Estates at Fieldstone Grove starts selling residential lots
August 19, 2024, 10:37 am
Ashley Bochek
Estates at Fieldstone Grove has been approved to begin selling lots and turning the former campground into a vibrant small community.
Fieldstone Grove will be developed in phases, and the first phase includes 26 lots.
Wayne Beckett, the owner of Estates at Fieldstone Grove, says he has created the development to offer a spacious, family-friendly subdivision outside of town.
“My family and I were looking at other business ventures to get into. I just finished managing the Regional Park and I heard that Fieldstone might come up for sale, and so I looked into it, and it was.
“Originally we were thinking of running it as a campground like it always has been, but we looked into that a little deeper and thought maybe that wasn’t the best business idea. So, it literally just came to me one night that we should think of a residential subdivision and then we got looking into what Moosomin needed and talked to a lot of community people about the idea and had lots of support so then we went with that plan.”
Beckett says they have worked on approval for the subdivision for the past two years. “The first step was getting our two sons on board. I wanted them to get into business with us and experience some of that. Then, we put in an application for a subdivision which I had no experience in so that was a steep learning curve—a lot of red tape with municipal and provincial regulations. That has been a two-year-plus process and as of yesterday (Monday, August, 12) we just received our final approval. So it is officially approved.”
“It was very satisfying. It is done, so it is nice,” Beckett said.
New development
Beckett says Fieldstone is being developed into acreages.
“The plan right from the start was to make acreages and make it as nice as possible. It is a beautiful setting out there and has been for a lot of years so we just want to enhance that and make it as nice of a community as possible. It is going to be a gated community. A lot of people have mentioned that they like the idea of the security of a gate with the recent crime issues we have had, so a lot of people like that idea. A lot of people like the maturity of the park with lots of trees, the winding roads, the lake is an excellent feature, it is our main attraction out there. It is limited to the people who live there and any guests they have over. There are walking trails as well and we have discovered over the years by talking to people—people like the green spaces, the walking trails, the lake, the beach, the security, and the proximity to town of course is a real advantage. We just want to continue to make it as nice of a setting as possible.
“One of the other amenities is town water. That is a huge advantage. Lots of acreages all over the place all have wells but we were able to secure the town’s water supply. The town was very good to work with in getting that put together. People like the fact it is treated water that is readily available. The RM was amazing to work with as well with rezoning Fieldstone Grove. They were very helpful.”
Enticing to young families
Beckett says he thinks both younger families and retired couples will be interested in acreages at Fieldstone.
“Young families is one of the targets because of the lake and the green space, parks, common areas, it’s all geared toward young families with kids running around, but we’re also targeting the 55- plus community.
“We are working with some developers right now on putting in a couple of duplexes or condos. So, for that young retired couple that likes some space like that and those amenities it will be a real attraction for them. They may or may not want to look after their properties so we will offer that option to them.
“Right now we have one particular lot that we want to put these duplexes on so there would be a total of four units. In phase two we may have more of those depending on the demand.”
Beckett explains Estates at Fieldstone Grove has many lots available.
“We have 26 lots in phase one and we have actually pre-sold three lots already based on getting final approval. So, now that is completed the sales can be completed.
“We had very good and quick response. There is lots of interest and lots of people asking questions. Our realtor, Kim Setrum, she has got a good website and lots of followers so she has helped and really got some interest of people.”
Timeline for development
Beckett expects the first houses to break ground next year.
“The people buying the three lots probably won’t start building until next spring. This fall is just too rushed to get a house designed and a contractor to build it.
He said it will take several years to fill up the development.
“It will take a number of years to fill up the area with development,” Beckett said. “Once phase one is 75 per cent sold, then we will start working on phase two and then see how that goes. We hope to sell three lots a year, that was our target from the beginning so it looks like we are on track for that already.”
Maintenance at Fieldstone Grove
Beckett explains how maintenance will be handled at Fieldstone Grove.
“Anybody who buys a property at Estates at Fieldstone Grove will become a member of the homeowner’s association. They will pay a small monthly fee and that will look after maintenance of all of the green spaces, the common areas which includes the roads, the walking paths, the lake, the beach, and will take care of the garbage. Road maintenance and snow removal will be looked after by the RM once there are eight homes that are sold—once the development is 25 per cent sold. That is in the service agreement with the RM. Someday there will be paved roads throughout the area, but not right now they’re gravel.”
“Sewer is septic tanks or holding tanks,” Beckett explained. “Then, there will be natural gas and underground power.”
Excited for the next steps
Beckett says he is excited to see the first newly built homes at Estates at Fieldstone Grove and the small community that develops from the homeowners there.
“I see it as a thriving and really vibrant little community all within its own. There will be young families there, retired people there, I just think it is going to be a real nice community where people get to know their neighbours and still have their privacy—their own little community. With our vision and our future plans for it, it is just going to be a real nice community and a real nice addition to Moosomin’s residential development. Along with the town’s incentive that they just had approved, housing should not be a problem in the near future for people who want to live here.”
Beckett says the new housing incentive plan and the Fieldstone development will both help Moosomin grow.
“Everyone has a place they want to be. Not everyone wants to be at Fieldstone, not everybody wants to live in town, but we have those both available now and the incentive should help spur on some sales and builds in town, which can’t do anything but help the community overall. There are businesses coming to town that you have had in the paper this week—it is just going to be good for the community for sure.”
Beckett says it feels great to get to this point. “It is fantastic. I talked to dozens of people just to get some feedback to avoid some pitfalls and finding out ways to make it happen. I learned a lot from talking to people. Everybody had their opinions and some said it would take five years or longer or that it will cost megabucks to make it happen.
“We sorted through all of that and listened to the advice and here we are in just over two years and did all the work ourselves. It is really satisfying to know that we have completed this. We dealt with so many different departments and regulations, the highways, the health, environment, and utility companies, they all get to play a role in the approval of it so to know we have met all of their requirements is satisfying.”
