New Dresden, Ont. subdivision shaping up, to include parks and squash court
A new 41-unit subdivision in Chatham-Kent is coming together on the edge of Dresden.
A ribbon cutting event to celebrate the opening of the “Rolling Acres” subdivision is scheduled for Friday morning with local dignitaries expected.
“We are going all in,” exclaimed DeMall Group president Dave Depencier.
“We believe in the town, we believe in the community. We want our schools to stay open. We want our arenas to thrive, our downtown to thrive, and our businesses and all of our community events to be very active.”
Depencier said people from across Ontario have already moved to or expressed interest in the first handful of homes, with 10 already complete and more on the way in the next couple years.
“Rolling Acres” subdivision on the edge of Dresden, Ont. on Thursday, June 1, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
“We are creating what I believe is very unique, affordable housing. Getting a lot of bang for your buck,” Depencier said. “I feel this is like a custom spec. So you're getting a lot more for your money and something that you can be very, very proud of and start your family here or retire here.”
According to Depencier, prices start around $495,000 with a mix of 2-3 bedroom semis available along with some single family dwellings.
“I want to make these homes extra special,” he said. “Even though they're spec homes which are more affordable. There's little touches we can do to these houses to make them very unique and more custom.”
According to Depencier, the land for the new subdivision was carefully selected by the DeMall Group with 20 more acres recently purchased for the next phase of the development, with an overall 10-year plan projected.
“We believe in what we're doing here and we're going to expand in the future as well and we're going for it,” he said.
“Rolling Acres” subdivision on the edge of Dresden, Ont. on Thursday, June 1, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
“We need 1.5 million new homes in Ontario in the next 10 years, and we want to be a piece of that pie. And by doing what we're doing here, now we're putting full belief that we want people to move here yes, we're a small town as part of Chatham-Kent, but we have a lot to offer.”
Depencier told CTV News the new subdivision will include parks, walking trails, pavilions with unique landscaping and pickle ball courts. He also noted there will be two outdoor squash courts.
“There's only two of those courts in North America and the third one is going to be in Dresden,” he said. “So I'm so excited to see this all come together.”
“It just shows that we want to be different. We want to be creative, and we want to create something special that when you think of Dresden you're going to think of the housing that we have in the town that we have and the businesses that we have, and make people want to move here.”
Municipal officials are eager to see progress continue, noting new housing is “desperately” needed in Chatham-Kent.
“Chatham-Kent is the fastest growing community in Canada and Dresden is part of the reason,” said Mayor Darrin Canniff, pointing to U-Haul’s recent ranking putting Chatham-Kent at the top of the list of fastest growing communities.
“Rolling Acres” subdivision on the edge of Dresden, Ont. on Thursday, June 1, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
“It's a great town. It's a few thousand people but it gives you that feel you're close enough. If you want the bigger city of Chatham you're within a 15 minute drive, you can be there with all the amenities.”
Canniff suggested the municipality moves forward with careful consideration when farmland is developed into new housing.
“There's been 10 or 12 apartment buildings proposed or are being built in Chatham-Kent now, when previously, there wasn't any. We're also trying to infill as much as we can in the areas within the urban areas. So we are always cognizant of that here in Chatham-Kent,” he said.
“Rolling Acres fits perfectly with what we want to do in Chatham-Kent. It's a new subdivision. It's affordable.”
“I've seen the plans. They're pretty exciting.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.