First cottages at Troutburg should be ready in October

KENDALL – An ambitious lakefront residential project in Orleans County is progressing with the first five or six houses expected to ready in October at the former Camp Troutburg.

The Wegman Group updated town and county officials on the project, which is planned to have room for 400 houses on 126 acres in the northeast corner of the town of Kendall at a former Salvation Army camp.

The first houses are expected to be ready in two months, with more building over the winter and early spring, said David Wegman, CEO of the Wegman Group. By April there could be 20 to 30 houses built at The Cottages at Troutburg.

Wegman and his son Dan spoke at tonight’s Orleans County Supervisors and Legislators Association meeting at The Village Inn. The Wegman Group said there is strong interest in the seasonal houses, which range from about 450 to 1,300 square feet. The Cottages at Troutburg will be open from April 1 with the water service turned off on Dec. 1.

The group hasn’t made an aggressive marketing push yet. Wegman expects to see a big response for the seasonal homes from the Rochester region, including people in the Finger Lakes.

“We think there are a lot of people tired of the taxes in the Finger Lakes, which are outrageous,” he said.

Home owners at the Cottages will pay a monthly $495 charge to the Wegman Group for the gated community. The fee covers road maintenance, lawncare, walking trails, all common buildings, plus access to a pool with lifeguards.

The Wegman Group will keep most of the 126 acres as green space, and it is planting 2,000 trees. The property includes a half-mile of lake front.

“This is absolutely the best site in New York this could happen,” Wegman said. “This is really a special piece of property.”

Town Supervisor Dan Gaesser praised the Wegmans for the project, which will bring new residents to Kendall to support local businesses and will boost the town, school and county tax bases by perhaps $25 to $30 million when the property is at full build-out.

Wegman said the property could be fully developed with 400 houses in eight years. The company has set a goal of selling one house each week. Wegman said the company has tried to keep the homes affordable with most of the houses costing about $60,000.

There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the project on Sept. 25.

For more information, check The Cottages website by clicking here.