Sifton wants to add 900 to 1,300 homes to a 19ha (50-acre) site at 1511 Clarke Road,  at the southwest corner of Clarke and Kilally roads, said Phil Masschelein, senior vice-president at Sifton.

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Sifton Properties may double the number of homes it will build in a residential area nudging up against Fanshawe conservation area by adding a mix of apartment towers and townhouses near an already approved subdivision.

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Sifton wants to add 900 to 1,300 homes to a 19-hectare (50-acre) site at 1511 Clarke Rd., at the southwest corner of Clarke and Kilally roads, said Phil Masschelein, senior vice-president at Sifton.

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A Sifton development with 1,100 homes was approved across the street at the southeast corner in the spring, on a much larger parcel of land.

The proposal includes a site for a school and if a school isn’t built and the land reverts back to Sifton, more units will be built, Masschelein said.

“We want to have a range of price points, a mix of products,” he said of the development. “We’re seeing that customers want diverse products from single family, to townhomes, stacked townhomes and apartment units that can be for rent or sale. There are a variety of heights and densities. Customers want choice.”

In April, Sifton proposed Caverhill East, a development of 1,079 homes on 50 hectares (124 acres) at 2331 Kilally Rd. and 1588 Clarke Rd., near the conservation area. It was approved by city council.

The city now has an application for Caverhill West. It’s not a second phase of the original plan, but a new project with a different focus, Masschelein said.

“From our perspective, it is a different product. It’s more dense, it will offer more affordable products,” he said.

Ward 3 Coun. Pete Cuddy, who represents the northeast London neighbourhood on city council, applauded Sifton’s proposal that he said will help meet the demand for housing in London.

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“I’m an advocate for responsible infill that allows London to reach its housing objective,” he said.

“Sifton has a long history in this city as one of our premier builders. I will work with our community partners, Sifton and city planners to develop this property into something esthetically pleasing for thousands of Londoners looking for new homes.”

Caverhill East will feature more custom-built homes on woodlots overlooking the river and on a ravine, Masschelein said.

“It’s a premium spot,” he said.

The newly proposed Caverhill West will have single-family homes and semi-detached, up to two storeys in height, as well as townhomes of two to three storeys, stacked townhomes up to four storeys and mid-rise apartment eight to 12 storeys in height. 

It will not include a park site because it’s close to the Ted Early sports complex and Cayuga Park to the south and southwest. The sports complex includes multi-use paths and three soccer fields and Cayuga Park includes a swing set and play structure.

As for the proposed school site, Sifton wanted to offer a school at the beginning of a subdivision development, not later in the process, Masschelein said.

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“We’re excited, but we don’t control when the school will be built,” he said. “Either board can acquire it for fair market value.”

If neither board wants it, the city has an option to buy or it can revert back to Sifton for more residential development.

“It’s reserved for a period of time,” Masschelein said.

Sifton recently sold two other sites for elementary schools. One is in the Riverbend area south of Oxford Street at Westdel Bourne. The other is on Wharncliffe Road south of Southdale Road and north of Wonderland Road.  

ndebono@postmedia.com

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