GOTTA GO DOWN TO KOKOMO

lifestyle magazine online london

Port Stanley's vacation-as-life community.

BEACHES. GOLF. A CHARMING WATERFRONT VILLAGE.

If that’s your dream for a summer getaway or a year-round home, you don’t have to look to cottage country or the southern U.S. London’s Wastell Homes is developing Kokomo Beach Club, a resort-style community offering all that and more in the Lake Erie village of Port Stanley.

Owners Doug and Sue Wastell were inspired by the gated resort communities they visited in Florida and set out to bring a similar concept to the Ontario market. “Our vision for Kokomo is to create a vibrant, amenity-packed community for people who are looking for active lifestyles,” Doug says. The George Street community of 500 residences – single-detached homes and condominium suites – will feature areas of parkland and walking trails connecting to the neighbouring Kettle Creek Golf Course.

A focal point will be its own community centre with an outdoor pool, pickle ball court and playground, plus a fitness centre, yoga studio, games room and other gathering spaces.

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Kokomo Beach’s active lifestyle amenities include areas of parkland and walking trails that connect to the neighbouring Kettle Creek Golf Course.

There’s easy access to the Blue Flag Main Beach, and it is a short walk to the quieter and less-populated Erie Rest Beach via Old River Road, just across George Street. The village’s downtown core with its shops and restaurants is also within easy walking distance. The Wastells felt their vision for the community they wanted to build fit seamlessly with the village’s artistic, eclectic atmosphere.

“Port Stanley is the perfect setting for Kokomo Beach Club,” Sue says. “The beaches are beautifully maintained and there are amazingly diverse food options and great retail shops. We also love how tucked away the town is, but still easily accessible to larger urban areas and the 401 highway,” she adds. “It’s an excellent alternative to Muskoka.”

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Exhibiting a relaxed beachy cottage look, a focal point of the development will be its community centre, featuring a pickleball court, outdoor pool, fitness centre, yoga studio and games room.

The couple also recognized the village’s rich history and character. “We tried to pay homage to Port’s quaint charm,” Sue says, citing architectural features like Bahama shutters and soft pastel colours on the houses’ exterior siding. The floor plan names like The Sand and streets named for significant historical places or moments are a tip of the hat to the town’s heritage.

For example, The Promenade, a street that backs onto a wooded area of the site, is a nod to the famous Stork Club dance pavilion that once graced the big beach. In its heyday, a nickel gained one entrance to its promenade to watch the dancers, while a few cents more was required to get onto the dance floor.

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Steps away from Port’s ‘big beach’ and within easy walking distance to ‘little beach,’ this development is perfect for those who want to take long walks, make sandcastles, swim in the waves or just laze in the sand.

The community is now building its first phase with closings expected to start in the spring. The completed development will comprise 150 single-detached homes and 350 suites in four mid-rise condominium buildings. The detached homes – bungalows, lofted bungalows and two-storey options with two-to four-bedroom designs – range from 1,250 to 2,100 square feet are priced from $449,900. The one-to threebedroom condo suites range from 800 to 1,300 square feet, with prices starting at $299,900.

Residents have the option of taking advantage of the Kokomo-Plus program, offering home and lawn maintenance – including grass cutting, snow removal, holiday light and decoration installation – as well as checking on homes when owners are away. “Our Kokomo-Plus program offers a truly turnkey lifestyle,” Doug Wastell says.

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When completed, Kokomo Beach Club will be comprised of 150 single-detached homes and 350 suites in four mid-rise condominium buildings.

Wastell Homes is noted for its quality building standards over more than four decades and is the only London builder to be selected by Mike Holmes for his Holmes Approved Homes accreditation.