The residential developments in the Energy City continue to move forward, undeterred during the winter months.
The utilities are almost all installed, as Trimount Developments continues working with SaskPower and SaskEnergy to have power and gas accessible to the available lots. Jason Fleury, president of Trimount, said the goal is to have power, gas and phone lines installed by March 1.
Phase 3A of the project will be winding up in the next few months as Trimount turns to Phase 3B. The former phase includes all single-family dwellings, while the upcoming portion of the project will include multiple-dwelling houses and a four-storey apartment.
The developer hosted a groundbreaking in the fall, and since then has been busy preparing the site for the building to come.
"We completed about 80 per cent of the deep-site servicing on the first Phase 3A," said Fleury. "Right now we've been selling lots, and I believe we're at about 50 per cent sold out."
Fleury noted they will immediately be starting construction on seven single family homes. Shortly after construction begins, those houses will be going on the market with Century 21, who is selling all the real estate in the Dominion Heights area.
"As soon as we get into spring we'll complete all the services, the sidewalks, the roads, the paving of the roads. We're anticipating, as soon as that is complete, jumping into the next phase, which is 3B. That's where we have a lot of multi-family in that next phase.
"We're looking at doing something very close to that building (at Petterson Point), maybe some different colours on the outside. We've had a really strong interest. There has been good resale. We're sold out at Petterson Point."
He said their plan is begin construction in early summer on the apartment building.
"We're going to wrap up 3A and then continue on with 3B. The target right now is to get all of that completed before fall of next year so that all the roads are in, all the sidewalks are in and all that land is available to build on."
He said they are hoping to be building multi-family and single-family lots all through the summer and fall.
They will continue to evaluate how fast work is completed based on their sales, but Fleury said lots and homes are selling fairly quickly.
"We're going to continue to evaluate it based on our sales, but everything that we've seen (shows) a real strong market out there still," he said. They are receiving weekly requests about what is available for purchase in the new subdivision, he added.
"One of our struggles is securing the people to build these homes. It's a really tight labour market, but we're prepared to meet that challenge in the summer when the weather breaks here."
Early this week there was machinery on site prepping for the construction of the next set of houses.
"Estevan, over the course of the last five years, has done very well. We have no indications there isn't going to be another good five years in front of us," said Fleury. "As soon as we finish 3B, we'll work with the City of Estevan and start making preparations for 4A."
There are other residential plans being executed in the city. Essex Developments is heading up the Meadows of Estevan, turning the patch of land in the city's northwest sector into another burgeoning subdivision.
Graham Crips, project manager at Essex, noted they will be moving forward with Phase 1 this spring as they begin to develop single-family residential, multiple-family residential and a seniors' assisted living home along Wellock Road.
"I've been instructed to proceed with Wellock Road for sure," said Crips. "Wellock Road will be completed, I would guess, by the end of this year."
Phase 1 of the construction process includes completing work along the north side of Wellock. He said the city will also be completing their work along Wellock up to Meadowview Drive.
The subdivision is slated to include 146 single-family units as well as eight-plexes and six-plexes.
Crips is optimistic about how sales will proceed given the success of other residential projects in the city.
"Trimount is having reasonable success, so market uptake should be high," noted Crips. "(They are) selling, so I anticipate when we get Wellock going, that we'll start selling a few more and then we'll have to proceed with Phase 1."
He said the development agreement is still being hashed out. When they are able to begin construction is dependent on when the development agreement is signed, but Crips is expecting they will be able to get going in the spring.
As soon as the agreement is signed, he said they will begin making applications to SaskTel, SaskEnergy and SaskPower, at which time they'll have an approved subdivision.
