The city’s developers know this as well, which is why the experts planning Calgary’s new home communities try to fit in as many of the pieces of the pie, with the ultimate goal of crafting areas a range of people will wish to call home.

“What’s interesting is more and more, these days, people are looking for an inclusive community rather than an exclusive one,” says Brad Wright, Senior Manager of Urban Design and Architecture for Hopewell Residential Communities.

Developers like Hopewell, known for not only their signature copper statues but also for creating award-winning neighbourhoods from the dirt up such as Martha’s Haven, Elbow Valley, Creekside, Copperfield, and Sagewood, have begun to approach land development with the mindset people will want to stay put for the long term.

“In Copperfield, for one, we are seeing people who started in the multi-family (portion of the community), and now they are in the (move-up single family) lots backing onto the amenities,” explains Wright.
Gone are the days when condos or dreaded “multi-family” digs are tucked away on the least desirable real estate in an area, says Wright. Fuelled by strong housing prices in every market, condominiums have been brought to the forefront – literally – and are now available in some prime locations. As a result, their residents enjoy identical area perks to their neighbouring estate homebuyers.

“The must now is that everyone has access to the amenities, and that the area is walkable – you aren’t having to get in your car just to go to the park,” says Wright.

But walking paths and ponds are just the tip of the community iceberg, he adds, and do little to hit home with would-be residents unless the overall area also delivers a “sense of place” that rings true with buyers.

Little things from aesthetically pleasing streetlights to parkspace in the plans figure high on wish lists, as do perceived pluses such as playgrounds for the wee residents – preferably usable year-round for activities from toboganning to skating.

Wright says the single-most important feature topping the report cards of potential homebuyers is schools. Though several new communities – Tuscany, Douglasdale and McKenzie Towne among them – just made the grade to open new schools, houses of learning have long been behind the building and immigration boom in the city.

While developers are required to leave space for schools, the reality is that it could be years before the first class bell rings. Wright says the trend is increasingly shifting toward developers, school boards and the City working together to ensure new developments are getting the schools they require. “That’s going to be the big change. I think everyone’s working as a close team to make sure it happens.”

Richard Priest, Vice-President of Land for Calgary at Apex Limited Partnership, whose past Calgary and area projects include Westsprings, Citadel and Stonegate of Mountain Park, and current developer of Bridlewest, Kincora, Morningside and Coventry Park, says lifestyle is always the place to start the community search.

“Where you work is always a good place to start when looking for a home. If you work in the north and you live way down in the south, you have to ask yourself if you are comfortable with the commute,” says Priest, who also chairs the Urban Development Institute.

Priest also suggests taking a look at the community to see if there are enough must-haves for every member of the future address.

“What sort of amenities people want to expose their kids to is a big thing. Is it a lake community? Will there be schools built? Are there playgrounds? These are all important factors,” says Priest.
He suggests buyers look at the overall area they are mulling over, as one community may not meet every criterion, but when paired up with neighbouring areas, it can come pretty close to hitting all the key desirables.

“One developer may have the commercial, and another may have the schools … Now a master-planned community isn’t so much done by one developer as it will be by a group of developers,” says Priest.
Once the community is checked off, another key decision to carefully consider is lot choice, suggest the experts. Types and sizes vary from one area to the next, and may well be tied to buyers’ budgets at the end of the day. What’s more, though, you may dream of planting a massive garden, architectural controls for an area may dictate just how big one’s “back 40” can be.

“It really all depends on the house. Let’s say I have a big yard, but then I find out I have to build a big, half-a-million dollar house to go on it – that might not be practical for everyone,” says Priest.

Priest also suggests thinking about what style and features are important in a home before considering the lot choice. “The reality is, with our lifestyles and climate, we spend 75 per cent of our time in our homes.”

And when it comes to land, today’s developers and builders (often builders buy the lots from developers in an area), generally offer quite a range within an area in terms of size, orientation, shape and grade. How a family lives or would like to live is often a key factor when choosing a parcel, suggest the experts.

Gardeners may prefer the much-coveted south or west-facing backyards, while empty-nesters with grown children may have their hearts set on a walkout basement for lower-level development that will host their guests in style.

Again, youngest members of the household will figure into the land choice.

“You may have lots that are higher on one side than the other, which is not the best, perhaps, if you have small children that will be playing in the backyard,” says Priest.

One bright spot amidst the housing boom and rising cost of land has been the innovation that has evolved in housing styles of all sizes, a marked benefit to the current would-be buyer. “People are becoming more efficient with their home designs, and are willing to take narrower lots – things are really just becoming more efficient,” says Wright.

Despite shrinking inventories as the city and its outskirts develop, a range of lots designed for a mix of attached, detached and garageless abodes is not only available within a community, but sometimes also on the same street, allowing buyers to make the community theirs for life if they choose.

And though the south-facing homesite may be an ideal for some, north or east-backing lots may be cheaper and offer residents to make the most of their south- and west-facing front footage.

“This is great in the areas with laned homes, because many of them have front porches,” says Wright, adding the laned lots’ absence of front garages also allows buyers to get into the housing market, and put off building that garage until it is more feasibly in the budget.

Another option for those looking for a quicker possession than building from scratch affords is a pre-built home, or spec home – crafted on speculation that it will sell as is. In the current market, such speculation is far from a long shot, not to mention an attractive prospect for those relocating, says Wright. “Not everyone has the time to wait to have a home built, especially if they are moving from somewhere else.”  NL