New subdivision planned for south end

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This article was published 24/11/2016 (3415 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The construction of 199 housing units within the next few years might sound like a significant project, but developer Aaron Dubois shrugs off calling it “ambitious.”

“We should definitely be moving four units a month,” he stressed. “We feel that the market’s there, but we’re also a phased development. We’re not going to dump all these units on the market. There has to be a market for them.”

In all likelihood, there will be a market for these units, Brandon Area Realtors president Glen Tosh suggested — a notion that City of Brandon economic development director Sandy Trudel was quick to support.

Under a newly formed company called Brandon Evergreen, Dubois hopes to see the 199-unit subdivision, called The Woods, break ground at the south side of Brandon within the next few months.

The 5.65-acre development, between 18th Street and Tracey Street just south of Sycamore Drive, will see 23 townhouse-style units built and four apartment-style buildings with 44 units apiece constructed.

The hope is to have everything constructed within five years, Dubois said.

“We will build as fast as market absorption allows.”

According to Tosh, the local housing market should be able to accommodate the developer’s timeline.

“The Brandon market is a very stable market right now,” he said, noting that year-to-date sales between 2015 and 2016 have remained fairly consistent, at a 1.8 per cent increase.

Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31 of this year, the Brandon Area Realtors count 607 single-family home and condo unit sales.

Comparing The Woods with other large-scale housing developments Brandon has seen constructed in recent years, Tosh said that the goal of having 199 units built within the next few years is in keeping with what the local market has been able to accommodate.

Originally from British Columbia, Dubious said that he found himself drawn to Brandon due to its affordability, beauty and economic stability.

Prior developers have already made the area around The Woods “a neighbourhood,” he said, enthused to contribute to the area’s forward momentum.

Dubois affirmed that he’s here to stay, “happy to be a Manitoba company doing a Manitoba project in Manitoba.”

This is a story that Trudel said she has heard quite often.

Where some markets are boom and bust, with investors swooping in for short-term gains and jumping ship prior to the unfortunate “bust” side of things, Brandon’s stable market ensures it is able to attract longer-term investors who offer a greater commitment to their community.

“If you’re looking at making an investment into development and being comfortable that you’re going to have a steady, safe return on investment, that story’s ours,” she said.

Brandon’s stable market is closely linked to the fact that Brandon, and the broader Westman, carries a “very diversified economy,” Trudel explained — an appealing quality for the long-term investor.

Where developers like Dubois have their pick of the litter when it comes to Canadian communities, Brandon is lucky to have the competitive edge of market stability to draw them in, she said.

As for the development of housing units in specific, Trudel noted that buyer interest in condominium units has remained consistent over the past few years, and is “a segment of the market that’s being well-received.”

While the market for residential units remains strong, realtor Sandy Donald credits The Woods’ unique qualities with providing buyers an additional nudge, citing vaulted ceilings, a year-round indoor heated pool, guest suites and other unique features as selling points.

“They’re hungry for homes, but a lot of people don’t want cookie cutter,” Donald said. “They want something that’s a little unique and set apart. If it suits their lifestyle and their budget, they have a real appetite for it.

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @TylerClarkePA