A Year in Review

Even with great uncertainty, 2020 proved to be an interesting and a strong year for housing in Ottawa. As the pandemic hit, our industry was deemed essential, and strong efforts were made to adapt quickly and integrate new health and safety protocols while keeping staff and trades carefully working towards the completion of homes.

Circumstances were continuously fluid, and it took a very dedicated, and hardworking team of trades to handle the situation while maintaining a dedication to our processes and quality. It has always been important to deliver on our promises and even more important to provide certainty when not much else seemed that way.

As we settled into 2020, it became very apparent that people were evaluating where and how they lived. They were examining more closely the type of space their homes provided as they spent more time than ever at home. At Uniform, we took pause in the early days of the lockdown but as weeks progressed, we understood that our clientele was keen to make decisions, knowing housing needs and planning remained top of mind. We quickly developed online tools and email strategies to keep people informed of what was available at our sites, and sales staff worked diligently to connect with people in new ways. When it came time to launch NEW lots and projects, we developed a virtual process that allowed clients to browse housing opportunities from home and virtually line-up for opportunities.

Sales and Releases

2020 was the year of returns for Uniform Developments:

• The Avenues II marked the return of Uniform to Westboro, a community that we’ve built many beautiful infill homes for over three decades. Now at the end of the year we are over 80% sold and the development is taking shape. Some of the first closings will happen in early 2021.
• Uniform also returned to Wateridge Village. After a successful first phase of development, we were pleased to return with 50 more lots. These homes were successfully SOLD OUT within weeks and construction is underway.

2020 was also marked with two community sell outs. Grandview Court sold out by the fall and the remaining lots at the Orchard in Barrhaven were bought. This brings a close to some amazing years in this location and the feeling of quality and pride of ownership is evident as you drive through these enclaves. Homeowners are still moving in late this year and into 2021!

Uniform Living | Luxury Rentals

2020 was also the year that Uniform expanded into the realm of rental accommodation. Uniform Living evolved as we recognized that our approach to quality homebuilding should translate well into the rental market. The housing market is multilayered, comprised of many segments with varying needs. Rental homes serve to address these needs in a more flexible and responsive way. Uniform Living will offer fresh living spaces for lease characterized by the same quality in design and managed by the same team of professionals. Our first rental flats will be available in our Richardson Ridge community in early 2021.

Leaning Into 2021

Our final weeks of 2020 are busy and bustling, with much to do to stage things for 2021.

• We are finalizing details on a new model home in Richardson Ridge, Kanata. The home is one of several new designs from Hobin Architecture that will be available for sale in the final phase of Richardson Ridge. We are working with 2H Interior Design to stage the home and will ensure that a stunning virtual tour is available early in the new year!
• We have just released some of the first lots available in the final phase of Richardson Ridge. This all happened as part of a pre-sale process available to our list of registrants. There is a great deal of demand for this sought-after location in a stunning and well-established community in Kanata North – and we will have more single-family home and townhomes for sale throughout 2021. We will launch releases first to those who have registered their interest in the community online, and we predict will be utilizing our online approach to sales for much of 2021.
• We will return to Wateridge again in early 2021 with more singles, semi-detached and townhomes. Register online for updates.
• We are excited about another infill development slated for 2021. Nestled in the beautiful established community of Bel Air Park, Kinver Private will be a stunning enclave of 27 townhomes largely surrounded by the NCC’s Capital Pathway Network. We hope to bring this project to market in the summer of 2021. Register for updates and we will reach out when we get closer to a release date.
• We hope to launch estate lots for sale at Maple Creek Estates in Manotick later this year and we welcome people to connect online for updates.

2020 was a busy year and one that challenged us to find new ways to approach the work that we do. We realize there were industries and workforces that faced greater challenges than us and stepped up in ways that are unimaginable.

We are grateful for all those in healthcare and our frontline support workers. We are inspired by the creativity and responsiveness of all the layers of the local economy and local industries and we wish for everyone a healthy 2021. The Uniform team looks forward to another year of building beautiful homes and communities in Ottawa!