Phase 2 of Walkerville Stones townhouses to begin soon
The company behind Walkerville Stones townhouses on Walker Road is set to embark on the second phase of a massive plan to bring a once vacant industrial wasteland back to life.
“Our first set here, we were able to sell it out fairly quickly,” said Anuj Sood with Walkerville Developments. “And we figured there's such a need for housing and the commercial units, the live-work units. That's why we're starting it now.”
Walkerville Developments will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday for Phase 2 of its plan to revitalize the land between Walkerville and Ford City with badly needed new homes.
This phase will include the construction of another 12 townhouses on Walker Road across from The Party Warehouse and The City Market at the corner of Richmond Street, which the Sood family also built.
The work will add to the 12 homes already completed on Walker Road, which were built to emulate the historic townhouses directly behind them on Monmouth Road. While the exteriors of the homes are meant to blend in with the century-old neighbourhood, the interiors are modern, open concept and high-end.
The homes include deck and patio space, along with separate garages in the back.
In a first for Windsor, the 2,400-square-foot units also feature a live-work setup with lower-level professional suite and two floors of living space above.
Sood said the 12 upcoming townhouses will have the same livework setup for homeowners who want to open a small business or create a home office.
The family has been plotting for years to develop the large sections of land they own on both sides of Walker, including a 11-acre former industrial site bounded by Walker, Edna Street, St. Luke Road and Richmond Street.
The land has previously been used for vehicle manufacturing, railway tracks, transport truck storage and even military barracks.
Following the town homes in Phase 2, Walkerville Developments plans to start construction on hundreds of new units later this year with the extension of Whelpton Street from Walker to St. Luke Road. Sood said that development, between Walkerville and Ford City, will be a mix of townhouses, condos and some commercial space.
“We are working with the city to get all our approvals right now, and just finalizing our drawings,” he said.
Sood said Walkerville and Ford City are already in demand with good walk scores, shopping, dining and other amenities, but the upcoming developments will take things to another level.
“It is a very desirable area on Walker Road and the Walkerville area,” he said. “The whole area is only going to get better after we start developing across the street later this year.”