Minto Communities is heading west. The long-time Ottawa builder recently launched Weavers Way in Almonte, making its first foray into the picturesque town just west of Ottawa and generating strong activity in what is still a quiet market.
“We’ve seen extremely high interest leading up to this community launch since announcing it beginning April 2024,” says Minto’s marketing manager, Phil Sharp. “It’s been very well received.”
Vice-president of sales and marketing Anthony Minchella adds that the pre-launch demand was surprising, with potential buyers focusing on two things: price and closing dates. In the current environment, “price point seems to be absolutely everything these days,” he notes.
That positive reception continued on launch day in September, with the first buyers lining up two days before and dozens more joining them by launch morning.
“Prices were really good, so I was expecting there to be a big lineup,” said the first buyer in line, who did not want to be identified, explaining why she came so early. “It’s $100,000 cheaper, at least, than in town.”
Price (under $400,000 for a townhome), size and location were the things that attracted the first two buyers in line, both young women and first-time homebuyers.
“It’s an easy commute,” said buyer No. 2, who also did not want to be identified. Currently living at home in the west end, she has been “looking for years … I’ve been waiting for affordable housing.”
Both buyers were interested in Minto’s Avenue towns, which are three-storey, back-to-back townhomes with a garage, two or three bedrooms and 1,338 to 1,628 square feet. A garage and a freehold purchase (meaning no condo fees) were key features for buyer No. 2, something that many of the entry-level home options in the city don’t have, noted her father, who was keeping her company in line.
Weavers Way (the name is a nod to the town’s textile heritage) sits on just over 31 acres (12.6 hectares) between Appleton Side Road and Paterson Street on Almonte’s eastern flank. It’s tucked just behind the shopping options on Ottawa Street and next to two elementary schools and Almonte’s water tower. The project will also include its own park and stormwater pond.
Minto was drawn to the area by lower land costs, which means it can offer homes at a lower price, and availability of land. As land gets harder to find and develop quickly in the city, the surrounding townships, like Almonte, are capturing builder attention, Minchella says.
Towns & singles
The company will build more than 500 homes at the site, a mix of the Avenue three-storey towns, two-storey Executive townhomes and single-family homes, both bungalows and two-storeys. Almost 50 lots were released for the launch and phase one will see about 150 homes built.
Being able to offer townhomes under $400,000 is certainly helping attract buyers. Among the first lots released, the most popular sales were the Avenue towns, says Minchella. Although temporarily sold out at the time of writing, for the launch they were starting at $392,900.
All homes include nine-foot ceilings on the main living level, quartz kitchen counters and Minto’s Smarter Home Starter Package to allow you to control and monitor your home’s systems.
All townhomes include six appliances, with the two-storey towns also offering main-floor hardwood and a $2,500 design centre bonus. The two-storey singles and bungalows, meanwhile, include main-floor hardwood and design centre bonuses that range from $6,000 to $10,000, depending on lot size.
Exteriors come in a modern farmhouse, craftsman or contemporary style.
“We focused on introducing new elevations to some of the (floor) plans to make sure that we have good streetscape appeal,” Minchella says. “Overall, it’s going to be a look and feel of great elevations, great standard included features … and great value for the dollar.”
Minto has also introduced two new bungalow floor plans at Weavers Way, both on a smaller 36-foot lot, as an alternative to popular attached bungalows that have been built by others in Almonte.
“Obviously, there’s some savings there because the land cost is a bit smaller, but we’re still able to achieve fairly attractive floor plans” that include two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining room and a living room on the main floor, Minchella says.
Amenities are varied in Almonte, with all the basics covered, from groceries to home improvement, as well as a hospital, boutique shopping, abundant natural areas, plenty of schools and more.
Boasting a population of just over 5,000, Almonte has a long history, centred around the Mississippi River, which makes up its backbone. Its charm has long been an attraction for those seeking a less hurried pace of life and in recent years it’s also drawn regular interest as a movie shoot location.
“It has a great look and feel to the town. And I think that small-town feeling resonates with a lot of people,” Minchella says. “Almonte still feels like this untouched gem that I think is going to appeal to people who are looking there to buy their first home and move in with their significant other, start a family, downsize. And there’s a lot of interest from Almonte itself; people who live in Almonte and want to remain but just want a newer build.”
For the time being, Minto will be selling Weavers Way from its Kanata sales centre on Huntmar Drive. Home construction is expected to start in 2025 with first closings in 2026.
For more on Weavers Way in Almonte, including updated pricing, see our development summary.
