Maps & Activity Guides of Oxford County

By Mark Schadenberg

When seeking a Realtor, you want to hire someone who is full-time and experienced. I have been with Royal LePage for almost 13 years now and real estate is my full-time career.
Your Realtor has to know homes and their mechanical components, must know market value, and maybe most of all know and understand the community . . . history, school zones, neighbourhoods, industry and activities. As a member of the Woodstock Recreation Advisory Committee and the Lions Club, plus as former sports editor of The Woodstock Sentinel-Review, I live in and love this community I work in.

 

Mark Schadenberg

Sales Representative

Royal LePage Triland

Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com

(519) 537-1553

 

In Waterloo there is something called EART

CKCO produces news series on elder abuse

Did you know that the Waterloo Regional police force has a specific task force dedicated to investigating elder abuse?

I had mentioned here a recent CTV Kitchener news series relating to condominiums, so I’ve kept an eye on the station’s newscasts and they are currently featuring another series produced solely by CKCO called inside Elder Abuse.

Reporter Lee Boyadjian covers many angles of the story, and interviewed Waterloo Region police Det. Const. David Haughey, who works with the Elder Abuse Response Team (EART).

He says “We’re not quite sure what the stats are, but we know it’s under reported.”

The force’s two-person team investigates or consults on allegations of elder abuse.

So far in 2012, the EART has investigated over 130 cases of elder abuse, while last year they investigated a total of 120 cases.

The story says elder abuse can be seen by family members and paid caregivers. The most obvious form of elder abuse, notes Boyadjian, is physical violence, but the EART says financial abuse is common and neglect can also lead to psychological harm.

You can watch the nightly news on CTV Kitchener or watch the videos online at www.kitchener.ctvnews.ca

Active Living Fair at South Gate

Show on Nov 4 for 55+ Demographic

By Mark Schadenberg

With our aging demographics – a fact confirmed by Stats Canada reports earlier this year – Oxford County must prepare for a new look, or at least be prepared to change with the times.

Writing this report or template called Oxford Master Aging Plan is a steering committee co-chaired by Bob McFarland, who is the former director of Community Services for the City of Woodstock.

The game plan is written to concentrate on the 55-plus age bracket and its suggestions will be on display this Sunday, Nov. 4, noon – 4 p.m., at the South Gate Centre’s Active Living Fair.

“The ultimate success of the initiatives in the Oxford Master Aging Plan will be dependent on broad and sustained engagement of community members, service providers and most of all the seniors,” said McFarland, who has been touring all the council meetings in Oxford County to present the committee’s ideas, and was quoted in a recent Woodstock Sentinel-Review story.

“Nineteen per cent of the people in Oxford County in 2011 were over the age of 55,” said McFarland, quoting Stats Canada numbers and projections.  “By 2021 that will be 40% of the people.”

One of the steering committee’s tasks was to define various segments in the 55-plus age bracket -- seniors requiring some assistance, those requiring 24-hour support, and seniors who are both well and fit. The steering committee also identified several needs; transportation, housing, health care, social, cultural and recreational.

“Healthy seniors cost less money, so health care and home support services will be critical in avoiding having more of us move into long-term care,” says committee member and therefore partial report author Peggy Ratcliff.

McFarland’s group wants to visit all four corners of the county. The Active Living Fair is an ideal venue.

“We want to get out to where the people are,” he said in The Sentinel-Review.

The Oxford Master Aging Plan has been assisted by a Trillium Foundation grant and some of the committee’s findings will be mirrored around the province.

Lots Of Info To Share At The FAIR

The Active Living Fair will feature information on activities, clubs to join, healthcare tips, demonstrations, sports and leisure, art and crafting hobbies, lifestyle advice, and of course lots of information about joining the South Gate Centre. Admission is free, and door prizes are available.

The South Gate centre is on Old Wellington St South directly next to the archway entrance to Southside Park. (539-9817; www.southgatectr.com). For more details on South Gate, you could also read their online newsletter: The Golden Nugget. By the way, a 2013 membership purchased before Christmas is $150.

Mark Schadenberg

SRES – Seniors Real Estate Specialist

Royal LePage Triland Realty

Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com

(519) 537-1553

Which company sells the most cars?

Toyota's worldwide sales increase

 

With the obvious importance of Toyota's overall auto sales performance to the Oxford County and southern Ontario economies, here is a story from Associated Press that is an update on world sales of Toyota versus other brands, and in particular General Motors and Volkswagen.

RAV4

Woodstock -- of course -- produces the RAV4, which is not mentioned specifically in this release.

 

Toyota vehicle sales grew 28 per cent in first 9 months of year

Toyota sold 7.4 million vehicles around the world in the first nine months of the year, up 28 per cent from a year earlier.

 

Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press

 

TOKYO -- Toyota sold 7.4 million vehicles around the world in the first nine months of the year, up 28 per cent from a year earlier, but its strong growth faces headwinds from a sales plunge in China that could unseat it as the world’s top automaker.

Anti-Japanese sentiment flared in China after Japan nationalized tiny islands in the East China Sea, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, intensifying a territorial dispute. The move set off violent protests in China and a widespread call to boycott Japanese goods. The islands are administered by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan.

Toyota’s vehicle sales in China dropped to about half of last year’s levels in September to 44,100 vehicles from 86,000 the year before. In August, Toyota sold 75,280 vehicles in China, down 15 per cent.

Toyota reclaimed its crown as the world’s top automaker from General Motors Co. in the first half, selling 4.97 million vehicles globally. That marked a turnaround Toyota, which had suffered setbacks in recent years from massive recalls and natural disasters.

Toyota, which makes the Prius hybrid, Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models, had planned to sell 1 million vehicles in China this calendar year. But the company no longer expects to achieve that number. It has not given a new target.

Over the first half of the year, Toyota sold about 300,000 more cars and trucks than GM did. Initially, that kind of lead was seen as large enough to make it difficult for GM to catch Toyota in the final six months of 2012. GM said it sold 4.67 million vehicles during the first half. It’s set to give January-September numbers Oct. 31.

Nomura Securities Co. auto analyst Masataka Kunugimoto expects Toyota’s China sales to gradually recover, reaching 900,000 vehicles for the year, even if they fall short of 1 million vehicles. He expects GM and other non-Japanese manufacturers to get a perk in sales as buyers avoid Japanese products.

“But we don’t expect this kind of drop to continue,” he said. “The Chinese market is still growing.”

Both GM and Toyota have said in the past that they don’t care about the global sales leadership and are focusing on making profits. But the sales crown is a matter of corporate pride for both automakers.

Toyota’s production was hit by the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan last year and then by flooding in Thailand. Its sales were also dented by massive U.S. safety recalls, totalling more than 14 million vehicles since the quality control problems emerged three years ago.

GM was No. 1 in world auto sales last year. The U.S. and China are GM’s two biggest markets. The Detroit company was the top-selling automaker for more than seven decades before losing it’s position to Toyota in 2008.

Last year, Toyota dropped to No. 3 after Volkswagen AG of Germany. For the first three quarters, Toyota outpaced Volkswagen, which sold just under 7 million vehicles for that period, up 12 per cent from the previous year. Volkswagen was in third place for the first half, selling nearly 4.5 million vehicles.

The Associated Press

What? Y only group standing

Going into the public meeting on Wednesday, Oct 24, there were three groups with plans for the Normal School in London.

Since I wrote about the preview to the meeting, here is the followup from The London Free Press. It's interesting to note that only one group is going forward as two other vision groups for the Wortley School landmark have backed down to put the focus on the YMCA.

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Y proposal only one left for Normal School

By Kelly Pedro, The London Free Press

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

LONDON -- Old South residents arrived to hear three proposals for the former London Normal School only to find they’d hear only one.

Both Magnus Asset Management and London Innovation opted not to submit proposals for the historical landmark, leaving the YMCA which unveiled plans for a daycare, community programs and administration offices to a crowd of about 100 people at a public meeting at South secondary school Wednesday night.

The green space — a key community concern — would remain unchanged, except for an enclosed playground for daycare children, as required by law.

It would cost the YMCA about $2 million annually to operate the building — funds they have — and about $4,6 million to retrofit the building to suit their needs and make it accessible, funds the chief executive openly said the organization does not have.

“We have no magic pot of money,” said Shaun Elliott, adding the Y would likely appeal to one or three levels of government for help with capital costs.

Some in the audience questioned the Y’s ability to do that; others welcomed the proposal.

“I’m delighted that we got this far and this close to the finish line,” said resident Archie Young.

As some residents raised concerns about parking and whether there was a need for more daycare in the neighbourhood, Young thanked the Y for their proposal.

“We are at the threshold of seeing a responsible use of this building,” he said. “I think we are immensely fortunate.”

The heritage building has been empty since 2004.

Province of Ontario owns building

The province, which owns the Wortley Village landmark, has spent $5 million to renovate its exterior. When the province declared it surplus, the city stepped in. With interest in the green space, but not the building, the city sought potential community partners.

The YMCA will send its detailed proposal to the city by Nov. 2.

Photo is from The London Free Press site: lfpress.com

CTV in Kitchener puts focus on condos

Status certificates and reserve funds
By Mark Schadenberg
No two condominium complex areas are the same as there are townhomes, high-rise buildings, new and old, renovated old schools and factories, and detached bungalows.
The common denominator is condo fees and a reserve fund to pay for future projects. The best example of saving for a raining day is replacing a roof. 
When buying a condo, always look at the status certificate before making your purchase 'firm and binding'. Learn about the condo board's saving practices and estimations of future condo fee increases.
Currently, CKCO TV Kitchener (CTV) is in the middle of a three-part look at the condo lifestyle. It's a good feature because it is a snapshot of southern Ontario not the crazy hysterical Toronto market where investors buy condos that will not exist until sometime in the future. The GTA is about buying a stock and hoping it increases in value, while southern Ontario is about buying a roof over your head as a solid investment (versus paying rent) for someone seeking the convenience of condo living.
Here's the Kitchener CTV link:

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/investigates/is-the-condo-market-in-waterloo-region-a-good-choice-1.1005991

Saving a heritage building in London

Vision for Wortley Village venue

What to do with an old school?

In Woodstock we have at least four retired schools which have been rejuvenated – Princess Street as a medical office with eye doctors and surgeons hosting offices, Broadway and Chapel streets have been converted to condominiums, and Victoria school on Delatre Street is overflow office space for a neighbouring church.

In London, the historically-significant (my opinion) Normal School is for sale and needs a new venture as to retain its charm and significance. It truly is a gem in Wortley Village and should be preserved. The venue has educated teachers in becoming teachers, and has previously been an office building for the board of education.

Here’s the latest story from The London Free Press discussing a public meeting slated for Wednesday of this week.

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Citizens gets say in Normal School plans at public meeting Wednesday

Saturday, October 20, 2012: LONDON FREE PRESS

LONDON -- The former London Normal School has sat empty for eight years, but with three proposals up for community scrutiny next week, the Wortley Village building could soon have a new lease on life.

The players:

- London Innovation

- Magnus Asset Management

- YMCA of Western Ontario

The proposals

While both London Innovation, a privately funded non-profit, and Magnus Asset Management, a London-based firm that invests in companies and real estate, have kept their proposals under wraps, the YMCA has not.

The Y has grand plans for the similarly grand London landmark, but needs money from one or all three levels of government to renovate the interior. “The only way we can make this work is with infrastructure money from any level of government, whether it’s municipal, provincial or federal,” said Shaun Elliott, chief executive of the YMCA of Western Ontario.

The YMCA wants to relocate one or two child-care centres to the former teachers’ college, as well as use it as a site for a program that offers newcomers language training, and to provide space for youth programs. The Y also hopes to develop a new youth-development centre of excellence that could be run from the building, use some of the space as office space and offer meeting space for the community, Elliott said.

“Given that it is around serving the youth and community . . . its tradition as an education centre, that would be fairly similar,” he said. “It’s a wonderful space with lots of green space, and we are interested in protecting that.”

While the province spent

$5 million to renovate the heritage building’s exterior, the interior needs renovating as well.

“The real challenge is how do we get to from the state the inside of the building is in to one where you can actually do the stuff I just described?” he said, adding the building needs to be accessible.

Estimates to retrofit the building are in the “millions,” he said.

The process

When the province declared the former Normal School surplus, the city stepped in. With interest in the green space, but not the building, the city began a process Aug. 1 to seek “expressions of interest” from potential community partners. When the process closed that month, the city asked three partners to return with detailed proposals on their plans — and how they’d pay for them — to the city by Nov. 2.

Throughout the process, the community has been involved, submitting questions for those interested in the building to answer. At a public meeting Oct. 24, the community will hear about the proposals, with each being ascribed points based on community input. “We tried to . . . engage the community and to get a sense of what it was the community felt was important,” said Gregg Barrett of the city’s planning department.

The three plans will be ranked and go before the city’s finance and administration committee, where staff will recommend one to politicians.

If you go

What: Public meeting for Normal School proposals

When: Oct. 24, 7 p.m.

Where: London South Collegiate Institute

More: www.oscolondon.ca

CHRONOLOGY:

1900: Feb. 1, Western Ontario Normal School, a college for teachers, opens.

1958: London Teachers’ College becomes affiliated with Western University as a junior high school.

1963: Becomes the home to former London board of education.

1985: Now houses the London and Middlesex County Roman Catholic separate school board, it’s renamed the Monsignor Feeney.

1985: The city places a heritage designation, and the Ontario Heritage Trust applies a Heritage Conservation Easement on the site.

2004: The Catholic school board relocates, vacating the building.

Is Parrott a possibility?

Six homes; one might be of interest to you

Sometimes I like to give a little extra promotion to Royal LePage Triland listings and usually it’s for homes in the mid-range.

Today, a quick look at some of the higher-end homes we have listed locally. In each case I will note the listing Realtor because if you prefer to contact them, that is your choice.

Since you likely require some more details and pictures, all are on the MLS system at www.Realtor.ca. Call me at (519) 537-1553, to view any of these properties, or any MLS home.

431 Parrott Place, Woodstock

Listed by: Peter Vandersar (536-1200)

MLS: 70288. Asking: $499,000

Backing on to treed ‘protected’ green space on large city lot, this executive ranch is more than 2,000 sq ft on main floor with almost fully finished lower level. Just 7 years old, this could be the high-end ranch you’ve been waiting for. Multi-level back deck off gourmet kitchen with a cathedral ceiling.

221 Fairway Road, Woodstock

Listed by: Katherine Pozza (536-1677)

MLS: 70299. Asking: $474,900

With 2800 sq ft of custom-built living space, this immaculate ranch in the adult-only Sally Creek neighbourhood (North of Pittock Lake and the west off Highway 59) features many amenities – porcelain tiles, high-gloss hardwood, kitchen with granite counters and stainless appliances . Attention to detail everywhere. Ask about the community fees.

Township Rd 6, Innerkip

Listed by: Lynn Routly (536-5966)

MLS: 69807. Asking: $1,390,000

For starters this is an 80-acre (62 acres workable) farm, but with a very attractive 2-storey home and a detached 40’ x 30’ shop. Many possible hobby farm uses or rent out the land. Home with newer style kitchen, lots of hardwood flooring, double living room, and formal dining room. Just east of Innerkip with quick access to 401 for Cambridge commuters.

6 CheleMark, Sweaburg

Listed by: Pat Bonn (421-5098)

MLS: 69862. Asking: $357,700

Unique vaulted ceiling through living-dining room in 4-bedroom 2-storey (modified side split actually) on a quiet crescent in a village setting. With large main-floor family room with a gas fireplace, plus a spacious office/den there is a lot to offer. Large and welcoming foyer. Ensuite to master bedroom. Terrific family home.

643171 Road 64, Zorra Twp.
Listed by: Lori Goldhawk (485-2227)

MLS:69248. Asking: $549,900

Custom-built log home (11 years old) on 1.5 acres. Attractive Cape Cod appeal with four dormers. Attached 2-car garage and separate 1700 sq ft heated shop (16’x 12’ door). Stunning great room with 25-ft vaulted ceiling and 3-sided stone fireplace. Two bedrooms in upper area (master is 24’ x12’) with two more on main floor

 

Mark Schadenberg, sales rep

Royal LePage Triland

Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com

(519) 537-1553

 

 

 

Nine credit tips for consumers

There are many good principles and words of advice in the following:

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How to improve credit score

Written by  Michelle Watson

From: www.canadianrealestatemagazine.ca

From: Real Estate Wealth magazine

How to repair your credit record

1 The easiest and quickest thing a person with poor credit can do to is to quickly resolve items that may be pulling their score down. Check your credit bureau or work with an experienced mortgage professional or credit repair specialist and correct potential errors.

2 Thirty-five per cent of your credit score is determined by your payment history. So automate bill payments for creditor liabilities that are routinely paid late. Never forgo making even the $10 minimum payments.

3 Open a secured credit card with a lender that reports to the credit bureau or get a secured line of credit that will also report to the bureau and keep those payments timely.

4 Pay all outstanding collections or find a reputable credit expert to help you negotiate a settlement on these items -- you can get an instant boost to your credit score by 15 points or more.

5 Pay down revolving credit accounts such as unsecured lines of credit and credit cards. Since each lender uses a different minimum payment for mortgage qualifications, the higher the balance outstanding, the higher the minimum payment the mortgage lender must use.

6 Ensure your revolving credit balances are never reported over the limit granted by the creditor. This often happens when you are at or near your limit and the lender charges interest when your next statement is produced, causing the balances to be higher and lowering your balance-to-limit ratio. Since balance-to-limit utilization ratios have a huge impact on one’s overall credit score, an incorrectly reported balance may be artificially pulling one’s score down. Aim to keep your balances at no more than 50% of the creditor limit granted at any given time.

7 Don’t apply for a consolidation loan if you intend to purchase real estate in the near future. While the merits of doing so is admirable when you’re trying to reduce your debt, the higher balance reported relative to the approved limit of the consolidation loan in the first year or two will artificially lower your credit score.

8 Don’t shop for credit during your mortgage application process right through to mortgage funding. Many Alt A or sub-prime mortgage lenders pull a secondary credit bureau before funding and this can result in a decline if your score drops further than where it was at time of application.

9 Build and keep “active” credit. This means use credit cards you are approved for carefully and regularly. This is especially true if you have come out of a bankruptcy, consumer proposal or other emotional event that has caused your credit to decline. Having no “active” credit can be just as harmful from a credit perspective as having bad credit.

Emerald Ash Borer hits home

Beetle destruction means mature forests must be chopped down

By Mark Schadenberg

WOODSTOCK – If it takes 100 years to grow a full Maple tree, how many years does it take to nourish and promote the growth of a forest?

Many walking / cycling trails around Woodstock will look completely different in as quickly as 12 months as tree removal crews will be purging more than 80% of the mature trees along the trails behind Standard Tube and running along the Thames River in the west end of Woodstock – where Cedar Creek meets the Thames.

It’s a shame, but unfortunately it has to happen – for two reasons.

On a smaller note, but still major, is that a species called the Manitoba Maple, which as its name suggests is not indigenous to this habitat must be removed – if not it could suffocate the progress of trees we do want in this ‘neck of the woods’.

Emerald Ash Borer

On a larger scale, the more significant concern is the trees killed by the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) beetle. This invasive insect has received more press than the Beatles in recent years as it invaded southern Ontario after its initial discovery in Michigan. The bug is native to China, Japan, Taiwan and even Russia, but not North America.

The report to council says: “typically, within five years of an infestation arriving in an area, up to 98% of the Ash trees are observed to have been killed by this insect.”

At Woodstock city council on Thursday (Oct. 18), Brian Connors, who is the City’s director of parks and recreation, will file a report to note how many Ash trees need to be removed, especially from both the Youth Start trail on the north side of Dundas Street along Cedar Creek (behind Chuckwagon restaurant), and  the Lions Club Millennium trail behind Standard Tube (Arcelor Mittal). The Connors copy (Council agendas are online at: www.city.woodstock.on.ca) already points out that 50 of the 93 Ash trees in the Youth Start trail have been removed.

Keep in mind, many residential streets also feature Ash trees, and they too will be cut down.

The parks and rec. report continues by noting that previous City Councils have “set aside $110,000 in a reserve fund to deal with an Invasive Pest Strategy, of which $40,000 was set aside to be used in 2012.”

That monetary figure must be used to chop down Ash trees on trails, streets and parks.

“In most cases the trails are in flood plains and the work is best completed during the fall and winter months,” added author Connors. “Accordingly, it is recommended that Council provide funds to proceed so that staff can begin arranging for this work immediately.”

There are many re-forestation funding resources available, but where are the dollars to plant the trees (planting crew) and what species are available in bulk? Do you want trees that are just two feet tall to be planted or can larger trees be rounded up (shouldn’t use term ‘round up’, should I) for this re-establishment project.

Recreation Advisory Committee

I write as someone who enjoys the local trails and is a Lions Club member, but I’m also chair of the city’s recreation advisory committee (WRAC), and as I often state our group deals (offers suggestions) with everything in leisure and recreation locally – not just rinks, pools, skateboard parks, and the sports wall of fame. The WRAC looks at playground equipment and parks, and participated in the recent trails master plan.

City Council on Thursday will be asked to vote on a suggested or recommended funding motion.

This Ash problem is a reality, and not good news.

Mark Schadenberg, sales rep

Royal LePage Triland

(519) 537-1553

Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com

By the way, our Lions Club is always looking for new members and you don’t have to volunteer to plant trees unless you want to. However, our Lions Club highway cleanup on Highway 2 (west of the city) is this Saturday at 9 a.m., so look out for a terrific crew from our local service club with garbage bags and orange jackets.

    

4 Life's Transitions

Assistance in a move for seniors

By Mark Schadenberg

  

When selling a home you need the assistance of a Realtor, but you and your Realtor may also need assistance from mortgage personnel, home inspectors, lawyers, painters, virtual reality photographers, moving companies, and someone who can de-clutter a house.

As a Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES), I see this often. I walk into many lovely homes that are packed with furniture, family heirlooms, photos of grandchildren, shelves of Shakespeare, and vinyl for a Victrola.

What to do when it’s time to sell?

I know there are many companies who specialize in de-cluttering or staging a house, sending antiques to auction, and assisting in the marketing of a home, but today I want to mention my visit with Susan and Wayne Kemp of 4 Life’s Transitions. This is an Oxford County based company, which will assess and analyze your situation. If your home simply requires painting and a storage unit to help it sell, then that’s the recipe, but you likely require professional assistance and organization skills. The company’s ingredients or choice of chores includes true consultation for a home seller and/or a home seller’s family.

I will not simply re-type items from the 4 Life’s Transitions pamphlet, but they believe: “We instill in (home sellers) a more positive forward thinking approach. We help them be interested in what is ahead and still bask in what was behind.”

I had quite a long meeting with the Kemps and was impressed with their knowledge of the auction process, for example. We all know that some ‘old stuff’ is junk, while most of it is ‘priceless’ and worth a lot of money in an auction. There are also luxury auction houses where some specific high-end items can be promoted for profit (Yes, I’m all about alliteration today). Silverware, china, or a meticulously maintained armoire could attract quite a financial return.

Remember, if the destination is a retirement home, you may be down-sizing from 2000 sq ft and a large basement for storage to about 400 sq ft. Most large apartments would only be as much as 1200 sq ft.

If a move is in your future, call me. Also, call Susan and Wayne Kemp at 1-866-763-0067 for a free initial consultation.  (www.4lifes.ca)

They are members of an accredited association: NASMM or ‘National Association of Senior Move Managers’.

From their website: “Each Stage of life comes with both joy and sadness. Transitions through the years present us with challenges that often seem overwhelming. 4Life's Transitions are there to providing an extensive range of services to assist in navigating through these challenging times. Whether you are a homeowner, renter or assisting someone that is downsizing a home or needs help aging in place, we can be there to assist. All of 4Life's services are tailored to meet your specific requirements. We can provide a quote on a fixed fee or hourly basis depending on your wishes. It all begins with a FREE one hour consultation in your home to assess your needs and together we can prepare a custom estimate for the services that you require.”

It’s part of an overall plan to maximize your curb appeal, first impressions, and selling advantage.

Mark Schadenberg, sale rep

Seniors Real Estate Specialist

Royal LePage Triland

(519) 537-1553

Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com

Growth expected in London

More people, more infrastructure, more houses, more jobs
Some people like to see modest growth in cities, while others fully realize that larger centres bring in more jobs. The flip side is that a municipality needs the infrastructure for more people -- bus routes, roads and sewers.
Just down a 6-lane highway from Woodstock, the city of London is expanding. There's already been an announcement that a 401 cloverleaf will be created at Wonderland Road. As you know, currently you have to leave the 401 in a Y-exit at the 402 to reach Wonderland. This new industrial triangle could be a boom for the Forest City.
I'm someone who believes that a boom for London is a boom for Woodstock. At the same time, great news for Woodstock (Nova Steel, Sysco) is also great news for London and all points in southern Ontario.
London is also planning for a possible population increase to as high as 500,000, (Currently about 380,000) but not until a projected date of 2041.
Here's ther London Free Press piece:

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City’s numbers expected to swell to 500,000 by 2041

By Chip Martin, The London Free Press

Monday, October 15, 2012

LONDON -- Homebuilders should be happy. And toy shops and pediatricians.

Seems Londoners are doing their bit for population growth.

City council’s planning committee was told Monday increasing birth rates and other demographic tweaks will keep demand strong for single family housing up to 2041 when the city’s population is expected to reach nearly 500,000.

Peter Norman, of Altus Group Economic Consulting, predicted “a big rise in the number of families with children” in that time frame with a strong demand for single family housing.

Other demographics will be the increase in the number of Londoners in their 30s and 40s and aged 65 and greater.

The population and employment forecasts were adopted even though they were half what Mayor Joe Fontana and others on council said they wanted back in June.

The consultants included a 2% projection, but said nearly three times the annual increase of 2,330 jobs would be need to achieve that. Planning staff recommended the 0.91% Altus projections which will be used to guide city decisions on planning and servicing.

Norman said the new projection is an increase from the sluggish 0.7% growth rate of recent years.

He warned, however, international economic problems could produce growth rates less than currently projected.

“Over the period 2011 to 2041, a total of 57,115 new households are expected in the city of London,” the Altus report found. “The expectation is for the construction of some 61,100 new dwellings.”

And that means low density, primarily single family and semi-detached housing, will account for about 53% of all housing, while medium and high-density housing is expected to stand at 16% and 31% respectively.

A natural increase in births in excess of deaths by 24,000 and net inflow of about 108,500 migrants will propel population growth that falls far behind the peaks seen in the 1980s.

Fontana said he was pleased the consultants took into account the 2% scenario council is promoting.

Email: Chip.Martin@sunmedia.ca

Looking to buy or sell in Woodstock or London, call:

Mark Schadenberg

Royal LePage Triland

(519) 537-1553

Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com 

Important zoning change approved by city council

Another Woodstock townhouse complex closer to reality

What to build at Melbourne & Riddell?

By Mark Schadenberg

WOODSTOCK -- Prices haven’t been set and exact square footages are undetermined, but there was some good news at Woodstock city council last Thursday (Oct. 4) when a planning report was passed on the future of the former Beckett Farm Market property.

Originally, there was the possibility of a 12-storey condominium apartment building. The idea of condo apartments is good as it maintains a retired person(s) equity position in real estate, but the height of the previous proposal didn’t sit well with neighbours on Melbourne, Graham and Riddell streets.

The Shadow

The main problem is that the height of the building would have placed Melbourne in the shadow.

A new idea was drawn up by developer / builder Ray Losee (Losee Riddell Manor Inc along with Nellwood Construction) of Woodstock to instead build two-storey townhouses on the site. In essence, their appearance in council chambers was to confirm a medium density zoning on the property instead of high density, to enable the future construction of 56 adjoining/townhouses on this 2.27 acres with 34% of the land to be maintained as open space, along with its 90 parking spaces.

The idea or vision presented to council included a photo rendering / concept site plan, so I cut-and-paste it and include it here.

What is interesting is that the former (and obviously nearby) Woodstock General Hospital will likely see a similar evolution – in my opinion and from what has been suggested in public meetings.

Council passed a motion Oct. 4, stating: “. . . the proposed amendment maintains the strategic initiatives  and objectives of the Official Plan as it pertains to residential development in the City of Woodstock and is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2005).”

I could write an entire chapter (or three books) on the province’s law, which literally dictated a plan in the foreseeable future of how density of homes was to be dealt with by municipalities. The Ontario government wants intensive homescapes to maximize the efficiency of land use for residential purposes. Simply put: build up and not out. Build homes with less street frontage. Sever wide lots and then build in-between. A tighter cluster of homes is seen everywhere locally in new construction.

Experienced Builder

One of the reasons I like this Losee complex is that their company has built similar units locally and as recently as last year with the not-completely-sold-yet row freehold bungalow townhomes at the corner of Anderson and Canrobert streets.  

Remember, while city council would not and never does approve each and every building permit for residential homes, council will have another look at this ‘upcoming neighbourhood’ when site plan approval is requested. This Oct. 4 move was to change zoning, which also needs County of Oxford approval.  

When you’re ready to sell or buy, call:

Mark Schadenberg, sales rep

Royal LePage Triland, Woodstock

Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com

(519) 537-1553