Article by Steve McLean at RENX.ca – Jun. 7, 2019
ZEST Communities is set to begin phase one of its ambitious redevelopment of The Village at St. Elizabeth Mills, a Hamilton, Ont. community for people aged 55 and up.
South Mountain Inc. (which has changed its name to ZEST) acquired the 114-acre property at the southeast corner of Garth Street and Rymal Road West from St. Elizabeth Home Society in February 2014. The new ownership group established a not-for-profit organization called NovaCore Retirement Communities Association to assume ongoing management.
“Since acquiring the property, ZEST Communities and NovaCore have assembled a comprehensive development team comprised of leading experts in planning, engineering, architecture, design and seniors’ housing,” ZEST president Tony DiFruscio told RENX. “Collectively, this team has worked diligently with the owners to create a new vision for St. Elizabeth Village and retirement housing in Ontario.”
ZEST has retained the services of: Zock & Associates (1994) Inc. as project manager and life-lease consultant; FORREC Architects for master planning; Reinders + Rieder Ltd. as project architect for Upper Mill Pond; and Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd. as construction manager.
The Village at St. Elizabeth Mills
The site, formerly known as St. Elizabeth Village, has been rebranded The Village at St. Elizabeth Mills. It’s home to approximately 1,000 residents and includes:
- 570 life-lease townhouses and apartments from 650 to 2,500 square feet;
- Elizabeth Retirement Residence, a six-storey, 100-bed independent and assisted living building;
- the four-storey Village Centre commercial and retail building;
- and St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church.
Once the new developments are completed, The Village at St. Elizabeth Mills will offer up to 1,500 new residential infill units and 40,000 square feet of local commercial infill. There will be several new clubhouses and amenities for the anticipated 3,000 residents.
Exterior and interior renovations to the 570 existing residences are underway. They take current and future needs of residents into consideration by incorporating such features as wider doorways, smart-height-positioned light switches and receptacles, and one-piece walk-in showers.
“Interior garden home renovations and improvements include revisions to the unit layout and a comprehensive upgrade of all building components,” said DiFruscio. “The homes are being completely remodeled with contemporary and high-quality finishes.”