March 05, 2021 | Andrea Cox

It's always sunny: mature community of Sundance holds lasting appeal for new and longtime residents

It's early morning and the sun has just crested the horizon, casting a trail of sparkling rays across the still water. The shimmering lake ripples as a brook trout breaks the surface momentarily, before plunging back down into the depths. High in the sky, a bald eagle soars, gliding gracefully, while 100-foot-tall fir trees sway in the soft summer breeze. In the distance, a kayak quietly slices through the water like a hot knife through butter.

It's a typical day at Lake Sundance.

"I love it here," said longtime Sundance resident Anne Radic. "I wouldn't live anywhere else."

She's lived in the community for almost 40 years and watched it evolve from raw land into a mature and established neighbourhood with stately homes, excellent schools and mature trees that create a pretty canopy along the quiet streets. "We moved here in 1986 and basically bought a plot of earth," she said, laughing.

Radic and her husband have built two homes in the community and raised their children there, spending summers at the lake's beach swimming, sunning and enjoying the activities.

"It's like being at a resort. You can go fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding and windsurfing," she said. "If one of the boats is leaking, you just go to the office and say, 'paddle board number five is leaking' and walk away."

The 10,000-people strong community of Sundance revolves around its 13.2-hectare manmade lake and 8.9-hectare park. More than 3,500 homes (mostly of the single-family variety) pepper the community. Some back on to the lake, some have private lake access and others grace tree-lined streets.

All residents are members of the Sundance Lake Residents Association and have access to the clubhouse, gated lake, park and beaches.
Radic's children are now grown, but she still kayaks every morning.

"We have enjoyed it immensely. It is truly like living in cottage country, yet you live in the city." - Kevin Egan, Sundance homeowner

"I swim half a kilometre after I kayak," said the lively 59-year-old. "I'm pretty settled in here. I don't really have a lot of interest in traveling in the summer."

Radic is a woman with her finger on the pulse of the community. Over the years, she's served as the president of the MidSun Community Association, spearheading the development of a $2-million sports facility. She is now an active member of the Lake Sundance Residents Association board.

She notes that the community's developer, Genstar, took a very active role in managing the community – a role that continued many years into its development, after construction began in the early 1980s.

"The home values here have stayed solid," she said, adding that the demographics of the community span all age groups. She attributes that to Genstar's architectural controls, the lake, the community's dynamic schools, the beauty of the neighbourhood and the fact that there is a police station within the community.

"It's very safe," she said. "There is lots of open communication and watchfulness here. All of the neighbours talk to each other."

Kevin Egan agrees the Sundance lifestyle is second-to-none. He's another longtime resident who moved to the community in 2001.

"We have enjoyed it immensely. It is truly like living in cottage country, yet you live in the city," he said, adding that everything he needs is just a stone's throw away.

An avid fisherman, Egan oversees the stocking and maintenance of the fish population in the lake.

"Nothing is more enjoyable than seeing a child catch their first fish and watching the proud guardian taking a picture to record the triumphant moment," said Egan.

He notes that in the summer, he can watch osprey hunt, mergansers chase minnows and grebes dive for fish. He has enjoyed the beach with his children, watching fireworks from the clubhouse veranda and finding coloured eggs behind waving trees during Easter egg hunts. He's ice-fished, cross-country skied, built sand castles and spent myriad quality moments enjoying life.

"It's a great place to live," he said.

Certainly, Radic and her husband plan on staying put for many years to come.

"I am very happy here and I'm not the only one," she said. "You don't see a lot of homes for sale. People buy and stay."

Tagged: Anne Radic | Calgary Community | Genstar Development Company | Kevin Egan | Lake Sundance | Sundance