Homes For Sale in Village by the Arboretum

About Village by the Arboretum

Village by the Arboretum is a freehold/condo mixed adult-lifestyle community in Guelph operated by —. Homes are typically bungalows and low-maintenance designs aimed at the 55+ buyer.

Adult-lifestyle communities turn over steadily as owners downsize or relocate. Every listing below sits inside the community boundary shown on the map.

The homes of Village by the Arboretum

The Village by the Arboretum — VBA to locals — is Guelph's established 55-plus community, and its housing stock reflects a development built in the mid-to-late 1990s by Reid's Heritage Homes: 497 single-family and town homes plus two mid-rise condominium buildings with 81 units, home to about 1,250 residents. Resale bungalows typically run 1,050 to just over 2,000 square feet of main-floor living space, with finishes ranging from original builder-basic to extensively customized. The mid-rise suites run about 1,000 square feet for one-bedrooms up to 1,600 for larger two-bedrooms, with balconies overlooking ponds and the treed lands beyond.

Pricing reflects south Guelph desirability plus the community premium. One local brokerage's range put resale bungalows from about $525,000 to $1,265,000; a detached two-car-garage model at 6 Parkside Drive was listed at $929,000 in 2026, and a 1,674-square-foot suite at 65 Bayberry Drive carried an asking price around $890,000 before selling. Condition spreads are wide — an original 1990s interior and a renovated one are different products — so compare like with like, and remember the monthly maintenance fee is part of every offer's math.

How Village by the Arboretum works: tenure and fees

The Village's tenure is unusual and worth understanding cold. The entire 112-acre community sits on land leased from the University of Guelph — Reid's Heritage Homes developed it under that head lease — so homeowners hold their homes on leased land. Detached and town homes are owned with a monthly maintenance fee covering exterior maintenance, amenity spaces and common areas; the mid-rise suites are leasehold condominiums. A 2026 listing for a Bayberry Drive suite quoted a $1,784.75 monthly maintenance fee including common-area maintenance, parking, insurance and water — a reminder that the fee here is substantial and must be verified current for the exact unit.

Two further wrinkles matter. First, the Bayberry buildings at 65 and 71 Bayberry Drive are life-lease condominiums within the Village — a different ownership interest from the leasehold condos, with its own agreement and resale mechanics. Second, the Village is a genuine 55-plus community in its marketing and resident profile, but the enforceable occupancy terms are in the governing documents for the exact property. Have your lawyer confirm the head-lease term and remaining duration too: everything in the Village ultimately sits on the University's land.

Amenities and daily life

The recreation offering is the community's calling card. The Village Centre holds an indoor pool, a 600-person auditorium and a warren of activity rooms hosting 90-plus organized activities; outdoors there are tennis courts, shuffleboard, bocce and a putting green. The Village by the Arboretum Residents' Association, formed in 1994, runs the social machinery — monthly coffee hours, card parties, luncheons, day trips and a monthly newsletter, Tree Talk. Medical and support services cluster nearby, including labs and doctors' facilities used by residents, and the Arbour Trails independent-living centre sits within the community for those who later need more support.

The Arboretum itself is the backyard: the University of Guelph's 400-plus-acre living laboratory of trails, gardens and plant collections is next door, and residents use it daily for walking and nature. Daily shopping is easy — Stone Road Mall, grocery and pharmacy are minutes away in south Guelph — so unlike more rural 55-plus communities, the car is convenient rather than compulsory for every errand. For buyers weighing the Village against other 55-plus options, that combination — university-town cultural life plus a purpose-built recreation program — is the core differentiator, and it's worth experiencing firsthand on a visit rather than evaluating on paper.

Location and getting there

The Village sits in Guelph's south end off Stone Road East, entered via Village Green Drive past a gated entry. Guelph General Hospital and the city's full medical, shopping and cultural infrastructure are ten minutes away; the University of Guelph campus borders the community. Highway 401 is a short drive south, putting Kitchener-Waterloo about 25 minutes west and the western GTA within 45 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. The university presence also shapes the neighbourhood's character — campus events, continuing-education programs and cultural offerings are part of daily life in a way few retirement communities can match.

Guelph Transit serves the surrounding area, and the community's in-town location means taxis, ride-shares and medical transport are all readily available — a meaningful practical advantage over rural retirement communities as driving needs change. Walk the Arboretum trails and drive the Stone Road corridor before you buy; south Guelph traffic at peak hours is the one local friction worth experiencing firsthand. Also note the gated entry — confirm visitor access procedures and any associated costs or rules, since gated communities vary widely in how they handle guests, deliveries and service providers.

Village by the Arboretum market snapshot

The Village is one of Ontario's more liquid 55-plus resale markets — with nearly 600 homes, something is usually for sale. The pricing band seen in research runs roughly from the low-$500Ks for smaller original-condition bungalows through the $900Ks for larger detached models (a two-car-garage detached at 6 Parkside Drive was listed at $929,000), with mid-rise suites spanning a similar range depending on size and view. Well-presented, updated homes move; original-condition homes from the 1990s sit longer and sell at a discount.

The fee load is the analytical key. Monthly maintenance fees here are among the highest in Ontario's adult-lifestyle sector — the Bayberry example above approached $1,785 a month — because they bundle extensive amenities, exterior maintenance, insurance and, in some cases, utilities. Capitalize that fee over your expected hold when comparing against a freehold bungalow elsewhere in Guelph: the Village's lifestyle premium is real, but it is priced in monthly, not just at purchase. That monthly load also affects resale: future buyers will capitalize the fee the same way, so communities with high fees can see softer price appreciation than low-fee alternatives — factor that into a long-hold decision.

Buying in Village by the Arboretum: what to check

This purchase has more documents than a standard resale. Beyond the usual status certificate for condo suites, confirm the University head-lease terms and remaining duration, the exact monthly fee and its history, what the fee includes for your specific home type, the reserve fund position, and the rules on rentals, pets and exterior alterations. For Bayberry life-lease suites, the life-lease agreement itself — occupancy interest, entrance and exit mechanics, estate-transfer terms — needs specialist legal review. Because the head lease underpins every title in the Village, also confirm there are no pending renegotiations or disputes affecting it — your lawyer can advise on what to ask and where the risk sits.

On the home, 1990s construction means checking the big-ticket items: roof age, furnace and air conditioning, windows, and any poly-B plumbing if present. For bungalows, clarify exactly where your maintenance responsibility ends and the community's begins — the monthly fee covers exterior maintenance, but the boundary details matter at claim time. For bungalows, also check grading and drainage around the foundation, the condition of the deck and any sunroom additions, and the age of windows and doors — 1990s originals are at or past replacement age in many homes.

Frequently Asked Questions