eQ Homes is set to return to Clarence-Rockland with a fresh concept in community living that combines a plethora of amenities more common in a high-end apartment building with nine distinct ground-level neighbourhoods that each evoke a village vibe.
Called, appropriately, The Villages at Clarence Crossing, the thoughtful development takes its cue from similar lifestyle communities in Western Canada and Florida.
“It’s like a resort-style community,” explains Tobin Kardish, eQ’s vice-president of strategic growth. “The inspiration really came from a couple of different places. It started as an evolution of what we built in eQuinelle, our community in Kemptville.”
eQuinelle is an award-winning community built around a championship golf course and resident activities.
“We’ve seen firsthand in eQuinelle how this really does enhance the community and enriches our homeowners’ lives. There’s a real sense of … community within the community and you don’t see that very often.”
The vision was then refined by visiting and studying a number of lifestyle communities in other cities.
“We came back completely inspired,” Kardish says. “This is the exact calibre of lifestyle that we want to bring into Clarence-Rockland.”
Community Features and Amenities
Launching on April 25, The Villages will see about 2,400 homes on 320 acres next to the Ottawa River and Clarence Creek, just beside eQ’s original Clarence Crossing development and about 30 minutes east of downtown Ottawa.
The initial release of 24 lots is in the village labelled Creekside. The “distinct yet connected neighbourhoods each (have their) own character identity and sense of place,” Kardish says. “Rather than one large uniform community, we wanted to develop nine smaller, thoughtfully planned and connected villages,” linked by an abundance of trails.
“We wanted to create … an intimate, walkable environment where residents feel a strong sense of belonging while still being part of a larger vibrant community.”
Recreation Hub and Parks
Anchoring The Villages will be a residents’ recreation hub that boasts a clubhouse called The Village Lodge — with exercise rooms, a gym and activities rooms — an outdoor pool with lounge areas, sports courts, park space and more. Several other parks — there will be seven in total over about 31.5 acres (12.8 hectares) — will be sprinkled throughout the community, including what Kardish calls passive parks, and almost 10 kilometres of trails and multi-use pathways will link everything together.
“We’re preserving the existing tree lines and wood lots and putting paths through them,” he says, adding that aside from all the amenities, the whole idea of The Villages is to make a connection with nature and wellness. “That’s a big part of what we’re trying to do here.”
Neighbouring amenities include the Rockland Golf Club across Hwy. 17, hockey and handball academies plus an arena and The Coffee Cartel across the creek, and the growing amenities of Clarence-Rockland just down the road.
