Remedy Developments is a sustainable property development corporation in the North Bay, Ontario area that has adopted the process of incremental development founded on eight principles [1]:
Find a place that you can get to know intimately, that can provide you a livelihood, and that you love enough to improve over the years. By putting a physical signal out there - like a building - that you care about a place and believe it is worthy of investment, you may inspire such loyalty in others too. This powerful effect underpins a city’s strength and creates a livable community.
Achieving a goal one small step at a time is not only practical, it’s smart. In development, it’s tempting to think in terms of the full build-out. In reality, the best blocks and buildings are not built to 100% completeness from the outset. They need the chance to learn from their inhabitants and adapt to new circumstances.
Finding or inventing opportunity within the rules means that you can avoid a prolonged approvals process and antagonism with city staff. When you understand those thresholds and boundaries, you can demonstrate mutual benefits to all involved.
Even if you only have one project in mind, you will benefit from an attitude that holds what is good for the neighborhood is good for you. Our focus is on filling gaps and creating value in our neighborhood. The momentum generated by neighborhood-focused projects creates the opportunity for bigger and better things.
There is something about smallness that people love and you can use this to your advantage to create wonderfully enticing spaces with a reasonable budget. Square footage can be a real trap in development; don’t let it be your selling feature. When it comes to smart, frugal, cozy design, Danish architect Jan Gehl has good advice: “Whenever in doubt, leave some space out.”
You cannot do this alone. Even in the best-case scenario where you create wonderful, income-producing buildings, you still need great tenants to bring them to life. Fortunately, developing buildings requires developing relationships. Be intentional about lifting up locals in that process and you’ll gradually build an army of people with a shared interest in protecting and promoting your neighborhood.
A core undertaking in right-sizing is recognizing which projects should be simple, a process which we believe starts with tradition. Classic building types emerged because they are practical, affordable, lovable, and adaptable. Re-legalizing hardworking buildings like live-works and multi-plexes and backyard cottages would unlock entrepreneurial opportunity and housing capacity in our community.
Your buildings must earn their keep to you and the community if you want them to survive. This means they need to provide a cash flow to the developer and the municipality. The way you choose to give more than you take is like your signature as a developer. When multiplied and scaled up, this is how whole neighborhoods and cities create a sense of place.
All of our development projects are designed to benefit the community.
We engage and listen to the community members
We hire local contractors
We look at opportunities to involve the creative sector
We endeavour to utilize properties to their full potential
We support and foster success in entrepreneurs
We transform community asset$
Our development projects only move forward when they score 9/15 or higher on our Transformation Index. This provides as objective evaluation for a property’s potential for community transformation.
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