NEW SENNEVILLE DEVELOPMENT AIMS TO PRESERVE GREEN SPACE
W hen a new neighbourhood is opened for development, trees are cleared to make way for building, and eventually, new seedlings planted after construction.
But a new development in Senneville aims to spare the axe for as many as 80 per cent of mature trees on the site, thanks to an approach the developer calls “reverse development.”
W hen designing Senneville sur-le-parc (sennevillesurleparc.com), developer Farzad Shodjai said the most beautiful forest areas — including 25,000 square feet of prime waterfront — were set aside to create a new network of walking trails and public parks, while buildable lots were located in the least ecologically sensitive areas.
“Usually in any development project, we do the subdivision and whatever is left over is a park. Here we did the reverse,” said Shodjai.
Although there are a few lots with water views, the entire waterfront section has been dedicated to create a public park.
“W e gave the best, the jewel of the property to the village of Senneville,” said Shodjai. “They have so much shoreline but they don’t have any waterfront parks. W e thought it would be more appropriate that everyone have use of the park.”
Shodjai said many of the interested buyers so far have been young families with children, attracted by the idea of living close to parks, as well as the easy access to amenities via the planned pedestrian path linking the neighbourhood with the community centre and waterfront.
Twenty of the 36 building lots in the development’s first phase have already been sold, said Shodjai, and the light-density development will eventually have up to 84 custom-built single-family homes, two-thirds of which will be directly adjacent to natural green space.
Lot sizes range from 11,000 to 14,500 square feet, at a price point varying between $420,000 and $500,000. Buyers will be responsible for designing and constructing their own homes, so the price point of finished houses will vary but Shodjai said he expects most homes built on the site will be valued at upward of a million dollars, depending on the design of the home.
Infrastructure work began last month to prepare the first phase of development, including connecting lots to city sewers, and burying utility cables to hide unsightly wires. The first houses will be under construction by the fall, he said.
Once infrastructure work has been completed, thirty per cent of the 60-acre site will be transferred to the village of Senneville to ensure it is preserved as green space, about three times more parkland than required.
It’s a refreshing approach. W hy pave paradise when you could pave around it?