Developers and politicians celebrated the end of 14 years of planning with a sod turning at Rosewood Estates on Monday.
Representatives from the region, Pelham town council, Rinaldi Homes and Hert Inc. flipped a pile of soil at a levelled site.
Crews have already put in some sewer and water services for an upscale subdivision of 55 single-family units.
Mayor Dave Augustyn said it was the beginning of construction in the East Fonthill development project. More work is expected to follow soon.
Planning began in 1999 with a decision to add the Rice Road stretch into Pelham’s urban area, he said. The approval of the town’s Official Plan and the East Fonthill Secondary Plan earlier this year opened the way to construction.
The town does face an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board over plans for a road opening onto Regional Road 20, but the mayor said, with help from the region, he expects it to be resolved.
Over the next 15 to 20 years, the area from Rosewood Estates at the Welland border to Regional Road 20 could house another 5,000 Pelham residents.
The newer subdivisions will see “more intensification”, he said, with a mix of housing styles such as townhouses and duplexes as well as single family homes, he said.
Planning directions from the region and the province have increased density requirements.
Jerry Rinaldi, president of Rinaldi homes, said this was the first project in Fonthill for his company. The houses in the “quiet, secluded and exclusive” development will be Holmes on Homes approved and some custom built. Prices will start at $399,000.
Jack DeKorte of Hert Inc., a Netherlands based company that owns the property, said the project involved 10 years of preparation. In 2007, his company joined a consortium of East Fonthill property owners to work on the secondary plan.
“It feels good to be doing rather than waiting,” he said about the end of the process.
Niagara Regional Chair Garry Burroughs said Pelham, like his Niagara-on-the-Lake, will face a balancing act between development and maintaining a small-town feel but it can be done.
The region installed sewer and water services along Rice Road to make development possible.
