BUNGALOW LIVING
Riverwalk in Manotick ‘unique little pocket of land’ offering 81 homes, writes Anita Murray.
A unique opportunity has just popped up in the picturesque village of Manotick: Waterfront living in the heart of the community with new homes on fully serviced lots.
It’s a prospect that doesn’t come along very often, and one that builder eQ Homes is betting will prove to be popular.
“Where else in Manotick can you get a brand-new home, fully serviced on the river?” asks Tobin Kardish, eQ’s marketing manager.
The new development, called Riverwalk, is an enclave of 81 bungalows, a mix of singles and towns, tucked between mature neighbourhoods along Island View and Kelly Marie drives and backing onto the Rideau River.
“It’s a very unique little pocket of land,” says area sales manager Melissa Gauthier.
Adding to the appeal: Variations in the topography mean many of the homes can be basement walkouts or backsplits. “You don’t get to see that very often.”
Five of the 81 lots are on the river and are expected to be popular, despite hefty premiums.
The river lots are extra deep — in the neighbourhood of 200 feet — and include a 30-metre setback from the shore where the natural vegetation cannot be disturbed.
However, homeowners are allowed to put in a path to the water and a dock (with approval from the city), for true waterfront living.
For those not on the water, a park will back onto the river and feature a meandering path through the trees. And next door to that is a public dock.
eQ launched Riverwalk last weekend, releasing a select number of lots — including three of the waterfront ones — to test the waters, and the results were surprising. “The opening far exceeded the team’s expectations,” says Kardish. After selling most of the lots initially available on Saturday, eQ released a second phase Sunday and plans to release a third set this weekend.
While some neighbours were initially concerned about over-intensification of the area, eQ met with the community early on to assure them otherwise.
“It’s not like we’re cramming in 200 townhomes,” Kardish explains. “Once people saw what we were doing, it seemed to kind of level out.”
And with just one way in and out of the enclave, traffic should be limited to just those who live there and their guests.
Townhome lots are either 35- or 38-feet wide, while single homes are on lots that are either 42- or 50-feet wide. Exteriors are a mix of stone and engineered wood fronts, typically in a Craftsman style, to respect the history of the area.
“We spent quite a bit of time researching Manotick itself and driving the streets and seeing what kind of architecture (was there) and the character, and we were really trying to bring that into Riverwalk. We wanted to respect the heritage,” says Gauthier.
Interest in the project was so high, eQ bumped up its planned spring 2018 launch to meet demand.
The homes are a mix of eQ floor plans found in other communities and refreshed layouts that have been popular in the past, including the option of adding lofts.
“Even though everything you need in a bungalow with a loft is on the main floor, (buyers) like the idea of having stairs. It gives them another space, like if they have an art studio or they have the grandkids come over,” says Kardish, who expects the community to appeal to an older demographic drawn to bungalow communities.
Thehomesareopenconcept,with an emphasis on comfort and easy entertaining, and with the flexibility of a front room that can be either a secondary bedroom or an office for those wanting to work from home.
Floor plans range from 1,329 to just over 3,000 square feet and offer two- or three-bedroom layouts.
The bungalow singles also offer upgraded features that come standard with the home, including 3¼-inch oak hardwood, granite in the kitchens and deeper trim.
Other standard features: High and smooth ceilings, soft-close cabinets, contemporary ensuites and extra-tall cabinets.
The bungalow towns are limited to blocks of three units where the garages separate the front doors for added privacy and where an end unit has a driveway that’s not shared. There are four attached bungalow floor plans, starting at $426,900 and nine single ones, starting at $520,900. Occupancy is expected in March 2019.