Parade of Homes

>> While many neighbourhoods are fluid in their makeup, with families coming and going on a regular basis, the proponents of a new development located just a few kilometres south of Winnipeg are hoping to buck that trend. The idea is that once families move to Prairie View Lakes, they'll stay. Ventura Developments is the driving force be- hind the residential de- velopment, which will see 475 new homes built in the burgeoning com- munity of La Salle. It will feature a variety of dif- ferent home styles as well as two large lakes, walking trails and more than 20 acres of green space enclosed in a rural, family-focused setting. A big part of what will set Prairie View Lakes apart from other so-called bedroom communities is Ventura's adoption of an age-in-place strategy for the neighbour- hood. Age-in-place essentially means having differ- ent housing styles and price points to choose from as people move through the housing life cycle so they can remain in the same house or neighbourhood. Tim Comack, vice-president of development for Ventura Developments, says that while his com- pany expects mostly young families to move into the area initially, the plan is to provide them with a variety of options that will allow them to remain there as they and their families mature and their housing needs change. So while there will be a variety of bungalow and two-storey homes on a mix of single-family lots ranging in price from $199,000 to $330,000, there will also be townhouses, apartments and bungalow-style condominiums. Eventually, there will even be life-lease housing develop- ments aimed at homeowners who are ready to downsize. Comack says while the age-in-place idea has been around for a while, Prairie View Lakes will be one of the first non-urban communities in the province to adopt it as part of its long-term plan. He expects a growing number of rural mu- nicipalities to follow suit as housing demands continue to evolve. "There's a big need for it," he says. "People like to stay in their community, especially if they are just outside of Winnipeg. They want to stay where they are now, be where they've been all along … and where they know where everything is." 'They want to stay where they are now, be where they've been all along … and where they know where everything is' Cont'd on page 92 Parade of Homes Spring 2015 91

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