March 05, 2021 | Andrea Cox

Touted as a neighbourhood that turns back the hands of time, Harmony aims to house 10,000 residents

Good community design creates good feelings. It's those good feelings – a sense of connectedness, camaraderie with neighbours, a sense of belonging, and pride of ownership – that drives the must-live-here desire. And that's just what the developers of Harmony, a new sustainable, interactive lake and golf community located in the heart of Springbank, want to evoke.

"With Harmony, what we wanted to do was turn back the hands of time and focus on what community really is," said Birol Fisekci, of Harmony Developments Inc.

Fisekci is also the president and CEO of Bordeaux Properties the co-developer of the project, along with Qualico Communities.

"We really focused on best practices – creating a small village that has all of the attributes that we talk about – that sense of neighbourliness, chalk-full of amenities, with a multi-generational friendliness."

Amenities will include a mixed-use village centre with grocery stores and coffee shops, two lakes (35 acres and 100 acres), a sandy beach with clubhouse, a wellness centre and a variety of housing styles from estate homes to multi-family offerings. Canada's first Phil Michelson-designed golf course, offering 18-holes and featuring the Mickelson National Golf Club, will flank the community.

The community plan was designed using an organic grid system, a technique that allows for "eyes on the street," and greater walkability.

The project has been on the vision board for over 12 years with the initial impetus sprouting from the team at Bordeaux. Qualico Communities stepped into the partnership four years ago.

"This is such an interesting project ... It's a full-scale stand-alone community with its own water and waste water servicing facilities. And certainly being a lake and golf community really steps up the vision, because there is no lake community in this area," said Garett Wohlberg, director of planning and communications at Qualico Communities. "We are really excited about the opportunity."

This is such an interesting project ... It's a full-scale stand-alone community with its own water and waste water servicing facilities. And certainly being a lake and golf community really steps up the vision, because there is no lake community in this area.

Fisekci says that the community offers a multitude of "nooks and crannies" brimming with art, beauty and educational opportunities. "They make you want to get out into the community and discover them."

Features will include a 25-kilometre pathway system that will eventually connect to the larger regional paths. It will be dotted with fitness stations and interpretive installations.

Public art, sustainability and enriched programming are at the core of the community's vision. Harmony's sense of style can be seen everywhere; the artist's paintbrush sweeps across the entire canvas – even the manhole covers are artist-inspired.

The community boasts also boasts a public art master plan strategy, including permanent, semi-permanent and temporary collections.

"We believe that art should ripple through every aspect of design," said Fisekci.

A comprehensive water management program protects new wetlands and bioswales and the community is approved for zero-setback irrigation.

"Water is one of our most valued resources and humanity does a very poor job of respecting it. We want to change that," he said.

The comprehensive builder group includes Augusta Fine Homes, Baywest Homes, Broadview Homes, Homes by Avi, NuVista and Sterling Homes.

Generous side yards, a rich character mix of traditional and modern esthetics with non-homogenous exterior colour palettes designed to emulate the city centre, and secondary suite zoning are just a few of the home design features that make Harmony distinctive.

Currently, single-family home product is available with multi-family townhomes, duplex-design and street towns coming online in the near future. In addition, aging-in-place accommodation is planned for the village centre.

Distinctive Villa Homes, designed by NuVista Homes, will be unveiled in late April of 2017, with the show home opening on April 22.

"Our goal is to move onto the north side of the lake and offer a wider range of product in 2018," said Wohlberg.

Tagged: Calgary Community | Garett Wohlberg | golf communities | harmony