What Windmill Development Group does

Windmill Development Group is a privately held Canadian sustainable real estate development company founded in 2003 and headquartered in Ottawa, with a regional office in Toronto. The company operates as a prime developer or development manager for urban infill and community-scale projects, providing end-to-end services spanning planning, design, community engagement, rezoning, permitting, financing, construction, and marketing. Windmill serves three principal customer groups: government bodies (municipal and provincial, including CreateTO and Ottawa Community Housing), non-profit housing organizations (such as the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto), and institutional landowners (faith-based organizations and foundations), with secondary exposure to individual condominium buyers and institutional impact investors. The company has led over 35 projects representing more than $5 billion in cumulative development value across Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec.

Windmill's underlying technology platform is built around the One Planet Living sustainability framework, implemented in exclusive Canadian partnership with UK-based Bioregional, which governs ten sustainability principles covering energy, water, materials, waste, and social equity. The company deploys mass timber construction (via partnership with Intelligent City), geothermal heating and cooling systems, and district energy integration across its projects. Notable technical milestones include Canada's first LEED Platinum Community (Dockside Green, 2003), North America's first LEED Platinum mixed-use development (Aqua + Vento, 2007), and Canada's first One Planet Living Community master plan (Zibi, 2015). In 2023, Windmill was recognized as a One Planet Living Global Leader.

The business model combines three revenue streams: development management fees earned as projects progress through planning, permitting, and construction phases; investment syndication and equity participation through the One Planet Living Fund (a $46M first-closing impact real estate vehicle developed in partnership with Epic Investment Services); and advisory services through Urban Equation, a wholly owned sustainability consulting subsidiary. Go-to-market is dominated by enterprise field sales targeting institutional landowners, government bodies, and non-profit housing organizations for development joint ventures, supplemented by direct-to-consumer condominium sales through sales centers and model homes. Pricing is project-specific and negotiated bilaterally with landowners and capital partners rather than standardized.

Name

Windmill Development Group

Legal name

Windmill Developments

Website

https://windmilldevelopments.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Development Fees: Development management fees charged for overseeing the planning, permitting, construction, and delivery of residential and mixed-use projects. Revenue is earned as projects progress through development phases.
2. Investment Syndication: Group ownership structures and investment syndicates where Windmill co-invests alongside institutional and private investors in development projects. Returns distributed based on project completion and sale or lease of units.
3. Development Equity Participation: Equity participation in development projects through co-ownership arrangements with landowners, non-profits, and capital partners. Revenue realized upon project completion and unit sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Windmill acts as prime developer or development manager for urban infill projects and community-scale developments, providing planning, design, community engagement, rezoning, permitting, financing, construction, and marketing services with a focus on One Planet Living sustainability principles. The firm supports this core with sustainability advisory services through its Urban Equation arm and operates the One Planet Living Fund, an impact real estate investment vehicle developed with Epic Investment Services for accredited and institutional investors.

Product overview

Windmill Development Group operates as a sustainable real estate development company offering a multi-service platform. The core offering is Windmill Development Services, where they act as prime developer or development manager for urban infill and community-scale projects. Supporting this are two key sub-products: Urban Equation Advisory Services provides sustainability consulting to external clients on sustainable communities, climate and energy planning, and ESG reporting; while the One Planet Living Fund (in partnership with Epic Investment Services) offers impact investment vehicles for sustainable development projects. The company also maintains a portfolio of completed, underway, and planned community developments across Canada, all adhering to One Planet Living principles and sustainability frameworks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Windmill Development Services Windmill acts as prime developer or development manager for urban infill projects and community-scale developments, providing planning, design, community engagement, rezoning, permitting, financing, construction, and marketing services for government bodies, non-profit organizations, institutional landowners, and individual unit buyers.
• Urban Equation Advisory Services Sustainability consulting services provided to developers, private companies, and government agencies, covering sustainable communities, climate and energy planning, wellbeing facilitation, certification and reporting, and economic modeling.
• One Planet Living Fund Impact real estate investment vehicle developed in partnership with Epic Investment Services, offering private and institutional investors opportunities to invest in One Planet Living projects generating environmental, social, and market financial returns; targets a $1B pipeline of new One Planet Living communities in Canada.

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects achieving LEED certification and One Planet Living accreditation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• BioregionalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Strategic partnership implementing the One Planet Living framework across all Windmill projects. Bioregional provides the sustainability methodology, certification, and ongoing advisory services for achieving One Planet Living accreditation in development projects.
• Urban EquationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company and sustainability consulting arm providing advisory services and sustainability expertise to Windmill development projects.
• Intelligent CityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partnership for mass timber construction methods and prefabricated sustainable building systems integration.
• CreateTOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the City of Toronto's real estate agency for sustainable urban development initiatives including affordable housing and community facilities.
• Co-operative Housing Federation of TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for developing affordable co-operative housing projects using One Planet Living sustainability framework.
• Ottawa Community Housing (OCH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Ottawa Community Housing for developing affordable community housing with sustainable design elements.
• Toboggan FlatsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-living project partnership in Ottawa involving sustainable design and community-oriented housing development.
• Leader Lane DevelopmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partnership for specific real estate projects in the Ottawa region.
• Civic DevelopmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partnership for sustainable real estate projects in the Toronto market.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Others

• CreateTO: CreateTO is the City of Toronto's real estate agency managing city-owned land for affordable and mixed-income housing development. Directly comparable as a counterparty relationship (Windmill partners with CreateTO) and an example of the municipal partner model that drives Windmill's deal flow.
• Hazelview Investments: Hazelview is a Toronto-based real estate investment manager focused on residential and multi-family assets with an ESG focus. Comparable as a Canadian capital partner in the residential impact-investing space, and an adjacent capital source for sustainable development.

Direct peers

• Concert Properties: Concert is a Vancouver-based real estate company developing and managing rental, condominium, and mixed-use communities across Canada. Comparable as a Canadian mid-sized developer with a long-term ownership and sustainability orientation across BC, Alberta, and Ontario.
• Tridel: Tridel is a Toronto-based condominium developer with a long track record in mid-rise and high-rise residential projects across the GTA. Highly comparable to Windmill as a GTA condo/mixed-use developer, with overlap on sustainable building practices and similar target buyer segments.
• Minto Group: Minto is a Canadian developer and investment manager focused on sustainable residential and rental communities, and was the prior employer of Windmill's current CEO Jeremy Reeds. Comparable business model combining homebuilding, multi-family rental, and sustainability commitments.
• The Daniels Corporation: Daniels is a GTA-focused developer of mixed-use, purpose-built rental, and condominium communities with a strong affordable housing and sustainability mandate. Adam Molson joined Windmill directly from Daniels, making it a close comparator on GTA rental/sustainable development.
• Great Gulf: Great Gulf is a Toronto-based developer of condominium, single-family, and master-planned communities with a focus on design and sustainability. Comparable in GTA condominium and master-planned community development.

Regional players

• Pemberton Group: Pemberton is a Vancouver-based condominium developer active in BC's Lower Mainland. Comparable to Windmill as a Canadian residential developer, though concentrated in BC rather than the Ontario-heavy Windmill footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Brookfield Residential: Brookfield Residential is a North American land developer and homebuilder operating master-planned communities. Comparable as a sustainability-oriented residential developer, with broader scale and geographic reach than Windmill.
• Mattamy Homes: Mattamy is one of Canada's largest privately held homebuilders, developing residential communities across multiple provinces. Comparable to Windmill as a Canadian residential developer, though Windmill's sustainability focus and mid-rise/mixed-use orientation differentiate it from Mattamy's predominantly single-family focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/windmill-development-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Windmill Development Group