1. Sudbury could be the new Elliot Lake.
Or corners of it could be, at least.
That's the belief of the Rossignole Group in partnering with Belmar Builders, of Chelmsford, to develop independent-
living neighbourhoods for active retirees in three parts of Greater Sudbury.
About 100 fully-serviced lots are now build-ready in Hanmer, Chelmsford and Minnow Lake, said Rossignole
president Marcel Prud'homme, and "there are about 540 lots where we can have houses built within the next three
years."
At the Dominion Park subdivision in Hanmer, there are 36 lots, including 24 for duplexes and about a dozen for
single-detached homes, plus a couple hosting model homes.
The group is also planning to build dwellings off Jeanine Street in Minnow Lake, not far from Finlandia Village, and in
Chelmsford at the Trottier Subdivision, on Montee Genereux Street.
The residential enclaves are designed exclusively for people 55 years and older, said Prud'homme, and are rented
up front through a unique lifetime lease model.
"The idea is very simple," he said. "People pay an entrance fee and that's basically the cost of building the unit. So if
a duplex costs $400,000 to build, that's $200,000 per unit. So people pay $200,000 up front, but in exchange for that
you have the right to occupy the premises for life."
Photo supplied An example of a home that the Rossignole Group, in partnership with Belmar Builders, is offering
as a life-leased unit for retirees aged 55 and over. The company plans to build duplexes as well as single-
detached bungalows, of varying square footage.
New type of seniors housing coming to Sudbury
By Jim Moodie, The Sudbury Star
Friday, February 10, 2017 1:31:04 EST AM
http://www.thesudburystar.com/2017/02/10/new-type-of-seniors-housing-coming-to-sudbury 2017-02-11, 2>08 AM
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2. He said a resident can't be evicted, but they can still opt to move, or "the life lease can be transmitted to their heirs or
estate. Provided the heir is 55 or over, they can live in it, or they can sell it."
Prud'homme said Belmar has built a model home in Lively and interest in the mature lifestyle communities is
building. "You're paying up front for rent but you're securing a place guaranteed for life, and that's what the boomers
are looking for," he said. "I had a couple tell me, 'This is the last place I want to live in.' It brings peace of mind."
Prud'homme said tenants are also drawn to the extra perks available through this approach to housing, such as
concierge services -- a team that will take care of drycleaning, pharmacy pick-ups, appointments and more -- and a
maintenance-free "lock and leave" guarantee.
Tenants don't have to worry about snow removal or yard care, and can count on a snowbird home-monitoring option
if they decide to fly south. There's also an optional medical service that allows for visits from nurses and chiropodists.
"Anyone can build a home for seniors, but I don't think anyone else has a package as comprehensive as ours," said
Prud'homme. "You have a secured, age-exclusive unit, a community of likeminded people, and all the bells and
whistles you wouldn't get at an apartment building. The only thing we ask you do is screw in the lightbulbs."
The developer said it isn't only Sudburians who have expressed interest in a life-leased home, with many coming
from far and wide to eye the model unit in Lively.
"We've had a stream of people from as far away as Smooth Rock Falls," he said. "Sudbury attracts a lot of people
because of the medical facilities here, and sometimes they have kids here. And now there's a few people from
Toronto who are knocking, because it's outrageously expensive there and they are looking for somewhere less
crowded."
Ron Belanger of Belanger Construction -- Prud'homme's partner in the venture, along with Martin Belanger -- "at one
point made it clear to me that he wanted to make Chelmsford and a part of Hanmer similar to what happened in Elliot
Lake," which reinvented itself as a retirement destination after the collapse of uranium mining. "That's the long-term
vision, three to five years from now."
Prud'homme, who lives in Timmins, but comes to Sudbury often, said he met with the Belangers in November.
"When I proposed to them what we can do, I can tell you within two hours the deal was signed," he said. "They made
all of their land available to me to push and promote this program, and in exchange for that Belmar Builders are my
exclusive home builders."
The wave of retiring baby boomers makes up more than a third of Sudbury's population, noted Prud'homme, whose
background is as an anthropologist. "So you're looking at approximately 40,000 to 50,000 people who are going to
want and need to downsize."
The Belangers are well aware of this trend, he said, and "they made me an offer that, believe me, I could not refuse.
And they're a force to reckon with in building and land development in Sudbury."
Prud'homme, whose wife is a physician in Timmins, said he had already launched an independent living project in
the City with the Heart of Gold, albeit on a smaller scale, but looks forward to seeing the more ambitious Sudbury
plan take shape.
He described the Rossignole Group as a "boutique consulting firm that designs retirement residential units," likening
his part in the joint venture to software, while Belmar provides the hardware.
All of the detached homes and duplexes will be of a slab-on-grade design, he said, allowing for radiant heating and
eliminating the cost of excavating or blasting for a basement.
He said homes can be built to tenants' needs and budgets. "The dimensions vary from 1,400 square feet to 850
square feet," he said.
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3. The price tag obviously varies accordingly, but in general Prud'homme said people can anticipate a cost of "about
$300 per square foot."
Some lots are already spoken for and Prud'homme said the expectation is that "we'll start building sometime in the
spring."
For more information on the Rossignole/Belmar retirement homes, visit www.therossignolegroup.ca.
jmoodie@postmedia.com
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