SELKIRK, MAN. — After years of planning and co-ordinating with a developer, the City of Selkirk, Man. has broken ground on the largest residential subdivision in decades.
Crews at the Vaughan Avenue West site will build 100 homes and the project is slated to be an extension of Vaughan that spans west from Annie Street.
“Selkirk council and our administrative team have been working hard to let people know what a great place Selkirk is and we’ve been putting all the infrastructure in place so that we’d be ready for this day, when we break ground for a development just like this,” said Mayor Larry Johannson in a press release. “We know people are interested in our city, the last Canada Census told us we’d made great strides in population growth and for those of us that live here already, there’s a buzz around town. And we’re more than happy to welcome more into what we know is a great place to live. The more the merrier.”
Chief Administrative Officer Duane Nicol explained the Vaughan Avenue West development is a strong indicator of the future of residential growth in the city. It is the result of a long planning process by both council and city administrators and it is designed to be the template for future sustainable development.
“This is not development for development’s sake, it is intentional growth that will make the community more sustainable in the long run,” Nicol said.
GRG Investments, the development team behind Vaughan Avenue West, will build the multi-phased subdivision featuring 104 single family homes and two multi-family residences. The first phase of the project includes 47 single family homes and two multi-family lots.
Greg Crognali, Randy Bialek and Gerald Hawranik are the executive team behind GRG Investments. They explained that working with the city was a key part of getting shovels in the ground.
“We are thrilled to bring Vaughn Avenue West to Selkirk and pleased to have worked hand in hand with the city to design the project,” Crognali said. “Our partnership was born out of a shared goal of creating affordable housing for the people of Selkirk within a higher density neighbourhood, and we’re thrilled to be officially breaking ground and building a community in Selkirk that people will be proud to call home.”
The city will contribute roughly $500,000 to extend Vaughan Avenue from Purvis Boulevard to Annie Street, with the developers agreeing to pay the funds back in five years or less.
The extension is expected to reduce traffic.
“By working with the developer we’ve created this opportunity whereby their development is more connected right from Day 1, and we reduce the pressure on Manitoba Avenue and provide enhanced services to the people in Woodlands Court because now they have another access to their development,” Nicol said.
The city will utilize an existing stormwater management pond. Rather than digging a new one, GRG agreed to fund mechanical improvements to the pond so it can be used for Vaughan Avenue West residents as well as dedicated over 2.5 acres of adjoining land for public reserve.
In anticipation of the development, the city already added a secondary water source two years ago, upgraded water treatment plant infrastructure and is currently building a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant.
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