North Grenville’s water capacity is about to get a long-awaited upgrade to service the Northwest Quadrant of the municipality.
A new water treatment plant and municipal well will be built inside the incoming Oxford Village subdivision, owned by L.A. Developments, located on County Road 43 at Somerville Road. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Oxford Village site on Oct. 12.
The project will see more than $5 million in infrastructure built.
L.A. Group, the project manager behind Oxford Village, says the goal when planning the well was to service 3,000 homes. However, through extensive testing, it turns out the well can serve more than 5,000 homes.
“The well and water treatment plant will eventually be owned by the municipality and service an area far greater than just Oxford Village,” noted Gilles Brisebois, CEO of L.A. Group and co-owner of L.A. Developments Inc.
Coun. Doreen O’Sullivan said the infrastructure upgrade has been on the books for many years.
“I’m really pleased that it’s finally going forward,” she said. “They’ve invested a lot of money into this, and it will provide safe, clean drinking water to Kemptville for a long time.”
The new water treatment plant is one of the largest municipal infrastructure project investments to be funded by the private sector in North Grenville.
Coun. John Barclay said Brisebois had a dream for the subject property 18 years ago, and he should be commended for his persistence in realizing it.
“Council, too, has a dream for developments like this,” Barclay says, which is “that they foster connections between neighbours within and beyond this new community, and that they contain homes for families living on a broad range of incomes.”
The subdivision will include trail systems surrounding 40 acres of wetlands.
Oxford Village was originally granted draft approval in January 2008 and revised draft approval was given in March 2017.
“An incredible amount of time and planning has gone into ensuring that Oxford Village is setting the base for the best chance to succeed in affordable housing,” states a press release issued by L.A. Group after the groundbreaking ceremony.
The development, which will include 398 new residences in its first phase, will offer 99 houses, 183 townhouses, 44 back-to-back townhomes and 72 apartments in an effort to diversify the housing landscape in North Grenville.
“We will ensure that this new subdivision offers a diversity of quality housing options for existing and new residents of North Grenville,” noted Mayor Nancy Peckford.
“Oxford Village will provide an opportunity for people who want a balance of nature and urban living to find a place to call home,” added MPP Steve Clark.
According to L.A. Group, all of the new homes will be built using locally sourced materials and local labourers.
“The variety of dwelling unit types will allow for the best possible options for affordable housing,” states the developer’s press release. “Oxford Village strives to be affordable, vibrant, and family-friendly.”
In 2015, an update to North Grenville’s Potable Water and Wastewater Master Plan identified the need to increase the existing water supply capacity to accommodate the municipality’s long-term growth and development anticipated by 2034.
The update recommended a new source water well with storage, distribution, collection, and treatment in the Northwest Quadrant to increase the local water supply municipality-wide.
Story Behind the story: While North Grenville’s population and resulting infrastructure needs continue to grow, reporter Paulina Hrebacka highlights one development underway that will accommodate both types of growth with nearly 400 new homes and a new water treatment plant.
News Source: The Kemptville Advance