Devcore

Déjà vu? Hamilton Gardens still on the way

Local Journalism Initiative / The Low Down / September 17, 2025 / Devcore, development, Hamilton Gardens, La Pêche, Madeline Kerr, New housing development, Wakefield

By Madeline Kerr

Wakefielders who have been following the decade-and-a-half long saga of the Hamilton Gardens development, planned for the lot behind Cafe Earle, have heard this one before: the developer recently told the Low Down that the first phase of construction will begin “within the next couple of weeks.”

This is similar to what representatives from Devcore, the Gatineau-based firm in charge of the Hamilton Gardens development, told the Low Down earlier this year in May, last September and even all the way back in 2016.

But Philippe Goulet, VP of design and construction at Devcore, sounded confident when he asserted on Aug. 29 that the company has “the permits in hand” to begin building a single dwelling on the property, intended for the former owner of the land.

With regards to the rest of the development, which will include 40 units in total, Goulet said that Devcore has completed all required hydrogeological and geotechnical studies on the site and is now working with the municipality on plans to connect the site to municipal services like water and sewer. Later this month, according to Goulet, Devcore will be submitting their plans for the buildings’ designs to the municipality, and then, he anticipates, Devcore will “get the [rest of the] permits in hand before the end of the year and we can start [construction] after that.”

He acknowledged that the community has been anticipating this development for more than a decade. Devcore bought the land, which was originally home to Hamilton Motors, for $870,000 around 15 years ago. In 2011, Devcore’s original proposal for the site included three-story condos, up to 60 apartments and underground parking – vastly different from what Devcore plans to build now.

According to La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux, zoning for the development was approved in 2013.

“I understand that people think that [plans for the development were] dealt with 10 years ago, and that we haven’t changed anything [in the meantime], but that’s not the case. The plans have been adapted – we restarted this project probably a year and a half ago or close to two years ago,” Goulet explained.

He said he’s also aware that some residents are concerned the higher density housing will put a strain on the village’s water table.

“We did have an exhaustive hydrogeological study completed with test wells…to see the drawdown of the water table, and the effect was negligible,” Goulet asserted.

He added, “We’re satisfied that it’s okay to build and that it won’t affect the municipality or the other residents nearby.”

Hamilton Gardens will include 40-unit townhouses, duplexes and triplexes. In May this year, Devcore told the Low Down the homes would feature peaked roofs, large windows and oversized porches reminiscent of homes from the 1950s and would be available in colours that blended “seamlessly” with the rest of the village.

“Right now the land is unfortunately underused,” Goulet said of the site, which has sat empty for close to 15 years. “It’s asphalt and overgrowth…it’s a bit of an eyesore.”

He promised that eyesore would become “a very nice sort of entrance to the village…pretty soon.”

Déjà vu? Hamilton Gardens still on the way Read More »

Hamilton Gardens’ to break ground ‘shortly’

Local Journalism Initiative / The Low Down / June 3, 2025 / Devcore, Gatineau River, Hamilton Gardens, Housing development, La Pêche, Trevor Greenway, Wakefield

By Trevor Greenway

It’s been nearly 15 years since developers laid out plans for a waterfront development along Wakefield’s iconic riverfront. Now, the 40-unit townhouse project known as Hamilton Gardens will finally break ground this spring.

The municipality of La Pêche just approved a couple of minor variances to the project, which will see the buildings increase in size slightly. Developers are also switching up a colour scheme so that the homes blend “seamlessly” into the neighbouring environment.

“When you look at the area there of Hamilton Gardens, it’s going to have the feeling it has always been there,” Devcore VP of development Daniel Landry told the Low Down in mid-May. “It’s not going to look like an anachronism to the existing urban fabric of the Wakefield sector,” he added.

The development will be built next to Cafe Earle on Wakefield’s main drag, overlooking the Gatineau River.

In terms of changes, the minor variances approved by the municipality were indeed minor, as the surface area of the buildings in the development is increasing from 20 per cent to 23 per cent of the lot. Landry said there were issues with the design, as there wasn’t enough space for garbage trucks or emergency vehicles to turn around, and there would have been two dead ends in the development, which he said wouldn’t be efficient. So, they increased the size of buildings by three per cent globally and reduced the number of units from 45 to 40 to accommodate more space for vehicles to maneuver. Other changes included removing storm shutters on the windows and reducing setback requirements for three-family semi-detached buildings to 6.29 metres from the standard eight metres.

The homes’ cladding will consist of a mix of red brick, wood and high-density wood fibre like Maibec or other composite materials. They will have tin roofs, and every unit will be unique in colour: earth-tone reds, greens, yellows and greys. However, because the existing Cafe Earle – which is adjacent to the development – is already yellow, developers didn’t want clusters and “repeating colours,” so they changed the colour scheme’s order.

“Especially for the ones in the front, because we don’t want two yellow houses and two red or two red and one yellow,” said Landry. “Cafe Earle is yellow, and so we wanted to have not the same colours repeating. So that’s why we’ve put one red beside Cafe Earle, one grayish-blueish building in the middle and one yellow going towards the church,” he said referring to the Good Shepherd Anglican church, which is near to the development.

Landry boasted that the project exceeds La Pêche’s mandatory 25 per cent of greenspace, as Hamilton’s will feature closer to 45 per cent. The homes will be built in a colonial style with peaked roofs, large windows and oversized covered porches where residents can sit and interact with village life passing by. “Everything around it is going to look like part of the project because of the architecture,” added Landry.

La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux told the Low Down that the zoning for Hamilton Gardens was approved in 2013. However the changes are still subject to approval from the municipality’s Public Works department, its Environment department and the MRC’s Public Security sector.

Landry said Devcore hopes to begin construction shortly.

Hamilton Gardens’ to break ground ‘shortly’ Read More »

Wakefield’s Hamilton Gardens back after 13-year hiatus

Local Journalism Initiative / The Low Down / September 26, 2024 / Daniel Landry, Devcore, Trevor Greenway, Wakefield

By Trevor Greenway

Local Journalism Initiative

It’s been 13 years since Wakefielders first got up in arms over the design of Hamilton Gardens’ three-storey condo design.

After more than a decade of back-and-forth proposals and a controversial move by Devcore president Jean Pierre Poulin to block parking for locals on Riverside Drive after opposition to his original 2011 plan, the development is back on track.

The new Hamilton Gardens features a total of 40 units, mixed within duplexes, triplexes and townhomes, which will offer two-to-three bedroom homes for locals in a community setting.

“The development has a real community look and feel that’s well integrated into the village and respects its surroundings,” said Devcore project manager Daniel Landry.

The designs are a far cry from the original towering condos that would have changed the feel of the village. These homes will be built in a traditional style, with peaked roofs, large dormer windows and big covered porches where residents can sit and interact with village life.

The development will also include a local park for residents, common courtyard, and walking trails that aim to encourage residents to transform their neighbourhood into a walkable community.

“We are creating spaces for people to meet and to walk. The place where it’s located, it’s so easy to just leave your car at home. If you want to go to the community centre or the post office, you don’t have to take your car,” added Landry. “And with the river, it’s so nice, even in the winter. It’s like cottage life inside of a village.”

Landry said the design approach is based on a “missing middle” design – developments that contain a higher density than a single-family house but a lower density than a mid-rise building.

The homes in the front of the development are lower-density, two-unit buildings that look like regular Wakefield-style homes, while three-bedroom townhouses will take up the centre of the development. Three triplexes of six units each will appear at the back and west side of the lot, however Landry said the configuration could still change slightly.

Each home will also come with a detached basement for active residents looking to store bikes, tires or other belongings, and they won’t have to travel through their homes to get there. Basement access will be separate from the interiors.

“Let’s say you have a paddleboard, your skis, your bikes… you go directly in the basement,” added Landry. “Residents can create what we call, sometimes, like a mud room down there.”

Landry said the designs are based similarly on 1950s-style homes that had large porches at the front. The large front porches in the design will be slightly elevated to give residents a peek into what’s happening in the village, but also some much needed privacy.

“It gives the appropriate height – people sitting there will be able to interact with people walking, but they’re higher, so people won’t see into the house,” said Landry. “But when you’re in your living room, you’ll be able to see what’s going on out front.”

The homes will be clad in a mix of red brick, wood and high density wood fibre like Maibec or other composite materials. They will have tin roofs, and every unit will be its own unique colour; earth tone reds, greens, yellows and greys.

“What I like is that they all have different colours, so it’s easy to say, if you’re a kid, ‘I live in the yellow house there,’ or ‘I live in the green one.’”

Devcore hasn’t fully finished the specs and couldn’t say what the square footage of each unit will be or what the footprint of the buildings will be.

Landry said there are a few things still to be approved by the municipality, but Devcore hopes to break ground on this project next spring. Prices for the homes have not been finalized, and Landry said Devcore plans to host a public presentation on the development next spring.

Wakefield’s Hamilton Gardens back after 13-year hiatus Read More »