About Us
Community Vision
New Amherst Village is located on the shores of Lake Ontario in the charming beachtown of Cobourg.
Life here is characterized by quiet, small town streetscapes, hallowed front porch living that invites connections with your neighbours, and abundant green space to connect homes with the beauty of nature.
Just one hour east of Toronto and connected by the 401 and VIA service, the conveniences of urban living are never far away. Plus, essential everyday services like retail, health care, education, transportation and fibreoptic communications are on your doorstep.
The master plan is designed as a mixed-use, pedestrian friendly neighbourhood integrated within the small town of Cobourg. The community features an iconic Clock Tower in the centre of the Village, and offers a main street boulevard with a mix of residential and commercial designed to complement the historic architecture of Cobourg and nearby Port Hope. (Both are recognized by MoneySense Magazine as “One of Canada’s Best Places to Live” in towns with under 25,000 population).
Community design allows for privacy yet it is just a short walk to one of the many neighbourhood parks, the Community Garden, most small town conveniences or the natural beach. The homes are based on classic architectural designs from Cobourg and neighbouring Port Hope. The entire palette of styles and materials has been chosen to create a community distinguished by its thoughtful grace and beauty.
Max LeMarchant is one of the visionaries behind this unique community development. The idea was to build a high-quality, ecologically sustainable neighbourhood that both complements and enhances the historic Town of Cobourg.
Max retained the renowned architectural firm Duany, Plater, and Zyberk, best known for their award-winning New Urbanism communities.
Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk understand human nature—our need to connect with one another—and have designed a community of homes set among generous parks and flowing streetscapes:a neighbourhood that cherishes privacy on one hand while encouraging friendliness on the other.
So far, there are about 350 homes built, an insurance office and a series of Live Work homes on New Amherst Boulevard, along with landscaped parks. As the development continues to unfold, there will be another 500 to 600 homes, a school plus further development on New Amherst Boulevard including more residential/commercial units, a restaurant and a Condo Hotel.
Sustainable Design
At New Amherst Village, we believe a community is a living part of its natural surroundings, not something to be built at nature’s expense. We need nature in our lives today more than ever. We need fresh air, and a place to grow and to restore…a place to foster deep connections with each other and with our environment. We believe communities prosper when they are people-friendly and respectful of the natural world. At New Amherst Village our goal has always been to create a place where this can happen. We have built with sustainability in mind, working to a high standard of quality, guided by social responsibility.
The design has been informed by New Urbanism, an urban design movement which promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighborhoods where streets are smaller and more pedestrian friendly. The community design has a mix of residential and commercial which means that parks and amenities are within walking distance of every home and residents are less reliant on their car.
The homes are diverse and varied, but all reflect a coherent and timeless architectural style, yielding a sense of place. Rear lanes with garages tucked in the back allow for sidewalks on both sides of the street and glorious front porches on which to simply slow down and unwind. Contoured by its landscape, New Amherst Village lives in concord with its surroundings.
Storm runoff has been carefully controlled to create our wonderful Pond Park, complete with benches and enhanced by walking trails that connect to Cobourg’s trails and the natural beach. Another jewel of the Village is the large Community Garden, where residents can enjoy time together as they tend their raised gardens. For those who prefer a different kind of walk in the country, there are six golf courses within 20 minutes’ drive. Plus, across the road from the Village, you may sometimes see horses grazing peacefully at Maplewood Stables.
Wellness
Cobourg is ‘Ontario’s feel good town’ — stemming from its rich heritage as a resort town but also because there are more wellness practitioners here, than any other town of its size.
The reasons are clear to anyone who lives here… “the water, the environment, and the location”.
At New Amherst Village, our community design is the center of our health and well being. So, whatever makes you “feel good”, we are sure you will find inspiration here. Homes are minutes to many neighbourhood parks, which makes walking easier than driving ensuring wellness can be an everyday activity.
Residents often say they feel part of something special, a well-loved neighbourhood does that. It’s a friendly place where neighbours care about each other and take the time to visit. Nature is literally on your doorstep. Be awakened to all of the life around you: swans, geese, and ducks on the Pond, foxes and rabbits, deer and snowy owls. Walk around—you’ll love it.
With outstanding access to the things that matter to you most, like running on Cobourg beach and the boardwalk or catching up with a neighbour, you can still be in instant contact with anyone you need to with high-speed fibre connectivity. And you can be physically present in Toronto in about an hour, by car or train.
Enjoy a slower pace, with room to breathe so you can be refreshed whenever you wish to connect. Essential services like retail, health care, education, and transportation are all close at hand.
The Village Community Garden and our extensive parks and nature trails are at the center of our health and wellbeing.
Through our seasonal workshops and community events, residents enjoy a variety of opportunities to enhance their quality of life, and, more importantly, get out and meet their neighbours while having fun and learning something new.
Year-round cultural events include the Summer Social music and artisan festival, and the Fall Harvest Festival.
This is a community where people live, work, learn and play in celebration of life’s beauty. A place where connections between people, nature and the larger community are nourished.
And don’t forget, here in the Village you are minutes to Cobourg’s pristine white sand beach where you can feel the healing sand between your toes, stroll the boardwalk or if you are seeking a more immersive wellness experience, spend a day at one of Northumberland County’s many spas including Ste Anne’s, Northumberland Heights or Fieldstone Spa.