Ottawa's Glenview Homes, the residential builder synonymous with the Shabinsky family name, is taking its decades of homebuilding expertise far beyond the Greenbelt — all the way to Texas.
A Family Business Goes Big
Glenview Homes has long been a fixture in Ottawa's housing landscape, developing communities across the city and surrounding region under the Shabinsky family's direction. Now, the company is setting its sights on the Lone Star State, launching an expansion that signals serious growth ambitions for the locally rooted builder.
While many Ottawa developers have deepened their roots in the National Capital Region, this move to Texas represents a distinct strategic pivot — one that puts Glenview in competition with some of North America's largest homebuilders in one of the continent's hottest residential markets.
Why Texas?
Texas has been one of the most active housing markets in North America over the past several years. Cities like Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio have seen explosive population growth driven by migration from higher-cost states, a favourable business climate, and no state income tax. For a builder looking to scale, the Sun Belt is an obvious target.
Ottawa's own housing market, while historically resilient, has cooled considerably since the peak of the pandemic-era boom. Interest rate hikes through 2023 and 2024 squeezed affordability and slowed new construction activity across the region. Diversifying into a high-growth U.S. market could provide Glenview with a runway that's harder to find at home right now.
Ottawa Roots, North American Reach
For Ottawa residents who have watched Glenview communities rise in neighbourhoods across the city — from Barrhaven to Kanata to the east end — the expansion is a reminder of how far a family-run local business can grow. The Shabinsky name has been tied to Ottawa homebuilding for generations, making this leap into the American market all the more noteworthy.
It also adds Ottawa to a short list of Canadian cities that have exported their real estate development talent south of the border. Toronto-based developers have made similar moves in recent years, but it's less common to see Ottawa builders take that step.
What It Means Locally
For Ottawa homebuyers and the local industry, the expansion likely has limited day-to-day impact — Glenview is expected to continue its Ottawa-area operations. But it does reflect the kind of entrepreneurial confidence that can raise a company's profile and, potentially, its capacity to invest back home.
As Ottawa's housing market continues to navigate affordability challenges and a new wave of purpose-built rental demand, it's encouraging to see local builders thinking ambitiously about their futures.
Whether the Texas bet pays off remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the Shabinsky family isn't content to stay in their own backyard.
Source: Ottawa Business Journal
