Calgary's trusted source of real estate news, advice and statistics since 1983.
Stories Tagged - Feature
News
May 27, 2016 | Kathleen Renne
Window of opportunity
Condo developers using downturn as opportunity to build
The downturn in Calgary's economy is creating a much-needed opportunity for developers to reset and plan for the long-term, say experts, who also believe the apartment-style condominium sector stands to benefit the most.
Susan Veres, senior vice-president of strategy and business development for Calgary Municipal Land Corp. (CMLC), admits sales "have slowed" in the popular East Village community on the banks of the Bow River, but also said the timing of the current downturn is "almost fortuitous" for the up-and-coming area.
"It's serendipitous that we're actually focusing on construction this year," she said, whose company, CMLC, is wholly owned subsidiary of the City of Calgary that is currently revitalizing East Village.
The downturn in Calgary's economy is creating a much-needed opportunity for developers to reset and plan for the long-term, say experts, who also believe the apartment-style condominium sector stands to benefit the most.
Susan Veres, senior vice-president of strategy and business development for Calgary Municipal Land Corp. (CMLC), admits sales "have slowed" in the popular East Village community on the banks of the Bow River, but also said the timing of the current downturn is "almost fortuitous" for the up-and-coming area.
"It's serendipitous that we're actually focusing on construction this year," she said, whose company, CMLC, is wholly owned subsidiary of the City of Calgary that is currently revitalizing East Village.
News
May 24, 2016 | CREBNow
Surf's up!
Lake communities making a splash with homeowners
When Alex Capicio and his wife Arlen started house hunting for their family of five, it was all about location.
Arlen worked at the South Health Campus, but the family also wanted to be close to neighbourhood niceties such as a lake.
The couple settled on Mahogany in the city's southeast in January 2014 and haven't looked back since.
When Alex Capicio and his wife Arlen started house hunting for their family of five, it was all about location.
Arlen worked at the South Health Campus, but the family also wanted to be close to neighbourhood niceties such as a lake.
The couple settled on Mahogany in the city's southeast in January 2014 and haven't looked back since.
News
May 09, 2016 | Joel Schlesinger
The great balancing act
Urban developments are playing nice with rural areas, say experts
Responsible urban development currently taking place outside of Calgary proves that growth doesn't have to come at a cost, say local agriculture and planning officials.
As subdivisions push evermore into rural areas — with neighbourhoods bordering on fields of wheat and other crops — their impact on agricultural land has recently become a hot-button topic, said Tim Dietzler, an agricultural expert with Rocky View County.
"This is not a new issue in this area or any area in Alberta with development new agricultural land," he said. "But many municipalities now pay much more attention to the potential problems that can arise."
Responsible urban development currently taking place outside of Calgary proves that growth doesn't have to come at a cost, say local agriculture and planning officials.
As subdivisions push evermore into rural areas — with neighbourhoods bordering on fields of wheat and other crops — their impact on agricultural land has recently become a hot-button topic, said Tim Dietzler, an agricultural expert with Rocky View County.
"This is not a new issue in this area or any area in Alberta with development new agricultural land," he said. "But many municipalities now pay much more attention to the potential problems that can arise."
News
April 15, 2016 | Kathleen Renne
An urbanist's paradise
Evolution of Beltline area only the beginning, say advocates
True urban living: that's how Beltline Communities president Rob Taylor describes the resident experience just south of downtown.
Taylor has seen Calgary's Beltline district – bounded by the CPR tracks on the north, 17th Avenue to the south, 14th Street to the west and the Elbow River in the east – evolve extensively since he first moved into West Connaught in 1983. (The Beltline is made up of four neighbourhoods: West Connaught, Connaught Centre, Victoria Centre and East Victoria.)
"There has been a tremendous amount of development in the Beltline. We're very much focused on creating a vibrant community with high-density, urban living."
True urban living: that's how Beltline Communities president Rob Taylor describes the resident experience just south of downtown.
Taylor has seen Calgary's Beltline district – bounded by the CPR tracks on the north, 17th Avenue to the south, 14th Street to the west and the Elbow River in the east – evolve extensively since he first moved into West Connaught in 1983. (The Beltline is made up of four neighbourhoods: West Connaught, Connaught Centre, Victoria Centre and East Victoria.)
"There has been a tremendous amount of development in the Beltline. We're very much focused on creating a vibrant community with high-density, urban living."
News
April 11, 2016 | Kathleen Renne
Life as a country mouse
Acreage living brings unique challenges and opportunities
Frankie-Lou Nelligan is no stranger to country life. She grew up on farms and acreages before returning to that lifestyle three years ago. Even so, Nelligan still experienced some maintenance surprises when, for example, she turned on her sink taps and the kitchen filled with the odour of rotten eggs. As she discovered, she needed to "shock" the well, or disinfect it with chlorine.
"My husband is a city mouse and I'm a country mouse. If you want to live on an acreage, you definitely have to have a country mouse," says Nelligan, who along with her husband and three children, live on five acres in Springbank.
"You're responsible for a lot more on an acreage. Every year, some kind of maintenance needs to be done on the septic tank or the well."
Frankie-Lou Nelligan is no stranger to country life. She grew up on farms and acreages before returning to that lifestyle three years ago. Even so, Nelligan still experienced some maintenance surprises when, for example, she turned on her sink taps and the kitchen filled with the odour of rotten eggs. As she discovered, she needed to "shock" the well, or disinfect it with chlorine.
"My husband is a city mouse and I'm a country mouse. If you want to live on an acreage, you definitely have to have a country mouse," says Nelligan, who along with her husband and three children, live on five acres in Springbank.
"You're responsible for a lot more on an acreage. Every year, some kind of maintenance needs to be done on the septic tank or the well."
News
April 01, 2016 | Lindsay Holden
A bit of everything
Bearspaw, Springbank appealing to a more diverse sect of buyers
Long admired for its opulence, the communities of Bearspaw and Springbank just outside of Calgary's northwest border are now attracting a wider range of buyers who are looking for a bit of everything, say industry professionals.
"Years ago, the area was big into horse culture – everyone wanted to buy a pony for their teenaged daughter. Now, it is more about organized sports, family vacations," said Jeff Neustaedter, a real estate professional whose office last year saw 35 transactions above the $1.1-million mark in Bearspaw alone, ranging from 40-hectare sites to secluded parcels.
While the area between Calgary and Cochrane has always been known for its stately homes, McKinley Masters Custom Homes owner Mark Kwasnicki noted homeowners want more these days – they want space to stretch their legs, but also to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Long admired for its opulence, the communities of Bearspaw and Springbank just outside of Calgary's northwest border are now attracting a wider range of buyers who are looking for a bit of everything, say industry professionals.
"Years ago, the area was big into horse culture – everyone wanted to buy a pony for their teenaged daughter. Now, it is more about organized sports, family vacations," said Jeff Neustaedter, a real estate professional whose office last year saw 35 transactions above the $1.1-million mark in Bearspaw alone, ranging from 40-hectare sites to secluded parcels.
While the area between Calgary and Cochrane has always been known for its stately homes, McKinley Masters Custom Homes owner Mark Kwasnicki noted homeowners want more these days – they want space to stretch their legs, but also to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
News
March 24, 2016 | Donna Balzer
What is your garden style?
Not everything is timeless when it comes to outdoor design
Do you have a high-end ultra-modern home with striking features that looks like it came out of a recent copy of Architectural Digest?
What about your yard? Does it look like it came from a Home and Garden magazine circa 1985?
This jarring contrast of cottage-style garden with modern home seems hard to understand until you think of the process. Homeowners do not design homes – builders and architects do. Yet homeowners are the ones often design their own gardens.
News
Oct. 29, 2015 | Gerald Vander Pyl
Next step for Panorama centre
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.
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.
News
Oct. 21, 2015 | Kathleen Renne
Next door to nature
Residents tout benefits of acreage living
Anna Garcia loves her neighbours.
The Bragg Creek resident says they're relatively quiet, active and the kids are cute.
Did she mention they're a family of moose?
"We saw her (the mom) almost daily, licking right off our deck. Those moments are spectacular. It makes us feel exceptionally lucky," said Garcia.
The lure of living so close to nature was too much for Garcia and her husband to resist when the couple uprooted from Willow Park in southeast Calgary to their largely forested Bragg Creek acreage in 2001, where Garcia's husband also owns a furniture business.
Anna Garcia loves her neighbours.
The Bragg Creek resident says they're relatively quiet, active and the kids are cute.
Did she mention they're a family of moose?
"We saw her (the mom) almost daily, licking right off our deck. Those moments are spectacular. It makes us feel exceptionally lucky," said Garcia.
The lure of living so close to nature was too much for Garcia and her husband to resist when the couple uprooted from Willow Park in southeast Calgary to their largely forested Bragg Creek acreage in 2001, where Garcia's husband also owns a furniture business.
News
Oct. 06, 2015 | Kathleen Renne
Tried and true
Small-town experiment pays off for McKenzie Towne residents
Clifford Koss and Janice Conley have called the southeast community of McKenzie Towne home for 15 years. They moved there in 2000, after renting in McKenzie Lake across Deerfoot Trail.
"We like the area so much we named our business after it," says Koss, referring to the couple's home-based distribution company, Prestwick Resources. (Prestwick is one of four areas that make up McKenzie Towne, the other three being Inverness, Elgin and High Street, a 120,000 square-foot commercial strip.)
In fact, these days Conley and Koss say they rarely have occasion to venture outside of the community.
Clifford Koss and Janice Conley have called the southeast community of McKenzie Towne home for 15 years. They moved there in 2000, after renting in McKenzie Lake across Deerfoot Trail.
"We like the area so much we named our business after it," says Koss, referring to the couple's home-based distribution company, Prestwick Resources. (Prestwick is one of four areas that make up McKenzie Towne, the other three being Inverness, Elgin and High Street, a 120,000 square-foot commercial strip.)
In fact, these days Conley and Koss say they rarely have occasion to venture outside of the community.
