TRENDING | INFILL HOMES CALGARY
Saville Homes
THE YYC INNER-CITY DIFFERENCE by PEPPER RODRIGUEZ There is a lot to love about living in Calgary’s inner-city. The commute to work downtown is much shorter compared to the new suburbs, there are plenty of established amenities ready to be enjoyed, and of course there is the prestige of living in a made-for-you home. Building new infill homes in the inner-city has become more popular, as more young families rediscover the charms of living in an already established neighbourhood. Recent City of Calgary’s community profiles reveal that there are more Calgarians under the age of 14 living in inner-city communities. Calgary’s total is at about 19 percent of that age group, but in Altadore it is at 20 percent, in West Hillhurst it is at 17 percent, and in Hillhurst it is at 15 percent. That means more young families are moving to these neighbourhoods, and more are coming in. 22
New Home + Condo Guide | March 4–April 1, 2022
With the demand has come an increase in competition in the market, which has effectively brought some prices down. NEW VOICE
There is a fledgling group of infill builders in Calgary that have banded together to bring a bigger voice to the industry’s concerns. The Calgary Inner City Builders Association (CICBA) is a non-profit organization that aims to give a bigger voice to infill builders and developers. They are a relatively new voice founded in fall 2020, but they are working to improve Calgary’s already established communities, promote the benefits of redevelopment, create affordability in the industry and establish credibility and accountability. Sheldon Appave, principal of Saville Homes, and cofounder of the Calgary Inner City Builders Association
(CICBA), says the group can create affordability in infills by cutting red tape in the processing of applications. “The City has been constantly changing the bylaws and code requirements for all types of products, especially in the multifamily sector. Fees are becoming increasingly high, and the cost has to be passed onto the consumer.” Appave says CICBA wants to make a positive difference and promote healthy inner-city development and that members have been heavily involved even before the organization was even formed. “The city needed a collective voice who specifically represented the inner-city so we stepped up. We are heavily involved with the city and the planning department. We have been included in a number of committees that the city has created with regards to planning. Our goal is to have a direct line to the city with concerns,
