"The Best Thing Since...

...Sliced bread." #$%!?!?!

That's what Mattamy is calling the new town of Seaton (or maybe themselves?) in what is part of the fresh, new ad campaign for 2008. I found this full page ad in the current New Homes free magazine on the last page of the Mattamy pull-out.

I don't know what has got into their water (maybe its the 2 J.D. Power & Associates awards, etc.) at the Mattamy HQ but claiming to be the best thing to happen to new home building is like HONDA saying their cars are redifining automobiles...they're not. Or maybe they just hired Kanye West to head the marketing department. Anyways, I feel the ad is on the arrogant side and there is always much more to be desired in mass new-home building before anyone claims to have changed the game.

So the ad goes on to explain that,

"50 years ago,
Kids knew exactly,
what to do
when told to "Go Fly
a Kite."

Seaton Coming Soon.
A Brand New Town.

The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread.*

*Based on our shiny trophies


So thats my editorial on the new ad...I really just picking on little things but it just took me by surprise this morning.

Look What I Found!

Found this on the Sustainable Pickering: Seaton site, unnamed, unlabeled and just sitting there, probably never viewed by anyone unless you clicked every link on that site (this is what I do on night shifts). So another one of these colour-coded maps. This one is a bit more useful than the last one I posted.

Guess which colour belongs to Mattamy Homes?

Blue you say? Nah that belongs to Lebovic Homes.

Well ...

Click on the image above to find out where Creekside really is...and how close to the creek we're gonna be!

Ok...now that you've seen where the Seaton Creekside site will be the entire map is located HERE and shows the developments all the way to the 407 colour-coded to who owns the land (including more Mattamy and Lebovic sites north of Taunton). It surely looks like Lebovic will be the larger new home builder in the area with more sites but what do I know I'm just counting coloured blocks.

Leave your comments and tell me what you think of the sites!

Planning Seaton One Slow Step at a Time

So the news has been slow lately so I dug up some boring stuff to read.

I'm sure it's a tough task to plan a new town and the City of Pickering holds meetings every so often attended by the Seaton advisory committee.

The last meeting was held on February 20th, 2008 and the minutes of the meeting reveal some of the plans up for discussion.

Highlights (or low-lights) include:

• Discussion of whether to plan Seaton with a population of 70,000 or a more realistic 54,000 with intensification occurring over time
• Metrus and Lebovic Developments submitted their subdivision plans, no mention of Mattamy although they have reps present
• Interest from retailers to expand to Seaton
• Seaton has the opportunity to be innovative and be a community with integrated shopping
• UOIT/Durham College may build a site in Seaton
• 2 High Schools planned by the School Board -- questioned if it would be enough, they are awaiting the final population goal
• Alternative sources of energy (i.e. hot water heaters/district hot water heating) would be a draw and is being studied
• The Mayor suggested that planned big box retailers at Brock Rd. and Taunton Rd. were not preferred over prestige employment
• a GO station has been planned for the area but no precise location has been announced
• they would like to attract enterprises involved in research, development, production, sales and service of new, modern, efficient, "alternative energy" technologies and related services to the area. Strongly suggested was a "Green" theme
• shopping services that would blend into the area's cultural heritage vs. big box retail
• Green, Green and more Green!

If you want to read all 6 glorious pages contained in the minutes of the February 20th meeting visit

Sustainable Pickering: Seaton (Requires Abode Acrobat Reader)