It’s not your typical tot lot, instead it’s more of a communal feature that will encourage interaction among neighbours and bring the community together in a more meaningful way, says Yasmina Rodesly of La Vita Land.

“Fireside prides itself as a family-friendly community, what we are trying to create here is an environment where neighbours know each other by first names, where they can let children play outdoors in safety and security. This playground is among the first of many features we plan to create here that will bring this community together,” she tells New Home Living.

The playground will feature barbecue fire pits, tables, and benches along its well-manicured grounds, as well as the play structure for pre-school and school age kids. The surface under the structure is a resilient pour made of rubber crumb to lessen skinned knees — have less oww-ies and more yippies. The park itself will have a formal entrance feature that mirrors the grand entrance to the community itself.

Rodesley says the new playground will be ready for use by residents this summer. “We want to wow everyone with this and it is something unique that will set the community apart from the rest,” she adds. 

This modern playground is just the cherry on top of Fireside’s considerable allure.With the rolling foothills as its backdrop, this inaugural residential community offering by La Vita Land promises to be the premier community in Cochrane — especially for first time homebuyers. 

“We seem to be attracting a lot of interest from nearby areas such as northwest Calgary, Airdrie, Crossfield, and more so from Banff and Canmore,” Rodesly says. “We are seeing more and more people who want to move out of their acreages to a smaller home, however, they want to stay by the countryside and Fireside of Cochrane fits their needs.”

In fact, buzz has grown so loud over this new community on Cochrane’s southern edge that traffic to the Fireside Discovery Centre at its entrance has been increasing non-stop since it opened in May 2011. 

“There is a lot of excitement about this new community, there is a huge pent up demand in quality first-time homebuyer products here,” says La Vita Land Vice President Land, Kent Hystad. 

“We found that the starter market in Cochrane has been under-served for a long time, and we saw a great opportunity to get first-time homebuyers to experience everything Cochrane has to offer with affordable, top-quality, luxurious single-family and multi-family homes,” he adds.

Fireside is a 281-acre residential community on Cochrane’s southern edge just off Highway 22 that will have a total of 1,700 single-family homes and 800 multi-family units on build-out. It’s at the crossroads where luxury meets affordability, Hystad says. “Fireside will rival anything in Calgary, and it will be a community unlike anything seen in and around Cochrane,” he adds.

Homes here promise to bring a new sense of family-friendly values and small town warmth to the scenic countryside of southern Alberta’s foothills area. “The front verandas give a sense of warmth and friendliness to the neighbourhood, it enhances an environment where people can really get to know their neighbours not to mention the idyllic streetscape it creates,” Hystad says.

Ten show homes from its five distinguished builders —Landmark Homes, Kingsmith Homes, Calbridge Homes, Janssen Homes and ReidBuilt Homes — are open Mondays to Thursdays 2 to 8 p.m., and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from noon to 5 p.m.

Both bungalows and two-storey homes with back-laned or front-attached garages are available, ranging from 800 square-feet to well over 2,000 square-feet. With prices starting in the very affordable $270,000s range, Fireside is truly the hot spot in Cochrane’s residential market.

“I think we’ve gathered a really unique group of builders here who share our passion for creating unique communities,” Hystad says. 

“The price point is also proving to be very attractive to our market, as we don’t compromise quality with affordability,” Rodesly adds.

FAST FACTS: 

Community: Fireside

Developer: La Vita Land 

Area: Cochrane, Alberta

Builders: Calbridge Homes, Janssen Homes, Kingsmith Homes,

Landmark Homes, ReidBuilt Homes

Style: Laned and front-attached 

garage homes

Size of homes: Starting at 800 sq. ft.

Price: Starting in the $270,000s

Directions: West on Highway 1 and exit on Highway 22 towards Cochrane.

Hours: Monday to Thursday 2 to 8 p.m., weekends and holidays noon to 5 p.m.

For more information, visit www.firesidecochrane.com