Ottawa's eQ Homes has been chosen by Neilcorp Homes to complete the build-outs at two Eastern Ontario communities, Marshall’s Bay in Arnprior and Mill Run in Almonte.

Marshall’s Bay is already home to hundreds of residents, while eQ will begin building a new block of homes at Mill Run. eQ is finalizing details for the layouts, styles and housing options which will be available.

“Regional has had a working relationship with Neilcorp for many years,” Josh Kardish, senior vice-president of eQ Homes, told RENX Homes in an interview. “They basically handpicked us because we deliver the same quality experience that they offer. 

“I think there is a level of trust that we will wind down those communities with the same level of care that they started them with.”

The company is to construct over 300 homes at the two communities during the next few years.

eQ is a multiple-award-winning builder which is part of Ottawa’s Regional Group of Companies. Regional and eQ are probably best known for eQuinelle in Kemptville, where the firm has been building a range of family-oriented housing since 2007.

It is also in the final stages of development at Greystone Village, an urban community in old Ottawa east.

Neilcorp to focus on Granite Village

After several years of building itself at Marshall’s Bay, Neilcorp is now focusing on another new development, Granite Village in nearby Calabogie.

“We’ve spent decades building homes and communities we’re proud of,” said Robert Dick, president of Neilcorp Homes, in a statement. “Entrusting eQ Homes with this next chapter was an easy decision. They understand our legacy and are well-positioned to deliver on the vision we’ve created, while we shift our focus to Granite Village.”

That’s a strategy eQ and Regional Group have also used at some of its housing developments over the years.

“They recognize there are things that we do at the product mix level that they didn’t do, and they saw that as an opportunity,” Kardish said. “It’s easier because we are already doing these. We offer different homes and different lot sizes, we have more variation on those particular lot sizes.

“It’s a lot of work for homebuilders, particularly smaller homebuilders, to go in and develop a whole bunch of new homes from scratch.”

New, and more affordable options from eQ

Offering more affordable housing will be a priority. Regional hopes to launch sales at Marshall’s Bay Meadows in Arnprior later this summer, and at Almonte’s Mill Run in early 2026.

In Almonte, eQ Homes will construct up to 131 homes in a range of low-rise freehold forms.

“It will be a mix of townhouses with varying single-family home sizes,” Kardish said. “The piece we are going to bring to this, obviously, is that we have different and new townhouse designs to what Neilcorp did.”

eQ will also design smaller lots to accommodate “starter single-family homes”.

“We do want that complete freehold opportunity, with no neighbours (attached), but we need to drive prices down to allow an opportunity to do that. So that will be quite different from the Neilcorp experience.”

Kardish said the key is to maximize lot design to accommodate single-family housing amenities on a more compact layout. 

“We can do a lot of really fascinating things with house design and community development to ensure that we are still able to keep shade trees on every lot, proper vegetation, proper storm water management, give everybody yards. We just have to be thinking a bit differently how we use our space.”

Arnprior will also feature a mix of housing styles. About 200 homes in total remain at this development, with about 36 to be low- or midrise multifamily.

eQ’s contribution will be, “again a mix of townhouses and single-family homes,” Kardish said, “and then down the road some blocks of land along the main road that are reserved for some form of multiresidential housing.”

eQ also provides larger homes

The marketing website for Marshall’s Bay Meadows is live, and eQ is renovating its future sales centre in Arnprior.

“Interestingly a lot of our new houses are a minimum three to four-plus bedrooms. One of the things we are really proud of is we have something we call our Duo homes which are actually predesigned houses with basement rental suites. And completely separated, so they are standalone income-producing units, or stand-alone for family members.”

These homes will be available on 37-, 42-, 45- and 50-foot lots.

The latest additions to eQ and Regional’s homebuilding pipeline joins other developments in communities such as Embrun and Clarence-Rockland, as well as in Ottawa and eQuinelle.

Currently boasting almost 750 homes, construction continues to expand the Kemptville neighbourhood designed to include 1,158 homes at full build-out, though further expansion is possible.

 “It’s beautiful,” said Regional Group’s CEO Sender Gordon of eQuinelle, noting landscaping and greenspaces planted 15 or more years ago are now starting to mature. “The beginning was a slog, but now it has really come to life.”

Third-generation, family-owned Regional Group

Gordon represents the third generation of his family to guide Regional Group, a fully integrated real estate and development firm. He oversees a $5-billion development pipeline, almost three million square feet of commercial space and 1,500 residential units.

“There are many groups that do part of what we do, there area (a) few groups that do everything that we do, and there are even fewer groups that do everything that we do well,” Gordon said.

The company’s local knowledge, roots and experience across a range of commercial real estate sectors allow it to “look at any parcel of land and be able to bring many different lenses.”

Regional is also celebrating being named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for the seventh straight year.

“It’s not something that one person could achieve,” Gordon said, sharing the accolades with the company’s staff. “Best managed company is an award that is given to a company.”