CENTRE WELLINGTON – Geranium Homes didn’t want to put a pause on the estate development it had planned for land between Fergus and Belwood.
But the market dictates what the home building company can do, and the housing market has slowed, even while demand for homes is on the rise.
“Is it heartbreaking? It certainly is,” said executive vice president Cheryl Shindruk in a July 4 phone interview.
“We don’t look for reasons to do this. It’s the times. The housing market has shifted.”
Geranium Homes had planned to construct 118 estate homes on property just south of but still connected to the former Fergus Golf Course on Wellington Road 19, just west of Third Line.
It applied for and received a zoning amendment from Centre Wellington Township and an official plan amendment from Wellington County last year and had gone so far as to clear the land and prepare it for construction.
“We launched in October 2024 and the initial response was positive,” vice president of sales and marketing Stephanie Lane added.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t transition to the number of sales we hoped.”
The homes were to sell in the $2 million to $3 million range, which is a small pool of buyers, Lane acknowledged.
Those potential buyers usually had homes to sell first before buying these luxury homes and because of the economy, home sales have slowed and people were reluctant to commit.
“So, we decided to pause to find opportunities to expand our buyer pool,” Lane said.
Shindruk said the company will likely come up with a plan for smaller lots and homes, but the development will still be connected to a revamped golf course.
“We are still looking at a relationship with the golf course; we still want to offer homes with gracious backyards,” she said.
“It will be something similar, but they could be smaller.”
Shindruk said tariffs, a “soft” resale housing market, and a general lack of confidence in the economy are the three factors keeping people from buying these homes.
And these are the reasons behind the decision to re-think the plan.
“Sales are affected across the board, not just for us,” Shindruk said. “It’s not robust anywhere anymore.”
She added she’s not clear just how tariffs will impact homebuilders, but they certainly will, she said.
Asked if Premier Doug Ford’s changes to municipal planning processes have helped or hindered homebuilders, Shindruk would only say that Centre Wellington and Wellington County staff have been “a pleasure” to work with.
And they’ll be back at the table with both teams as Geranium figures out how to best move forward with the site.
“It will still be something beautiful,” said Shindruk.
“Our goal is to start as quickly as possible,” Lane added, noting erosion and sediment control is in place on the site and it will be monitored for safety and other concerns.
Shindruk said the old clubhouse at the golf course has been removed and a temporary structure is there for now.
Geranium will begin construction of the new clubhouse in the coming days or weeks.
