Mount Slaven Development Eco-Friendly
By Gord Ball – Special to SUNonline/Orillia
Yaseen Nimjee believes, and his development demonstrates, that a strong business case can now be made for more sustainable construction, using clean electrical energy, modern materials and efficient methods.
“I hate waste,” said Nimjee, co-founder and President of M5V Developments Inc., the developer of the former Mt. Slaven Public School property on Westmount Drive in Orillia. “I grew up as a child of immigrants, my grandmother taught me not to waste anything.”
Several sustainable features, marking a shift away from some construction methods of yesteryear, are proposed for the 114-unit stacked townhouse development slated for the property that formerly housed the school. Stacked housing, providing higher density and more efficient buildings, will be spread across six, 3-storey buildings, accommodating units on each storey.
“We decided 2 or 3 years ago to stop the gas forced-air heating system in our units,” said Nimjee. “We use a high velocity heat pump system – to quickly get heat to rooms. It’s very efficient and compact. There’s no reason to run gas pipes to the building.”
Nimjee is also the developer of the Sundial Retirement Residence and the Sundial Seniors Apartments now under construction. “I utilize the same heat pump systems in each of those 152 suites,” he said, “however I do use gas forced-air heating systems for the common areas.”
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists and many others, our continued use of natural gas is full of significant economic, environmental, and public health risks. Instead, fully decarbonizing our electricity system – primarily with renewables, efficiency, and storage – is necessary to limit the threat of climate change and reduce the risks and harms of gas.
“The Mt. Slaven development will feature high-efficiency tankless electric water heaters, providing hot water in each unit,” says Nimjee. “All electric, no gas.”
New builds by M5V are insulated internally and externally. “In addition to bat and foam on the interior, we use a rigid board insulation on the outside. It’s not that much more expensive to do better than the minimum insulation required by code. We will exceed code requirements with regard to insulation.”
Common walls in the development will reduce heat requirements. “The buildings are very well-sealed.” said Nimjee. “They’re much tighter and much better insulated. Overall, there’s a lot less waste. We build half of our units off-site in an indoor climate-controlled facility, so once we’re on-site, it’s a fast build. We have minimal lumber waste.”
The M5V development will incorporate Energy Star argon windows in addition to heat pumps and higher-than-code insulation.
“This is all part of our corporate culture, says Nimjee.
The Toronto-based M5V Developments Inc. focuses on secondary centres such as Niagara and Orillia.
Zoning is completed for the Mt. Slaven development, and site plan approval is anticipated in January. “We expect to break ground and go to market in 2025,” says Nimjee. Decisions whether to proceed with condos or rental units, and the price range, are still to be determined.
(Images Supplied) Main: Artist rendering, Mount Slaven development.
