Sustainable splendour

Artesia in Heritage Pointe merges luxury and landscape

Ordinarily, luxury and sustainability are not exactly two peas in a pod. However, Artesia at Heritage Pointe is no ordinary community. Situated just outside Calgary city limits south of the Bow River, the development combines urban and rural living, offering more space to roam, less maintenance and a tremendous sense of community, not to mention spectacular views.

"Our vision is to create a lifestyle community in the Heritage Pointe tradition that functions in tandem with the natural landscape and focuses on sustainability," said Bill MacDonald, project manager for land development at Heritage Pointe Properties.

The name Artesia was derived from the symbol of an artesian well, as the community was designed with exceptional water management systems to conserve and reduce the overall cost of water for homeowners. The development stresses environmentally sustainable and sensitive living enhanced by extensive recreational amenities, classic architecture and unrestricted natural and created open space.

"What sets an Artesia home apart is the amount of space surrounding it. Our residences encompass all the beautiful water and green-space amenities, while emphasizing the benefits of living in a low-density community." - Bill MacDonald, Heritage Pointe Properties project manager for land development

"What sets an Artesia home apart is the amount of space surrounding it," said MacDonald. "Our residences encompass all the beautiful water and green-space amenities, while emphasizing the benefits of living in a low-density community."

Those homes feature true estate-sized lots with an average 65-foot frontage for the single-family lots. In the same area where many southeast Calgary communities would include five to eight single-family homes, Artesia has just two, offering buyers more value for their money.

"Buyers today want unique style, flexible spacing, easy maintenance and ample community amenities, all at a realistic price. At the same time, they don't want to be too far from downtown or their places of work," said MacDonald.

"As the developer for Artesia at Heritage Pointe, we feel we provide the value and lifestyle choice people are looking for in the luxury home market. We have created a fine balance among ideal location, low-density living, pleasing community design and pricing."

Out-of-town luxury
Homebuyers looking for luxury outside of Calgary don't need to look far.

"Southeast of Calgary, the new hospital is a big driver of development, including housing, malls and large sports complexes," said Don Blocka, a REALTOR® with Sotheby's International Realty. "Thanks to Deerfoot Trail and Stoney Trail, you can live there and still have high-speed access to the city."

To the west, buyers seeking proximity to the mountains without straying far from the city will find Elbow Valley. This acreage community is similar to Artesia in Heritage Pointe, and is built around golf course and water amenities.

Apart from their location, luxury homes outside Calgary differ from their urban counterparts in some notable ways.

"The most obvious difference is that luxury homes in Calgary tend to fill up the whole lot," said Marianna Kindrachuk, another Realtor with Sotheby's. "When you leave the city, you find much larger lots with yard space separating homes at the sides and back. Going beyond the city limits offers exceptional value, giving you more house for the same price or the same house for less money."

Because Calgary is stretching in all directions, people can now choose luxury beyond its borders while still having easy access to amenities like shops, grocery stores and restaurants.