Site-Plan and Lot-Selection Guide
The home can be changed. The lot cannot. Here is how to read a site plan and choose well under release-day pressure.
In a low-rise community, lot selection is the decision with the longest consequences and the shortest deliberation time. Everything about the house can eventually be renovated. Nothing about the lot can.
Reading the plan of subdivision
Ask for the plan of subdivision rather than the marketing site map. It shows lot numbers, dimensions, road allowances, park blocks, stormwater management ponds, walkways, servicing easements and future phases.
Orient yourself first: find north, find the arterial roads, and find where the community connects to the wider street network. Then place the lot you are considering within that.
Orientation
Which way the rear yard faces determines how the home lives. A south-facing rear yard receives sun through the afternoon and warms the back of the house; a north-facing rear yard stays cooler and shadier. East-facing rears get morning sun; west-facing rears get intense late-afternoon heat.
There is no universally correct answer — it depends on whether you garden, whether you have young children who nap, and how much you value afternoon shade. But it is worth an explicit decision rather than an accident.
Grading and drainage
Ask for the lot grading plan. It shows the finished elevations and where water is intended to flow. Look for swales along or across the lot, catch basins, retaining walls and significant slope between front and rear.
A lot at the low point of a drainage pattern receives water from its neighbours. A lot with a steep grade change may need a retaining wall or steps that reduce usable yard. Neither is disqualifying, but both should be known before signing.
Easements and encumbrances
An easement does not stop you owning the land, but it restricts what you can build over it — often including a pool, shed or permanent structure. If those are part of your plan, check first.
- Servicing easements for sewers, water or utilities crossing the lot
- Drainage easements shared with a neighbour
- Utility boxes, transformers, hydrants and street light poles on or beside the lot
- Sight-triangle restrictions at corners
- Fencing or landscaping restrictions imposed by the subdivision agreement
Adjacency — what is next to you and what will be
Look at what borders the lot on all four sides, and then at what borders it in the future phases. A lot backing onto a park is desirable; a lot backing onto a stormwater management pond has different characteristics, including insects and access restrictions. A lot beside a walkway or a visitor parking bay has more foot traffic than a mid-block lot.
Ask explicitly what is planned for any vacant land adjacent to the community, over what timeframe, and by whom. The answer is public information and it will be in the municipality's planning record.
Ask what is planned for every parcel that touches your lot, including land outside the community. Views and quiet are not protected by a purchase agreement.
Lot premiums
Builders charge premiums for lots they consider superior — corner, walk-out, ravine-backing, park-facing, pie-shaped or extra-deep. Some premiums are worth paying because they capture something genuinely scarce and resell well. Others simply price a feature you do not personally value.
The test is whether the premium buys something permanent that you will use. An extra-deep lot you will landscape is different from a corner condition that mainly adds sidewalk to shovel.
Corner and end conditions
Corner lots gain light and a second exposure, and often a wider lot. They also carry more exterior maintenance, more sidewalk, more visibility from the street and sometimes additional landscaping requirements under the subdivision agreement. End units in a townhome block gain a side wall and the windows that come with it.
Choosing under pressure
Rank several lots in advance of the allocation, not one. Write down your ranking with the reason for each. Buyers who bring a ranked list make good decisions quickly; buyers who bring a favourite make emotional decisions slowly and often end up with a lot they did not evaluate at all.
Frequently asked questions
What types of lots are available at UpTown Woodbridge?
UpTown Woodbridge features a variety of lot types, including large pie-shaped lots, secluded crescents, and quiet cul-de-sac streets. Almost 50% of the community is dedicated to greenspace at Weston Road and Teston Road. You can register now to get the site plan first and see the specific locations of these premium lots.
What should I look for on a new community site plan?
A site plan reveals critical information including home orientation, adjacency to greenspace, and the location of community features like parks or easements. The UpTown Woodbridge site plan has not been released yet; Fieldgate describes the community as almost 50% greenspace. Reviewing the plan as soon as it is out helps you shortlist lots before the September launch.
Are there larger lots available in the new Woodbridge release?
Yes, this community offers a range of lot sizes including 26', 32', 38', and 42' single-family home lots. Fieldgate Homes has designed the master plan to include large pie-shaped lots and homes situated on crescents. Pricing for this collection starts from the $700s, with more specific site details coming this September.
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