SETTING THE STAGE
Tips and tricks for making your house inviting for potential buyers, or transforming it into the home of your dreams. A6
Cochrane Feature
A9 FREE mar 13 to mar 19 2015 issue 05-09 editorial 403-781-1324 advertising 403-263-4940 crebnow@creb.ca
real estate news from industry experts
CODY STUART, Managing Editor
Levy renewal raises questions about community development CODY STUART
managing editor
C
algary is familiar with new developments – so much so that the construction crane synonymous with the downtown skyline and beyond has affectionately been referred to as the city’s official bird. Yet, following a closed-door meeting earlier this year where city council
agreed to freeze developers’ special requests for more suburban land until a new levy agreement can be negotiated later this year, many are questioning how a new project goes from an idea to reality, and who is ultimately paying for it. The City and suburban developers are currently in the final year of a fiveyear levy agreement. In 2010, the city increased its development levy to about $315,000 per hectare, doubling the number from the previous agreement. Mayor Naheed Nenshi has since argued current levies are not sufficient in covering the costs of city-provided services, such as pipes and sewage treatment plant expansions. Urban Development Institute CEO Guy Huntingford said the process to building a new community starts with a developer getting the City of Calgary
MLS® NEW LISTINGS* FEB ‘13 – FEB ‘15
2,671 FEB13 3,191 MAR13 3,476 APR13 3,714 MAY13 2,998 JUN13 2,725 JUL13 2,773 AUG13 2,794 SEP13 2,521 OCT13 1,825 NOV13 DEC13 971 2,396 JAN14 2,711 FEB14 3,319 MAR14 3,753 APR14 4,327 MAY14 3,817 JUN14 3,219 JUL14 3,147 AUG14 3,259 SEP14 2,919 OCT14 2,093 NOV14 1,381 DEC14 3,288 JAN15 2,950 FEB15
CITY OF CALGARY
to approve an Area Structure Plan that provides a template or plan for how the community will evolve and be sub-divided. From there, the developer applies for an outline plan/land use that provides more details about the community and ensures City services such as water, storm, sanitary, fire and transportation are available. This is typically followed by the developer submitting tentative plans that describing how the community is sub-divided. “Remember, most communities have many subdivisions (phases) as it takes many years to build out a community,” said Huntingford. Once the design and planning stages are complete, the next step is to put shovels in the ground. For many Calgary communities, this often involves taking the area under develop-
*All statistics based on monthly data compiled by CREB® via MLS® activity. Includes detached, attached and apartment.
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ment into a clean slate of sorts. “In general, the first stage of development is to grade the area, ensuring that the topography of lands are shaped and molded to meet the approved plans,” said Cam Hart, vice president at Calgary-based Tamani Communities. This is typically followed by deep servicing. At this stage, the sanitary lines, storm lines and water lines are installed, which enable the homes to have access to these services. Once that process is complete, the next step is to begin “surface works,” which includes all roads, sidewalks and curbs, said Hart. “Shallow utilities are then installed throughout the subdivision area,” he said. “These utilities are comprised of phone lines, street lights, TV cable, gas and electric lines.” Landscaping work on the parks,
PROVINCE RELEASING 2015 BUDGET MARCH 26
boulevards and other public areas usually happens around the same time as the shallow utilities. Sod is laid, trees are planted, playgrounds are built and pathways are constructed. “Home construction usually starts after the surface works are completed and residents will start to move in around four to six months later,” said Hart. When it comes to who bears the financial brunt of adding amenities such as electricity, gas and cable lines, roads, bus stops, water and sewer systems, parks and playgrounds needed to serve such a vast number of homes, Huntingford said the burden is on the developer.
GROUND UP A3
CONTENTS NEWS BRIEFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 FIVE THINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 New arena
INDUSTRY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5
CREB® STAFF
SAM Awards
T
WEEKLY FEED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6
he Alberta government will release its 2015 budget March 26, including addressing a reported $7-billion shortfall in provincial revenues caused by lower-than-expected oil prices. Premier Jim Prentice has been in hot water lately after making comments suggesting Albertans were to blame for the financial shortfall, saying they should “look in a mirror” to understand why the province could be seeing such a large deficit.
PROVINCE A3
EVENT LISTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 MORTGAGE RATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 MAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1 OPEN HOUSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B23 @crebnow
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