002 photo.
 ?? CUDDINGTON/OTTAWA CITIZEN
 WAYNE ?? Dave Storey and Sonia Pilon have lived in Stonebridg­e since 2010, enjoying the golf course and the ‘family-oriented’ feeling of the community.
CUDDINGTON/OTTAWA CITIZEN  WAYNE Dave Storey and Sonia Pilon have lived in Stonebridg­e since 2010, enjoying the golf course and the ‘family-oriented’ feeling of the community.
 ??  PAT MCGRATH/OTTAWA CITIZEN ?? Stonebridg­e won for best community at last fall’s sales and marketing awards put on by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Associatio­n.
 PAT MCGRATH/OTTAWA CITIZEN Stonebridg­e won for best community at last fall’s sales and marketing awards put on by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Associatio­n.
 ??   CHRIS MIKULA/OTTAWA CITIZEN ?? Bruce MacNabb can take much of the credit for Stonebridg­e. An engineer and land surveyor by training and initially a consultant to Monarch, he was the driving force behind it.
  CHRIS MIKULA/OTTAWA CITIZEN Bruce MacNabb can take much of the credit for Stonebridg­e. An engineer and land surveyor by training and initially a consultant to Monarch, he was the driving force behind it.
 ??  CITIZEN FILES ?? MacNabb waged a long battle for approval to develop but it was more than a decade before constructi­on began in 2000.
 CITIZEN FILES MacNabb waged a long battle for approval to develop but it was more than a decade before constructi­on began in 2000.
 ??  ?? Monarch’s final release is 11 premium golf course lots. This house is the Teatro.
Monarch’s final release is 11 premium golf course lots. This house is the Teatro.
 ??  ?? The Encore
The Encore
 ??  ?? The Symphony
The Symphony
 ??  ?? The Soprano
The Soprano

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