Loving Airdrie Living - May 2017

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contents 9

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CULTURE / HISTORY

12 COVER FE ATURE

6 Moving on up Buyers can’t get enough of HillCrest’s high ground

12 Where history comes to life Nose Creek Valley Museum a walk down memory lane HOUSING MARKE T

11 Catch you on the rebound Airdrie new home start numbers bouncing back in 2017

BUSINE SS

9 Open for business Airdrie home to a growing community of entrepeneurs

DEPARTMENT

4 Mayor’s Message 14 City of Airdrie map

editor’s message

Here comes the sun N ot only is it one of my favourite Beatles songs, for its positive outlook, but it’s an apt description for both the season (Spring) and the state of the local economy and, a little further down the line, the Airdrie housing market. Because, yes, the sun is starting to peek out from the economic clouds and shine a few rays of sunshine on Airdrie. I guess that’s one good thing about being in a smaller community rather than the big city — the highs are never quite as high, but neither are the lows quite as low. So, while the Airdrie new homes market didn’t take it on the chin the way Calgary did, it’s still nice to see things start to bounce back a little as evidenced by CMHC’s housing start statistics on page 13. For a more in-depth look at Airdrie’s economic climate, we asked a couple of key players in town — former Mayor and current Chamber of Commerce President Linda Bruce, and City of Airdrie Economic Development Team Leader Kent Rupert — for their expert opinions. Read what they predict for the year ahead in the article starting on page 11.

PUBLISHER

All work and no play makes for a dull magazine, however, so be sure to check out the upcoming events listed in the Mayor’s Message and join us on the centrespread for a two-page stroll down memory lane as we visit the Nose Creek Valley Museum. How much do you really know about Airdrie? Probably a lot less than you thought. History is being made right now in Airdrie too, as more and more people come here to live and build their homes. The communities we build today are the legacies we leave for our children, and their children, tomorrow. Our cover story focuses on one such community, Hillcrest, by Apex Development, and how it strives to create a live/work/play balance for residents from all walks of life. Sounds like a perfect fit for Airdrie!

Source Media Group

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER | EDITOR  •

ART DIRECTOR •

Jim Zang

Pepper Rodriguez

HOMES EDITOR •

Jean Faye Rodriguez

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS •

Dave Macaulay, Vivian Zhang

PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR • CONTRIBUTORS •

Colleen Leier

Aaliya Essa, David Shepherd

ADVERTISING SALES •

Heather Dougall, Andrea Glowatsky

Loving Airdrie Living® is published bi-annually and is available free through select distribution points in Calgary and Airdrie. Material cannot be reprinted in whole or in part without the written permission from the publishers. Copyright 2017 Source Media Group Corp. All rights reserved. Source Media Group Corp. agrees to advertise on behalf of the advertiser without responsibility for claims or misinformation made by the advertiser and acts only as an advertising medium. Source Media Group reserves the right to refuse any advertising at its sole discretion. Contact: Source Media Group, 6109 - 6 Street S.E., Calgary, AB T2H 1L9. E-mail info@sourcemediagroup.ca; Tel 403.532.3101; Fax 403.532.3109; Toll free 1.888.932.3101; Printed in Canada. Distributed by Gallant Distribution Services, Media Classified, Source Media Group. PUBLICATIONS AGREEMENT NO. 41072011. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Source Media Group, 6109 - 6 Street., Calgary, Alberta T2H 1L9.

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mayor’s message

Welcome

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irdrie, what a great place to live! If you are thinking of joining us, now is the time. Results from our recent citizen satisfaction survey tell us that our residents love life in Airdrie. They rated their overall quality of life in our city at 91 per cent. Airdrie has just over 63,000 of the kindest, most

caring people you’ll ever meet. It’s my pleasure to share with you my thoughts on the warm, welcoming city that we all love. If you were to ask me to describe Airdrie in just one word, it would be friendly. Volunteerism and philanthropy seem to go hand in hand with a postal code here. The compassion and generosity that I see on a daily basis throughout our community is inspiring. From our residents and families to our businesses of all sizes, the people that live here are always looking out for one another. You feel it in our schools, friendly local businesses, community events or anytime a group gets together. It’s that caring spirit that can make anyone feel at home here. And you won’t just feel at home, you’ll feel safe here. Airdrie Fire, RCMP, Municipal Enforcement and AHS receive high satisfaction ratings each year and are noted as some of our community’s greatest strengths. Nearly all of our surveyed residents said that Airdrie is a safe place to live, before and after dark. We have been known for our excellent schools, friendly neighbourhoods, exceptional recreational opportunities, protective services and restaurants. But once you get here you’ll see that there’s so much more happening. Exciting cultural activities through the year, including our beautiful Festival of Lights and the Bert Church Live Theatre which attracts sought after musicians and performers from around the globe. Chinook Winds and Nose Creek Park are gems in our City. This year, Nose Creek is receiving a much needed renovation and this year construction will begin on a new amphitheatre and boardwalk along the south side of the pond. It’s easy to get there or anywhere from any neighbourhood through the extensive network of year round pathways that connect our city. I could go on and on about all the other great places and incredible people that make Airdrie the best city in Alberta but I encourage you to come see for yourself.

Peter Brown, Mayor City of Airdrie

Photo courtesy City of Airdrie

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cover feature HILLCREST

Moving on up

Buyers can’t get enough of HillCrest’s high ground

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eeking the high ground is what we all want to attain in life. And in finding a new home, it seems the higher the location the better. All of which can partly explain the success of HillCrest, one of Airdrie’s youngest communities that sits at the city’s loftiest point. HillCrest by Apex Developments is a move-up community where young families can find their next home, and it has a wide selection of front-drive garage two storey homes, laned homes and duplexes that fill this particular buyer’s needs at budget-friendly prices. But its charm goes way beyond just that. HillCrest’s biggest draw is its location along the southern edge of the Airdrie, it is the highest point in the city just north of Calgary, and is possibly the easiest residential area to get to in Airdrie from Calgary, bar none. It will even get better after the approval of a new access point on 40th Avenue — that borders HillCrest — to the QEII, which should be operational in 2018. “This is great news for HillCrest residents,” says Excel Homes’ area manager David Zanini. “We’re already the most accessible community to Calgary, and this new overpass makes us even more so.” Excel is one of the three renowned home builders gathered in HillCrest. The builder group also includes Shane Homes and McKee Homes — the newest member, who just opened their first show home here last December. “Being on the high point of Airdrie gives our homes such terrific views, too,” says McKee Homes’ Jenn LaSaga. “HillCrest offers views like no other community in Airdrie.” “A new K-8 school is also opening in 2018,” says Shane Homes’ Angela Killick. “There’s also a new commercial area that just opened close by, and these are just the kind of easy-living amenities that our buyers — who are mostly young families — want.” More than just a name, Hillcrest was inspired by the community’s ideal location on Airdrie’s picturesque southern hillside, just west of the QEII. With natural topography, trees and viewpoints incorporated into the design, this unique community doesn’t attempt to shape its setting but, rather, to be shaped by it. “It’s also worthwhile to note that even with all these in-community amenities, HillCrest doesn’t have community fees,” Zanini says.

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People also like the architecture and the overall pristine nature of the community; its family-friendly nature works well with its proximity to grocery stores, schools, and medical clinics. It’s also close to Genesis Place Recreation Centre, Plainsmen Arena, several schools and an assortment of outdoor parks, picnic areas and recreation center’s. The 58.4-hectare community will have about 600 single-family homes on build out. “Excel’s about 50 per cent sold in our current phase,” Zanini says. Homes here are some of the most affordable move-up homes anywhere with prices starting in the mid $300,000s. The front-drive garage show homes — all on walk-out lots — show terrific value and similar homes in Calgary will probably cost $50,000 to even a $100,000 more. Excel Homes offers duplexes and front-drive garage two-storey homes in HillCrest. They have four duplex models ranging in size from 1,400 to 1,600 square-feet starting in size from the $340,000s. They have five move-up home designs available from 1,898 to 2,412 square-feet and starting from $432,000. “We have a limited time promo going on right now that offers $10,000 in savings for walkout lots.”

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cover feature

McKee Homes’ ability to customize homes gives them almost an unlimited range of models they can offer in HillCrest. “As long as the home fits on the lot the buyer picks, we can build a home for them that fits their specific needs,” LaSaga says. McKee’s two-storey move-up homes here start from 1,700 square-feet and their bungalow models are from 1,300 squarefeet. Prices are from $440,000 including house, lot and GST. Shane Homes has laned homes and move-up homes. Their laned homes start from the $350,000s including GST and are from 1,350 to 2,100 square-feet. “We can build the detached 20-by-22-feet garage for an additional $15,000,”Shane Homes’ Killick says. They also have front-drive garage homes starting from the $460,000s with some 20 models to choose from starting from 1,900 square-feet. The astounding selection of homes offered in HillCrest continue to make it the top choice for young families in Airdrie, where they can indeed move on up. n

For more information visit www.hillcrestairdrie.com

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business

Open for busines Airdrie home to a growing community of entrepeneurs n  Written

C

by David Shepherd

all it a draw — while the recession hampered Airdrie’s growth in 2016, the economy remains relatively strong. Kent Rupert, Airdrie Economic Development Team Leader, explains. “We did see some businesses suffer through the downturn, but overall the economic health of the community is strong. We brought in almost 100 new storefront and industrial businesses, and we added just over 500 new jobs to the economy.” Linda Bruce, President of the Airdrie Chamber of Commerce, agrees with Rupert’s assessment. “For the Chamber itself, we still have growth in our membership — that means that businesses are popping up.” Most of the businesses that become members of the chamber are small businesses. The reason for the growth? “There were people who had severances who were using those to start up their own businesses, and people branching out in completely different directions,” says Bruce. “The Chamber saw continuous growth — it was just dialed down a little bit. Some of our bigger businesses were hurting, but they’re coming back online now. What we’re seeing in Airdrie is pretty consistent with what you’d see regionally.” Airdrie’s numbers look good despite the recession. As of 2016, the city had a population of 61,842 — a 5.37 per cent increase over 2015. A total of 2,349 local business licenses were issued — a growth of just over eight per cent from the previous year. Of those, 933 were for commercial industrial businesses and 1,146 were for home-based entrepeneurs. “We’ve been fortunate over the years to have such a strong economy,” says Rupert. “Our population growth has averaged around eight per cent and this year it was only 5.37 per cent. That seems like a big drop but a five per cent growth in most communities is very healthy.” The stats on commercial building starts were mixed. Overall, the city saw an increase in commercial and industrial building permits, from 247 in 2015 to 312 in 2016. However, the construction value decreased from $71 million in 2015 to $55 million in 2016. “We’re seeing more projects, it’s just they’re smaller in nature and scope,” says Rupert.

Four of the last five years, Airdrie has been recognized as one of the top places to start a business in Canada. So what makes Airdrie a great place to set up shop? “Part of it is that the marketplace is just outside a major urban centre,” says Rupert. “Demographically, our average age is 32, so we have a young market that has some discretionary income and is looking at a variety of different types of products. Our proximity to the Calgary International Airport helps too.” One of the biggest selling points? The award-winning Smart Start program. Rupert explains. “It’s a madefor-Airdrie entrepenurial program. It has online training, but each person selected for the program also gets a local business mentor.” In the last three years, over 50 businesses have been through the Smart Start program. Bruce is also quick to Kent Rupert sing the program’s praises. “It’s an almost year-long program and it helps potential business owners learn what it takes to start a successful business. They learn how to do a strategic plan, a business plan, and all of the little pieces.” One of Smart Start’s success factors may seem unconventional at first — it’s the number of people who choose not to start a business after participating. “We consider that really important,” says Bruce. “People think that they love their hobby, it’s fun, and they’re going to turn it into a business. But sometimes it should remain a hobby. This is a gentle way for people to find out that what they’re doing is not meant to be a business — or not meant to be a business right now. The last thing you want is for someone to spend their life savings on a business that’s not going to work.” While there are a lot of advantages to starting a business in Airdrie, entrepeneurs still face some difficulties. “The downturn in the economy is certainly a challenge,”

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business “We’re finishing up a ten year economic strategy that we’re pretty excited about. We’re still focusing on entrepeneurs and start ups, we want to assist them in moving forward and getting operational.” says Rupert, “and investor confidence is at an all-time low in Alberta. That trickles down to the communities. But I do think there is optimism about Airdrie because we have a young, growing population and a number of different initiatives going on.” Businesses in Airdrie face an interesting dilemma, says Bruce. Unlike Calgary, Airdrie doesn’t have older neighbourhoods with cheap rent for storefronts. “One of the issues we have for businesses is finding affordable storefronts. It’s a huge leap to go from your basement to thousands of dollars of overhead before you even pay yourself a penny for your business.” Bruce suggests new business owners should also figure out exactly what demographic they’re targeting. “We have a young, vibrant community. If your business is aiming to service a community that is not the demographic that we have, that could be a problem. We do have every age group, but we’re primarily a young family community.” As the city grows, Rupert insists that small businesses won’t get lost in the shuffle. “We’re finishing up a ten year

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economic strategy that we’re pretty excited about. We’re still focusing on entrepeneurs and start ups, we want to assist them in moving forward and getting operational.” Both Rupert and Bruce are optimistic about Airdrie’s future. “We are seeing a number of retail areas come to Airdrie,” says Rupert. “We have Midtown coming on stream and Cooper’s Town Promenade is a fairly large development.” King’s Heights and Sierra Springs are also finishing their build out. “On the commercial side, we’re seeing lots of interesting and fun businesses coming into the community.” “Judging from our membership, I’d say business is stable, and it looks like we have great growth potential in our community for small businesses,” says Bruce. “We’d love to see all businesses of all sizes set up shop here. We have lots of commercial retail land available, some of it move-in ready, some of it prepared for development. Airdrie is very welcoming, and the citizens here try to engage as much as possible in shopping locally. It’s a great community for business owners.” n

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market overview

Catch you on the rebound! Airdrie new home start numbers bouncing back in 2017 n  By

I

have to admit to being your very average middle-age, middle-class born and raised Albertan: I didn’t vote NDP provincially and I’m not crazy about Justin Trudeau (but, then, I’m old enough to remember the National Energy Policy under his dear old dad). So don’t look to me for any catchy sound bites like “green shoots” or “sunny ways”. I like to “keep it real”. However, there are some solid reasons for optimism moving into the second quarter of 2017 as far as the Airdrie new home market is concerned. Total new home starts, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data, are down for the first quarter of 2017 compared to last year (see Chart A). But, and I like big buts, March starts, the most recent month numbers were avail-

Jim Zang

able for at press time, were just a shade under last years totals and, more significantly, March 2017 single family starts were actually up quite a bit over last year. In fact, total starts have been inching a little closer to last year’s numbers every month so far (see Chart B). A sign of things to come? Let’s hope so. Another indication that the economy might be starting to bounce back is the fact new home prices are on the rise again (Chart C). The average and median prices are close together, which means they’re an accurate reflection of the market, not the product of a few really expensive homes skewing the data. They’re nowhere near the levels they were at this time last year, but it looks like single family prices have bottomed out — making now a good time to get into ownership if you can. n

Chart A

New Home Construction March 2017

March 2016

YTD 2017

YTD 2016

Final 2016

Starts

37

40

177

200

917

Completions

89

135

276

323

1,452

Absorptions

65

66

225

186

-

Chart B

New Home Starts by Dwelling Type by Month

2017

2016

Jan

Feb

Mar

Jan

Feb

Mar

Single

26

31

31

36

41

19

Semi-detached

12

20

6

12

14

6

Row

15

36

0

19

26

15

Apartment

0

0

0

0

12

0

All

53

87

37

67

93

40

Chart C

Median and Average absorbed single-detached unit price

March 2017

December 2016

March 2016

Average

$494,647

$463,390

$579,634

Median

$480,000

$465,000

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culture / history

Where history comes to life n  Story

and photos by Aaliya Essa

Nose Creek Valley Museum a walk down memory lane

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ake a stroll down memory lane in Airdrie and you’re likely to find yourself immersed in the rich history of Alberta at The Nose Creek Valley Museum, where you’ll get a first-hand glimpse of life as-it-used-to-be here in our fine province. “We cover the history of Beddington in Calgary, to Crossfield and Encana, to Madden area, this is the history of those areas that we have preserved,” says Laurie Harvey, Curator for the Nose Creek Valley Museum. “We have a topographical map of the Nose Creek Valley, extended a bit into Calgary to show where the Creek flows into the city.”

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Visitors are able to see the stages of wildlife that have inhabited the area, with exhibits showcasing animals that have survived the test of time, and some that have since relocated. “We have some wildlife on display, that currently or used to live in the area, ducks, beavers, dears, coyotes, we don’t have wolves anymore,” she says. The life-like display shows different stages for animals. “Foxes, badgers, skunks, porcupines, owls, magpies and crows are seen in the next display,” she says. “We have sounds to go along with this display, for people who have never heard the sounds made by these animals now they can.” Next up is a display of Aboriginal history, which includes a vast assortment of weapons, tools, clothing, and a tipi. “We actually have the largest arrowhead collection in western Canada, we also have stone artifacts, as well as hammerheads,” says Harvey. Walking deeper into this homage to Western history, there are displays that depict the pioneer era, “we have depictions of ranching and cowboy culture, a pioneer house, black smith shop, showing how they lived and worked,” she says.

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Always popular, says Harvey, are the tractors, cars, and other machineries out of the past. “We have four empty vehicles that all run, we drive them in the Canada Day parade, we also have four tractors that run which are occasionally in the parade too,” she adds. All in mint condition, the vehicles inspire the sort of historical reverence, like being in the presence of greatness. “We have a ’64 Mercury Montclair in pink and she is a beauty, still in original condition in the way it was given to us,” she says. “We also have a 1914 Ford Model T, this model was the car of the century in 2000.” There is also an incredible collection of license plates, dating back to the first up to 2009. As you continue to move along the museum, visitors have an opportunity to see a local convenience store, where oddly enough the packaging may have changed but you’ll notice some of the same brand names. “The general store includes products that are still around today, just with different packaging,” she says. Marvel at the models of clothes washing apparatuses; how they start from essentially you doing all the work, and progress to a more mechanical electric format.

Nose Creek Museum A new display is currently underway, “Made in Canada, ties into Canada 150, and illustrates what’s unique about Canada using food, people, and technology,” says Harvey. “We’re going for a pop culture kind of theme.” Last but not least, “we have a military hall, artifacts from World War I and II, uniforms, firearms, we have a wall to commemorate soldiers that died in the wars,” she says. “We have our Nose art, artwork that men would paint on the airplanes, we have a sample that includes one from Willie McKnight who was a Calgary boy, who went to fight in the second world war, he flew 23 missions and he was only 22 years old, his plane was lost over the ocean,” she says. “This is where McKnight Boulevard’ name came from, it was named after him in his honour.” The Nose Creek Museum holds a great deal of valuable information, a great way to get to know a part of local history better, and for those looking for a new venue to hold conferences this museum has meeting rooms available, sure to be fun and educational for all ages. n

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ADDRESS:

1701 Main Street SW, Airdrie HOURS:

September to May Monday to Friday 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 1-4:30 p.m. June to August Monday to Friday 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 1-4:30 p.m. ADMISSION:

$2 for adults, under 12 free FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT

www.nosecreekvalleymuseum.com

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city of airdrie map

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