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Kaitlin Group hosts open house for Cork and Vine subdivision

Eighteen years after it purchased a chunk of land in Wellington, residential developer Kaitlin staged a lavish coming out party at a nearby winery on Tuesday afternoon. The presentation was glossy, the details vague and the ambitions high level. But this was meant to be an introduction. A hello of sorts.

It is not that Kaitlin has been invisible over the 16 years since it acquired its Wellington land. Indeed, Kaitlin was very busy—and very public—in 2007 through 2010 as it negotiated an official plan amendment. It also made a very generous contribution to the Wellington and District Community Centre that helped push the fundraising over its goal.

Back then Kaitlin expected to build homes starting at $150,000.

A lot has changed since then. On Tuesday, Bill Daniell, president of Kaitlin Corporation told an invitation-only crowd that was arrayed around the stables and mow of the majestic century-old barn that houses Karlo Estates, that his firm is ready to go—with plans to begin moving dirt this fall and and the prospect of sprouting new home by autumn of 2023.  Starting prices will be $500,000. Daniell cited experience building 12 master-planned communities including Bowmanville, Midland and Bath, and that his firm had built more than 7,000 new homes in 60 projects. He added that had built assisted-living facilities, residential rental complexes and medical facilities to support the needs of these communities.

“We try to understand the community and what they need,” Daniell told the assembled invitees.

He pointed to his firm’s financial commitment to the expansion of the village waterworks—noting that Kaitlin had provided $4 million by way of a Letter of Credit to support these capital works.

Daniell repeated his desire to hear from this community to understand “what is needed. Is it more housing choices? Rentals? Services?” He promised to host a series of public meetings and town halls in the coming months to gain this feedback.

“We are open to suggestions,” Daniell told the gathering.

That said, the developer has the necessary approvals in hand to construct more than 500 homes—about 60 per cent of these will be single detached homes and the remainder townhomes—by virtue of its purchase of Fields of Wellington in February. This subdivision is bounded by Consecon Street, the cemetery, a line running roughly north of Maple north to a line running westward from the entrance to the dump.

But Kaitlin also owns the lands to the east, from Maple across Belleville Road. They do not yet have a subdivision agreement.