SMALL-TOWN CHARM amid luscious Manitoba greenspaces with easy access to city amenities and 15 minutes to downtown Winnipeg.
"You’re close to everything, but you’re outside of everything," is how Melanie Snow puts it. She is talking about not only East St. Paul, where she lives, but also the municipality’s new residential development Gateway Point, for which her company, Warkentin Custom Homes, is one of three builders.
Described as a luxury community in the town of Birds Hill, Gateway Point has 95 lots for custom-built single-family houses and luxury townhomes, all nestled around a pond and with lots spacious enough to allow for a pool or even this winter’s most popular backyard accessory.
"The yards are large enough so that you can put a skating rink in the backyard. And it’s a safe community. The game of hockey could be played out on the street," says Snow.
The active lifestyle has always been an attractive feature for people looking to move to East St. Paul, says Joel Neufeld, general manager of Irwin Homes, a family-run business that also has deep roots in the RM. Irwin Homes is the developer of Gateway Point, as well as a custom builder, along with Warkentin and Maric Homes.
"It’s a desirable neighbourhood. It’s a great place to be in terms of proximity to things like Birds Hill Park or out to Grand Beach or cottage country in any direction," says Neufeld.
He and Snow both say Gateway Point also offers both luxury and value.
"We have larger lots and the taxes are lower in East St. Paul," says Snow.
The biggest value boast from Neufeld is for the luxury townhomes, for which Irwin is the exclusive builder. They have average lots of 40 feet by 147 feet, and an entry-level price of $469,900.
"When you’re doing the math, it could be as much as $75,000 to $100,000 less than the average bungalow of the same size on a different lot. Plus your landscaping is included."
As for the luxury aspect, "We intentionally made the decision to raise what we consider the standard for townhomes. People hear townhome and they think kind of basic level, where everything is an upgrade," he says.
"We wanted to start with a really high level ... from cabinets to the ceiling to stainless-steel appliance packages that are included," as well as a gourmet kitchen, nine-foot ceilings and 24-by-24 attached garage.
Also included in units directly around the pond: Walk-out basements. "So essentially, it’s like doubling your living space."
Customization, however, is also possible and, says Neufeld, affordable.
"Because the purchase price is lower, you can spend a lot more money putting things in that you really want."
A 1,730-square-foot luxury townhome show home is available for viewing on-site and via video on the website at gatewaypoint.ca.
As for the single-family homes, with an average price range from $500,000 to $1 million, custom is king.
"That’s my big word. It’s custom," says Neufeld. "We had a couple come in and say, ‘We really want to do our kitchen in walnut.’ That’s a high-end upgrade, but they want that and we figure out how to do that for them."
Neufeld and Snow are hearing an increasingly popular custom request for an extra bedroom "that allows people to have two bedrooms and still have a home office. That’s become a much bigger thing that people are talking about now that they weren’t a year ago," says Neufeld.
There will be three single-family show homes on Will’s Way — Irwin’s two-storey 2,400-square-foot model, Warkentin Custom Homes’ roomy bungalow and Maric Homes’ two-storey modern farmhouse.
Another plus for Gateway Point is that East St. Paul has paused new residential developments until the municipality’s new wastewater treatment plant is completed, pending approval of $17 million in federal and provincial funds through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
Gateway Point sales lead David Powell’s advice to home buyers interested in East St. Paul: "If they want brand new, this is it."
