The Town of Newmarket is criticizing a developer that put up a sign and began advertising to sell homes without planning approvals.
Area residents reported that Stateview Homes erected a sign for the property at 751 and 757 Gorham St., at Muriel Street, the week of June 13, advertising for a new housing development. The developer also has a section of its website featuring site plans and is taking appointments for those interested in purchasing.
But the town said this was done without planning approvals in place. It said it has reached out to the developer to request that the website make that clear, and that the signage be removed.
“When developers install signs prior to approvals, they confuse the community and, quite frankly, start off on the wrong foot,” Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said. “We will not tolerate developers or builders installing signs that give people the impression that their development has been approved and could potentially misinform prospective purchasers of a product that is in fact not available or approved.”
The development proposal entitled “Elia” includes 72 townhomes, according to a site plan posted on Stateview’s website. The plan indicates that 39 of the homes have already been sold. The developer said the pricing begins in the low $1 million. The website describes it as “your choice for contemporary townhome styles all beautifully detailed with the latest in modern finishes.”
Woodbridge-based Stateview Homes CFO and co-owner Daniel Ciccone said they received the town request, and the sign will come down over the weekend, June 18-19. He said the website has also added a disclaimer that approvals are not yet in place.
He said they legally can do pre-sales and advertising. But he said they want to work with the town and the surrounding community.
“We respect both the municipality and the surrounding neighbours and the homeowners,” he said. “We’d like to work with the community when we buy a property in a community.”
The property was subject to a prior proposal with a different developer for an 82-unit apartment building. But that proposal sat idle for years, with the last public meeting in May 2017 and the town planning website indicating the municipality was waiting for a resubmission.
Ciccone said they bought the property and some surrounding lots within the last 12 months.
Some area residents expressed concern with the new project. Neighbouring properties are also now expecting demolition to make room for it.
Stuart Philbin rented a home next to the development area, which he understands will be demolished as part of the project sometime in the years to come.
“It’s kind of screwy for me,” he said. “Now I’m going to have to find something else and everything is jacked up in price right now.”
A concerned resident who asked to remain anonymous said the previous proposal on the site ran up against stormwater and flooding issues on the property that still need a solution. They said they have no issue with the idea of more homes coming into the area, but the project will have to be respectful of the surrounding neighbourhood.
“People are not happy,” they said. “They’re not making any friends by what they’re doing with their pre-sales and their signage right now.”
The proposal still needs to be vetted by the town and go through a planning process, which could take years.
Ciccone said they plan to go through it while connecting with the surrounding area.
“We’re not a typical developer. We care about the community. We want to listen to them, and we respect the municipalities.”
