Kylemore Communities’ visionary president talks homes, community-building and new urbanism in Markham
MARKHAM – Angus Glen Community is one of York Region’s most affluent and highly south-after neighbourhoods, and Kylemore Communities president Patrick O’Hanlon has even more big ideas for this community that even he calls home.
O’Hanlon has been a key driving force behind Kylemore’s many contributions to the area, including the East Village and the Shoppes of Angus Glen at the southwest corner of Major Mackenzie Drive and Kennedy Road, and more recently, the West Village located on the other side of Bruce Creek – just south of the Angus Glen Community Centre.
For our interview, O’Hanlon suggested meeting up at the newest of three Angus Glen model homes – a beautiful detached Custom Home Model (pictured below) on the secluded Royal County Down Avenue in the West Village. Leaning casually against the model home’s stunning Cambria countertop, he proudly explained the concept governing the development of West Village and the East Village before it.
“What we’re trying to do is make it a community,” O’Hanlon explains. “What we’ve also done is we’ve developed a product for every walk of life… We have starter homes, we have move-up homes, we have luxury homes, and we’re underway with our first condo.”
Formerly home to Canadian mining magnate Arthur Stollery and a number of Stollery’s championship-winning thoroughbred horses – as well as Angus cattle after which the property was named – Angus Glen saw its first major development in 1994 with the opening of the Angus Glen Golf Club and Conference Centre. The club boasts an internationally-renowned course that hosted the world’s best golfers in the 2002 and 2007 Canadian Open PGA championships.
The many services and amenities offered by the Angus Glen clubhouse, O’Hanlon says, are a major draw for area residents and Angus Glen home buyers.
“We built the golf course first, to give the area the image that we wanted and to brand it as a golf course community,’ O’Hanlon says. “With the clubhouse, we’ve introduced a whole other benefit to being in Angus Glen. You have a facility now for Mother’s Day brunches, dinners, or weddings – or just to go up and socialize.”
According to O’Hanlon, many home buyers are also drawn to Angus Glen by the natural beauty of the Bruce Creek ravine, and highly-praised schools such as Pierre Elliot Trudeau Secondary School which offers the areas French Immersion program – located just southeast of Angus Glen’s East Village.
The magnificent views don’t hurt, either, he says:
“Our original concept for Angus Glen was based on new urbanism planning principles. One aspect of this is that all the streets would end in a vista – whether it’s the golf course, the park, a special structure, or just simply a ravine or natural structure.”
The concept of a golf course vista was what inspired Kylemore’s very special The 6th Angus Glen condominium project, situated on a tract of land overlooking – you guessed it – the famed 6th hole fairway of the golf club’s south course.
“Instead of doing a few homes on that very special parcel, it was always envisioned to be a condominium,” O’Hanlon says of the project, which will feature 175 condos in two buildings.
“We’re offering the Ritz Carlton of Markham. It’s not a condominium to speculate on, it’s a condominium to live in – and no one else is doing that in Markham.”
Kylemore’s unique approach to design revolves around the principle of freedom and choice for each buyer – whether you’re looking for a townhouse, condo, or custom detached home. Having built strong partnerships with companies like Cambria, Subzero-Wolf, and Baldwin Hardware, the company is able to offer Angus Glen homebuyers a wide range of quality materials and upgrades throughout the interior.
In order to “make the home the star,” front-facing garages are intentionally set back. Likewise, smaller units feature rear garages exiting into a laneway. In keeping with the contemporary design approach, every Angus Glen home features high-pitch roofing, large windows, and smaller bricks.
“All of that costs money, but we find it adds value to the neighbourhood,” O’Hanlon said, noting the impressive returns many Buyers of Angus Glen homes have already enjoyed in the re-sale market.
“I call us the biggest custom home builder in Canada, because we will customize every one of our homes to the purchaser’s needs. And it’s phenomenal what people have done.”
If you’re looking to buy a home in Markham, there’s never been a better time to visit Angus Glen – especially with golfing season already in full swing. Interested home buyers can view the community site plan, floor plans, photos, and more over at Kylemore Communities’ official web site.
Looking for a great real estate sales representative or broker who can work with you to figure out which type of Angus Glen home is the right one for you and your family? Feel free to contact us online – our team of real estate professionals will be happy to help you out.
