Garrison Green, the second instalment in a trio of slated communities for the former CFB Calgary lands, is nothing if not an easy jumping off point for work and play, not to mention a stylish inner-city home base for residents.

Now nearing maturity since its first show home parade opened and residents moved in back in 2002, Garrison Green — the sequel to multi-award-winning 175-acre Garrison Woods — is slated to wrap up in fall 2008. But for now, shoppers have an arsenal of styles and some decorated single-family new home builders to choose from in Homes by Avi, Albi Homes, and Forte Builders and refurbished addresses by Artisan Homes.

“Really, it’s a little gem tucked away in the city,” says Mark McCullough, general manager, real estate, for Canada Lands Company, developer of Garrison Green.

Home designs include styles proven popular in Garrison Woods — Victorian, Craftsman, Colonial and Tudor — as well as a new addition, Prairie, which was marched out specifically for Garrison Green. “It’s proven to be a really popular style, which really lends itself to ganging windows,” says McCullough, adding that the builders crafting show homes in the style helped its popularity.

For those who like hitting the show homes, Garrison Green’s second wave of model addresses is a must-see. Among them are million-dollar-plus beauties boasting front-attached garages from Homes by Avi and Albi Homes (the pair also craft homes with rear-detached garages from around the $700,000 mark), and refurbished former Private Married Quarters (PMQs) by Artisan Homes priced from the mid-$600,000s plus GST (for a 1,700-square-foot rear-attached garage home).

Forte Builders’ Carriage Homes recently opened its new show home, and is crafting both semi-attached and single-family homes up to 2,800-square-feet with wide side yards that extend living outdoors and make the most of the land. Prices start at $699,000 plus GST for semi-detached abodes and range from $789,900 to $819,000 plus GST for detached digs, but all Forte homes include double, if not triple, detached garages.

For those who prefer a condo lifestyle, Jayman MasterBuilt’s Aspire Condo Living offers townhome condominiums with rear-detached garages from 1,755-to 1,900-square-feet. The Newbury in Garrison Green anchors entrance into the area with three townhome show homes located across from Peacekeepers’ Park.

Part Two of the refurbished CFB Calgary continues the salute to the military, this time with a focus on peacekeeping. “In Garrison Woods we wanted to celebrate the history of the area. We named all the streets after World War I battles,” says McCullough, adding, “Here we decided to go with a peacekeepers theme, so all the streets are named after important peacekeepers and two parks are devoted to peacekeepers.”

And sure to keep the peace in Garrison Green households is the abundance of greenery accessible straight out front doors. Along with Peacekeepers’ Park, Buffalo Park (the latter named for an aircraft crash which killed nine Canadian peacekeepers) and A.D. Ross Park, walking paths will link the area to Garrison Woods and the future Currie Barracks redevelopment. Like its predecessor, the community is surrounded by 50 year-old trees and is punctuated by meandering sidewalks as the result of re-routing streets to maintain existing horticulture.

Zero-lot line product  — making the most of smaller lots by pushing homes to the property line — is also a change ushered in to Garrison Green with Forte Builders’ Carriage Homes. Meanwhile suites over garages and townhomes zoned for basement suites in select locations are another innovation exclusive to the area, says McCullough.

After Phase Four of Garrison Green, the last and largest piece of the CFB Calgary redevelopment puzzle will be overhauling the Currie Barracks lands — combining what Canada Lands Company has learned with both Garrison projects with some good old- fashioned innovation.

“We are going to continue the theming in Currie, but we may open up the palette a bit,” says McCullough, noting there are also 14 heritage buildings and landscapes to incorporate in the redevelopment. He says while Garrison Woods incorporated pedestrian-friendly homes and retail, the Currie Barracks lands will do so ten-fold.

A total of 300,000-square-feet of office space, 200,000-square-feet of retail and 3,200 housing units is slated for the third and final chapter of the former Canadian Forces base.

Much denser than both Garrisons, the goal is for the Currie redevelopment to make leaving the neighbourhood unnecessary for future residents, with mixed-used spaces, and juxtaposing old and new buildings, work, play and residential. The well-known Calgary Farmers Market, one of the current tenants at Currie Barracks, may even become an anchor for the dense, European-inspired community.

“Often when you say to people ‘density will be higher,’ they think it means only apartments. There’s going to be a real variety (of home styles). We think we do density well,” says McCullough. “It will have a richer open space system. There are 23 acres of open space, plus we plan to treat the streets like amenities rather than freeways, just there to move vehicles.”

The Currie Barracks redevelopment plans have recently had first reading before the City, and if all goes well, McCullough expects Canada Lands to begin servicing the area as early as next year, which could mean first possessions by 2009. NL

For information on Canada Lands Company or Garrison Green, visit http://www.clc.ca or http://www.garrisongreen.com