A SWEET SPOT FOR URBAN LIVING
The workload on Bruce and Donna Young’s vehicle has drastically declined.
Since moving to Calgary’s Beltline district, the couple downsized from two vehicles to one. And even that one rarely leaves its stall.
At their new home, a condo in Smith by Grosvenor Americas, there’s little need.
“There are times when it doesn’t move for several consecutive days,” says Donna. She and Bruce, who are from Winnipeg and both retired, are 62 and 63 years old, respectively.
“We don’t use our car unless we’re doing something specific,” Bruce says. “Like if we’re going to golf, we drive to the golf course, but the rest of the week our car will be in its parking spot.
“Our primary mode of transportation now is to use the mass transit system in Calgary and our feet, 90 per cent of the time,” he adds.
Switching gears to limited time behind the wheel was a target for the Youngs. They enjoyed the larger single-family home in a gated Kelowna, B.C., community with a golf course where they had lived for seven years. But as Donna says, “the only thing we could get to without driving was, in fact, the golf course.”
They recall one of their last meals in a restaurant in the area lasting about 45 minutes, with the drive time there and back taking about 50 minutes.
Their interest in being able to walk where they needed to go was further heightened while visiting one of their daughters who was living on King Street in Toronto, a major commercial thoroughfare for the city.
“Everything was ... just outside the door,” says Donna.
The couple not only had their hearts set on a rich, urban lifestyle, but a location that worked for their active, outdoor interests as well.
“Within a very short distance we could get to all of the other things that we loved to do,” Bruce says.
“The camping, mountain biking, the road biking, just wandering around in the wilderness. Then the access to other areas of Alberta and British Columbia, just at our fingertips, within a five- or sixhour drive.”
From the site for Smith, they get the well-connected inner-city experience, too. An assortment of appealing places to shop, grab a coffee, or dine — all reached on foot.
“We love some of the smaller restaurants in the community,” says Bruce. The couple singles out the Trolley 5, the Beltliner, the Nash, Cleaver Calgary, Wurst and Ten Foot Henry as some of the nearby establishments they’ve already sampled and enjoyed since moving in.
They’ve also taken advantage of greater access to the gridiron. While living in Winnipeg, they had only been to two Canadian Football League games.
“Because of (Calgary’s) incredible mass transit system, we can walk to the train and have been to two Stampeder games already,” says Bruce. “They’ve really been a lot of fun.”
When it came to picking the condo, the couple took their time. They worked with a real estate agent, exploring more than 30 listings.
While Smith’s location was appealing, the two-bedroom plan measuring more than 1,000 square feet also hit the mark.
The bedrooms are “functional,” says Bruce, but don’t take away from the shared areas, where the couple can host friends and family for get-togethers.
“We can entertain a large number of people,” he adds.
“It was by far the most appealing floor plan we looked at,” Donna says. “It’s bright, it’s open, we have a great view toward Mount Royal. It’s a good design for the way we live.”
Smith is an 18-storey tower with 127 condos that is 70 per cent sold. Prices currently start from $243,900.
“The majority of our buyers have repeatedly told us that the exceptional location in proximity to 17th Avenue was a major factor in their decision to purchase at Smith,” says Rob Duteau, senior vice-president of develop-
ment and general manager of the Calgary office for Grosvenor Americas.
“The development appeals to many segments of the population including millennials who are looking to enter the market for the first time to downsizers who are selling single family homes in favour of a more maintenancefree lifestyle,” he says. “Singles, couples, young professionals and small families are moving to the Beltline for its quick access to amenities.”
Condos currently available at Smith include studios ranging from 449 to 479 square feet, onebedroom floor plans from 498 to 678 square feet, and two-bedroom homes from 855 to 1,055 square feet, and a north-facing penthouse with a panoramic city view measuring 1,695 square feet.
There are also street-entry floor plans dubbed city homes that measure from 1,040 to 1,680 square feet.
“Homeowners have provided great feedback on Smith’s interior and exterior design,” Duteau says.
“Each home, from the studios, to the townhouses, to the penthouse, all radiate a style that is hard to match. This building’s modern kitchens and bathrooms, as well as its exceptional views of the Beltline neighbourhood, have been major selling points.”