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The writ is about to drop on Orléans’ newest luxury housing development, say those close to the planned riverside offering of Petrie’s Landing.
Initial site work – sublimely positioned along the Ottawa River, and a turtle’s crawl from nature sanctuary Petrie Island, – began this week, explains developer and Brigil Homes’ general manager Dave Renfroe.
“It has begun being stripped, and within one week surfacing will have begun,” he said, adding foundations on the first tower should be laid by next month. The four-building, 89-condominium project will crown a 16-acre plateau between Hwy. 174 and the waterfront, seven acres of which will be left unscathed, Renfroe said.
“Probably our biggest selling feature is the river,” he acknowedged. Harnessing nature’s beauty, he said, just makes good business sense. “It’s probably the most beautiful location on the eastern end, and we’re going to have breathtaking views.”
A 50-metre deep ribbon along the riverfront will be kept in its natural state, he added – good news for naturalists who enjoy Petrie Island’s lush beauty and fragile ecosystem. Renfroe said 60 units have sold thus far, or nearly 70 per cent of the first tower, adding most buyers are retirees, or ‘empty-nesters’, looking to downsize from suburban palaces into more manageable digs.
Rick Snell, president of the Petrie Island Outdoors Club and manager of Royal Lepage Performance Realty in Orléans, said the east-end community should celebrate the launch of a bona-fide luxury development.
“I don’t see it as a negative for Petrie Island, because it’s not right on the island,” he said. “It’s set back along the shoreline and it definitely won’t interfere with anything we’re doing (in the club).”
Snell said his group has no objections to development in the area, as long as the island itself remains more or less pristine. “From our perspective, we’d like to see Petrie Island maintain it’s natural environment,” he continued.
“But I don’t think any members I’ve talked to have any concerns about Petrie’s Landing – there is, however, real concern about any kind of (public-private partnership) development projects on Petrie, because that would affect the island directly.”
Renfroe, for his part, said the City of Ottawa has been on-board with Petrie’s Landing since its fetal stages. “The quality of the building… it’s such a nice building that we really didn’t have any barriers from the city,” he said, adding a future retirement home is planned for the lot’s southern section.
“There are of course Rideau Valley environmental issues we had to take into account – we had to set it back considerably from the river bank and use proper erosion safeguards, and things like that.
“But the vision, overall, is to give the highest level of quality we can.”
Straight to the source…Orleans Star