From Chaparral to Sage Hill, off-leash areas are becoming more common in Calgary neighbourhoods

A few years ago, Amy Malke bought her first place: a condo downtown, just two blocks from River Park. Although she didn't have a dog at the time, she'd often wander through the off-leash area and dream of having a pup of her own.

That dream was realized much sooner than she'd expected. Six months after moving in, she adopted her beloved Schnauzer, Maximus, from a colleague whose child was allergic. After that, she frequented the park daily — and not just for Max's enjoyment.

"One of my friends calls [the dog park] his third space. There's work, there's home and there's a third space — a place you go to every day or even a few times a week, that's not work or home," she said. "Some people have a coffee shop. Others have church. But for dog people, it's the dog park."

Local golf courses facing common plight

Two proposed residential redevelopment projects on Calgary golf courses are at the tipping point of an economic sustainability challenge hitting the golf industry throughout North America.

A proposal for new homes in two pocket areas at the Hamptons Golf Club — to support a substantial overhaul of the golf course itself — and the proposed closure of the nine-hole Harvest Hills Golf Course for the construction of single and multi-family homes, are working their way through community consultation and city application processes.

Hamptons Golf Course Ltd. has released preliminary concepts for northwest Calgary club's redevelopment, which would see a reconfiguration of the existing 18-hole course that would facilitate the construction of 35 to 65 new homes.

Will mega-project CalgaryNEXT be the anchor institution that breathes new life into the local landscape?

Urban planning enthusiasts call them anchor institutions – those landmark buildings in which cities are built around.

In Calgary, they dot our landscape: from the University of Calgary and Foothills Medical Centre in the northwest to Stampede Park and the Calgary Tower in the southwest — even the up-and-coming Seton mixed-use district in the southeast.

Calgary would be a very different — even lesser — place without them, says Colin Jackson, member of the senate at the University of Calgary and also chair of several arts and culture initiatives.

"A good way to think of them as anchor institutions is that they set the tone or give a feel to a neighbourhood," said Jackson, who has spoken on the subject in the past.

Could the CalgaryNEXT mega-project be next?

If approved, scheduled for 2018 completion

The City of Calgary has confirmed it has received a building permit application for the proposed 330,000-square-foot recreation centre in the southeast community of Seton.

To be located at 19340 45th St. S.E., the new centre will house a future high school, regional park and the S.E. LRT.

Proposed amenities for the centre include a 50-metre, 10-lane competition pool, water park, leisure pool, hot tubs and steam room, two multi-purpose ice rinks, three gymnasiums with multi-purpose flooring, a running/walking track, fitness centre and 25,000-square-foot library.

Developer hands keys over to community 

Nearly two decades after it was first constructed, Panorama Hills' e-Community Centre is officially being handed over to the community in which it resides.

Genstar Development Co., the developer behind the northeast Calgary community, will turn over ownership of the two-and-a-half hectare private park to the Northstar Residents' Association, by way of a volunteer board of directors, on April 1, 2016.

The ownership change was part of a long-term plan after Genstar built the facility in the late 1990s. The developer agreed to maintain and operate the facility before handing over control to the Northstar Residents Association, which encompasses residents in Panorama Hills and neighbouring Hanson Ranch.

The original agreement had the cutover occurring on or before April 1, 2026.

Scaring others a family tradition for Calgary household

For most of the year, Calgarians go to great lengths to boost their homes' curb appeal. After all, removing unwanted trash and old rubbish to make a home welcoming is part of what makes a neighbourhood great.

Yet around this time of the year, these same people will do their best to make their homes as unwelcoming as possible – when those old garbage bags, stained sheets and broken furniture become valued commodities.

Welcome to Halloween in Calgary.

The Calgary Foundation has released its annual Vital Signs report. The yearly check-up measures Calgarians' quality of life across six categories, with this year's report revealing the 1,819 Calgarians polled for the report were on average less happy than they were in 2014.

Along with Calgarians being a tad more melancholy, CREB®Now explores some of the other findings in this year's report.

Living Standards: Receiving an overall grade of C+ in this year's report, the top housing concern listed by Calgarians was improving the affordability of rental housing, with 26 per cent of respondents citing it as their primary worry.

Calgary corner store a staple to Bridgeland community, more

Community Cornerstones series: A look at Calgary and area's rich history of both new and old corner stores.

Little did Jim Lukes know when he opened a drug mart on the corner of First Avenue and Fourth Street N.E. in Bridgeland, it would grow to span three generations and change with the community around it.

"The store was started in 1951 by my grandfather Jim Lukes. My dad (Bob) took over in about 1985 and I've been running it probably about six or seven years," said Gareth Lukes, calling from Vancouver where Lukes has just opened its fourth location (the other two are in Killarney and Renfrew).

City launches 11th annual campaign promoting snow safety and community spirit

For Calgarian Tom Daumler and his family, taking the time to shovel their neighbour's driveway after a heavy snowfall isn't a big deal.

"We have a neighbour who is older, and [we] know that they (are not) able to do it. So it just made sense for us to keep doing it," he said. "Depending on which member of our family does it — whether it's me, my wife or my kids — we all go out and make sure we shovel both sides so it helps them.

Originally a "suburb perfect" vision of Englishman John Hextall, Bowness dates back to the early 1900s.

A popular destination for Calgarians looking for a weekend getaway was Bowness Park, constructed in 1911 and still one of the most sought after parks in the city today.

Bowness was annexed by the City of Calgary in 1964 and continues to be a destination for homebuyers, recreation enthusiasts, foodies and more.