News

Shorelands

LOCATION: Whitby

BUILDER/DEVELOPER: Liza Communities

SIZE: stacked townhouses 540- to 1,200 square feet; traditional townhouses 1,500- to 1,700 square feet

PRICE: stacked townhouses $169,000 to $209,990; traditional townhouses $249,000 to $269,000

SALES CENTRE: 617 Victoria St. W., Unit 101 in Whitby. Open Monday to Thursday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.; weekends, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

CONTACT: Phone (877) LIZA-LIFE or (877) 540-2543 or visit http://www.theshorelands.com

Less than 50 kilometres east of Toronto in Whitby, Liza Communities will create a townhouse community with views of manicured gardens, an outdoor amphitheatre and tree-lined courtyards, streets and walkways, as well as vistas of a public park across the street right on the waterfront.

The green runs deeper than just the surroundings. The development - known as Shorelands - will also incorporate numerous environmentally-friendly features, including passive green roofs, underground garages that eliminate the heat island effect of above-ground parking lots, recycled materials and high velocity natural gas heating systems. The developers say these features will make Shorelands the country's greenest townhouse community.

"The buyer is going to see and feel the difference in this community," says vice-president, Maryam Mansouri.

Having built over 300 Energy Star-rated homes throughout the Durham region, Liza Communities was selected to participate in the Canada Green Building Council's new Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) for Homes program.

That means this project - which entails 49 townhouses and 178 stacked townhouses at the southwest corner of Gordon Street and Whitby Shores Greenway - will follow more stringent green building practices and become Canada's first LEED townhouse community.

Ms. Mansouri explains that while Energy Star homes focus on the energy-efficiency of the building envelope and interiors, LEED homes also take into account how the land is treated, the impact on the existing infrastructure and accessibility to amenities and transportation systems.

For instance, the builder is working on a rainwater harvesting system with the University of Guelph, and has a proprietary waste management program to reduce landfill waste by 70 per cent.

"We monitor not only what materials we bring into the project, but also what happens to them after they leave our site," Ms. Mansouri says.

The site is within walking distance of a GO Train station and close to Highway 401, which appeals to families and young professionals looking for an affordable home that is easily accessible to Toronto, says Ms. Mansouri.

For outdoor recreation, there are waterfront trails, a marina and yacht club to the south, and Lynde Shores Conservation Area and Carruther's Creek Golf Centre to the west.

Traditional townhouses, ranging from 1,500 to 1,700 square feet, will feature private garages and terraces or balconies with deck tiling and tempered glass and aluminum railings.

Stacked townhouse models between 540 and 1,200-square feet will offer one and two-storey plans, as well as two-storey layouts with loft levels. Units will be placed one on top of another, and each have street-level entrances.

Two dozen of these units can be built with wheelchair accessible features, such as roll in showers, wider doorway access and automatic door openers.

Monthly condo fees will be $98 for stacked units and $113 for traditional ones.

Occupancies will begin in fall 2010.