SEEKING TO ELEVATE THE TOWNHOME EXPERIENCE
Glenview Homes offers spacious, contemporary designs
Things are percolating for Glenview Homes. As its long-standing community of Flagstaff in Barrhaven winds down, the builder has ramped up activity at its eastend and west-end projects, launching Succession Court in Stittsville in the fall and Phase 2 of The Commons in Orléans on March 2.
Both are considered enclaves, filling in pockets of land surrounded by established communities. The Commons, in fact, was described by managing director Jake Shabinsky as “the hole in the doughnut” when it launched in 2021 and Succession Court is a one-street cul-de-sac just off Hazeldean Road.
“That's become a pattern of the Glenview brand, to offer these unique communities that are new but in an established area,” says Shabinsky. “The infrastructure is already there at your fingertips, so you get the new-build advantages with the established community advantages at the same time.”
THE COMMONS
Glenview is still selling single-family homes in Phase 1 at The Commons, but Phase 2 will launch with 101 townhomes, followed by 61 more single-family homes later this year.
The new phase brings with it some new options that speak to buyer needs and meeting them where they are at. For instance, Glenview is introducing five new contemporary townhome designs that come with three or four bedrooms, but some will have the option of a fifth bedroom in the basement, “something we're really excited about,” says Kristy Brayton, who is Glenview's sales and marketing manager. And one end unit will offer a double-car garage — something the builder has not had in its lineup before. Both features are aimed at providing a townhome option with all the elements of a single.
The main purchaser concern Shabinsky has been hearing is challenges with affordability and mortgage pre-approvals. “With that in mind, we're trying to elevate the townhome experience and deliver larger floor-plan models with multiple bedrooms (and) a double-car garage option so we can deliver a townhome that really lives more like a single.”
Feedback from buyers is that they want more bedrooms, adds Brayton. “It's that multi-generational feel. We're doing that on the singles side; how can we accommodate it on the town side? We can start by adding a bedroom in the basement ... I think it's going to be really popular.”
Glenview also recently introduced a new single-family home floor plan that is being built as a model at The Commons called the Prescott. It's the builder's largest single and offers the option of a main-floor guest suite for families who need a multi-generational home. The model, which will show the main-floor suite, is scheduled to open in April.
Straddling Mer-bleue Road between Innes Road and Brian Coburn Boulevard, The Commons is surrounded by established communities such as Chapel Hill, Orléans Village, Chapel Hill South and Avalon, which means everything is close at hand.
That was part of the appeal for buyers Nicholas Batten and Kelsey Johnson, who wanted to stay close to family and friends in the east end.
“We really loved that The Commons is located in the west part of Orléans, which can make commuting to other parts of the city, including downtown, much easier,” says Johnson. “We also appreciated how close the community is to grocery stores, other major retailers, as well as more established neighbourhoods with good schools, parks and recreation.”
The soon-to-be-newlyweds chose the Hillcrest single as a home they can grow into. “It was within our budget while still having a two-car garage, four bedrooms and lots of livable space that can easily be adapted to match different life stages,” Johnson says.
The Commons will also include a 4.5-acre (1.82-hectare) park that is scheduled to be built by the city next year. “Preliminary plans include amenities like sports fields, junior and senior play structures and a puddle rink or toboggan hill,” says Brayton. And the community is next to Mud Creek and the stormwater trail network that makes its way down through Trailsedge to Renaud Road.
“There's a nature trail, dog walking path and it also ties into the Mer Bleue conservation area,” says Shabinsky.
Current pricing for singles at The Commons starts at $749,990, which includes a $30,000 purchase price credit, while the towns are starting, for a limited time, at $599,990.
SUCCESSION COURT
Succession Court is Glenview's introduction to Stittsville. It launched in September, offering 68 townhomes and a handful of singles on a cul-de-sac named, not surprisingly, Succession Court, which backs onto Poole Creek between Hazeldean Road and Fringewood Drive.
“It's infill, it's close to everything ... we just liked everything about it and we had never had a community in Stittsville before,” says Shabinsky. At 75 lots in total, it's a good precursor to Glenview's next Stittsville project — Union West — which will likely launch next year.
Glenview has unveiled exclusive townhome floor plans for Succession Court to accommodate the different lot sizes from the builder's typical town lots and has introduced a unique collaboration to streamline the design process.
Pairing with multi-award-winning design firm West of Main, which is Ottawa's reigning designer of the year, the two have created three design packages for buyers to choose from — “charming classic, which is a clean and simple look; midtone modern, which is more natural and warm; and then refined contemporary, which is really bold and moody,” Brayton says.
The company had noticed that many of its townhome buyers were selecting a lot of the same things for their finishes and many busy professionals “weren't overly interested in going into the design studio and selecting from a thousand different things,” Shabinsky explains. “So, we wanted to try something new, to try to streamline the process for them ... and so far it's been a real success. All of our buyers have found one of the three packages works well for them.”
Says West of Main senior designer Josée Sigouin: “Our objective was to craft three captivating colour palettes, each reflecting a distinct mood and personality ... We wanted to create collections that would result in a versatile backdrop, allowing homeowners to effortlessly infuse their personal style.”
The builder has also opted to pre-build more homes at Succession Court than it usually would, which means there will be homes available for occupancy as early as June.
A main draw of the community, says Shabinsky, is “you're in close proximity to the (area's) amenities and you're not going to be living in a construction area for very long.”
Location was a big plus for one buyer, who asked not to be identified, “with its walking distance to shops, the bus stop and, eventually — fingers crossed — the LRT station. As Stittsville is still growing, I can only see the community becoming more welcoming.”
At the time of writing, homes at Succession Court are starting at $637,990, which includes a $7,500 purchase price credit.
For more on The Commons and Succession Court, visit glenviewhomes.com.