CONNECTING ‘OUT OF THE GATE’
‘Eyecatching’ new Greenway Park sets the tone in Carrington by Mattamy Homes
When looking at what Mattamy Homes is bringing potential home buyers with its new community in northwest Calgary, a resounding theme is connectivity.
Connections to grand and welcoming outdoor spaces to gather with friends and family, street-oriented businesses — such as a place to meet for coffee — and amenities near but outside of the community, easily reached through its close proximity to Stoney Trail.
Even with the homes, themselves, Mattamy’s thoughtful architectural design puts less focus on the garage, creating an inviting look throughout the community.
Pre-construction sales on homes in Carrington open today, along with a family-friendly event celebrating the launch that will take place from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Reaching 159 hectares, it’s east of Evanston along 14th Street N.W.
The overall Carrington area has three developers. Genstar Development Co. and a private land owner have sections that are separate from Mattamy’s new community.
Mattamy, which builds all of the homes in the communities it develops, is also behind Southwinds and Windsong in Airdrie, and Cityscape in northeast Calgary.
Carrington by Mattamy is expected to build out to about 3,000 homes. But before welcoming residents, the company wanted the community to have attractions already in place.
Not the least of which is its $3 million, 0.9-hectare Greenway Park.
“We wanted to do something special right out of the gate,” says Don Barrineau, division president at Mattamy Homes.
Many home buyers look for communities with large amounts of park space, and as Barrineau says, without the wait.
“People like it a lot better if you put amenities in up front,” he adds.
With this park, Barrineau says it was important that it be “eyecatching,” adding “I want it to draw people to it.”
It does this with art, a skateboard area, play structures, green space for soccer, half basketball court, granite walkways, benches and a plaza.
The northern boundary of the park will connect to the planned plaza, designed to naturally flow to the community’s first commercial/retail site. While tenants for this development have not been finalized, Barrineau says a coffee shop is an example of the type of business that may be seen there.
“Things that encourage people to be out and about,” he says. “Hang out in that plaza, sit and have a cup of coffee and watch their kids play in that park.”
For outdoor enjoyment, Carrington will also feature two nature reserves and access the Rotary/Mattamy Greenway, a unique 138-kilometre pathway that loops around the city.
“From each person’s doorstep, they can connect to the path system inside the community — right through the green corridor — a path system from the north and south boundary of the community on the east side — to the Rotary/ Mattamy Greenway,” says Warren Saunders, Mattamy’s vice-president of sales and marketing.
“So you can literally connect from your doorstep right to all of Calgary on a pathway system. That’s something we feel is unique and inspiring about Carrington.”
Beyond activity, adding depth to the community is the presence of public art. In this case, it’s an intricate leaf design replicated at multiple gathering points throughout Carrington.
“I think the land plan really lends itself to showcase something at what we’re calling the gateway to the community, which is on the west entrance at 14th Street,” says Saunders.
He says the design is a nod to the importance of having places to gather, something “very key to people who were interested in buying in Carrington. But it also symbolizes the start of something new and growth in this section of Calgary.”
The location of the community is also a draw.
“We know it’s a desirable spot,” says Saunders. “It would be the first community connected to the east side of 14th Street. With some of the existing communities around getting built out, this gives people the opportunity to stay within the area they like but also buy something brand new.
“This is really ideal for access to downtown, access to shopping, and even that quick getaway to the mountains.”
For residential sales, single-family homes with a single-car garage are available from the $420,000s, and with a double-car garage, they start from the low $500,000s.
Carrington also has rear lane duplexes from the low-$400,000s and urban townhomes from the $340,000s.
Its single-family homes with a double-car garage range from 2,158 to 2,722 square feet, and with a single- car garage, they range from 1,599 to 1,968 square feet. Fifty per cent of these floor
plans are new additions to Mattamy’s catalogue.
For rear lane duplexes, sizes range from 1,734 to 1,965 square feet, and urban townhomes range from 1,312 to 1,516 square feet.
This marks the first time Mattamy has offered duplexes in the Calgary area. With the rear-attached garage, these models come with a private courtyard on the sideyard of the home.
People can now visit Carrington’s sales centre, along with four single-family show homes. They include the 1,679-squarefoot Hudson, the 1,955-squarefoot Berkley, the 2,158-square-foot Riedel and the Bradford at 2,700 square feet.
Carrington will debut Mattamy’s Mountain Contemporary elevation, which is displayed through the Riedel show home.
The company says show homes for the community’s duplex and townhome segments will follow with expected openings in spring 2018.