The townhouse project “will have high-efficiency tankless electric water heaters providing hot water in each unit,” says Yaseen Nimjee
Press release
SUSTAINABLE ORILLIA
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“I hate waste,” says Yaseen Nimjee, co-founder and president of M5V Developments Inc., the developer of the former Mount Slaven 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 departure from some building styles of yesteryear, are being proposed for the 114-unit townhouse community planned for the property formerly home to Mount Slaven Public School.
Stacked housing, creating higher density and more efficient buildings, will be distributed across six three-story buildings, with residential units on each floor.
“We decided to stop using gas forced air heating in our units two or three years ago,” says Nimjee. “We use a high-speed heat pump system to quickly provide heat to the rooms. It is very efficient and compact. There is no reason to run gas lines to the building.”
Nimjee is also the developer of the Sundial Retirement Residence as well as the under-construction Sundial Seniors Apartments.
“I use the same heat pump systems in each of these 152 suites,” he says. “However, I use gas forced air heating for the common areas.”
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists and many others, our continued use of so-called “natural gas” poses significant economic, environmental and public health risks. Instead, fully decarbonizing our electricity system – primarily through renewable energy, efficiency and storage – is necessary to limit the threat of climate change and reduce the risks and harms of gas.
“The Mount Slaven project will feature high-efficiency electric tankless water heaters providing hot water in each unit,” says Nimjee. “It’s all electric; no gas.”
New buildings from M5V are insulated inside and out.
“In addition to batting and foam on the inside, we use rigid board insulation on the outside. It is not much more expensive to achieve better than the legally required minimum insulation. We will exceed the legal requirements in terms of insulation,” says Nimjee.
Common walls in the settlement reduce the heat requirement.
“The buildings are very well sealed,” says Nimjee. “They are much denser and much better insulated. Overall, significantly less waste is generated. We build half of our units off-site in a climate-controlled indoor facility. So once we're on site, things move quickly. We have minimal wood waste.”
The M5V development will include heat pumps, Energy Star argon windows and higher quality insulation.
“It’s all part of our company culture,” says Nimjee. “I grew up as a child of immigrants. My grandmother taught me not to waste anything.”
Toronto-based M5V Developments Inc. focuses on secondary centers such as Niagara and Orillia.
Zoning for the Mount Slaven project has been completed and site plan approval is expected in January.
“We expect to break ground and launch in 2025,” says Nimjee.
The decision on whether to proceed with condominiums or rental units and the price range have yet to be determined.
Nimjee believes this, and his development shows, that a strong business case for more sustainable construction can now be created through the use of clean electrical energy, modern materials and efficient methods.
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