LIVING IN NOLAN HILL LIKE A WALK IN THE PARK
With young children, Elizabeth Archer and Jefferson Roc know having places to play is important.
They’ve got two sons, a threeyear-old named Malik and sixmonth-old Matheo.
And at their new home in northwest Calgary, enjoyable outings with their children are easy.
“There’s a park 45 seconds from my house,” says Archer, of the open space that includes a play structure.
“This is the closest. I have two other ones that are probably three minutes away when walking. So when my oldest says, ‘ let’s go to another one,’ I say ‘OK, it’s not too far.’
“In the summer, we’re outside all the time,” she adds.
The family moved to a home by Sterling Homes in the community of Nolan Hill, which has six playgrounds.
The community by Anthem United — accessed from 144th Avenue N.W., Sarcee Trail, Shaganappi Trail, and Symons Valley Parkway — is now selling into its final phase of residential development.
Both Archer and Roc were born in Haiti but have spent most of their lives in Montreal. Roc works in sales and Archer is a registered nurse who is currently working toward opening a bilingual day home.
After visiting one of Roc’s relatives who lives in Calgary, the family decided the city was the right fit for their needs, too.
For Archer and Roc, Nolan Hill’s location was a draw. It’s one of the new communities in the city’s Symons Valley corridor, which has a range of established shopping, dining, and recreation opportunities.
“There’s everything. Name it,” says Archer. “The furthest I have to drive to where I want to go is 20 minutes. Not more.
“I have a gym that’s five minutes from our house, we have grocery stores, Walmart, Costco.”
Large commercial complexes Creekside Shopping Centre, Bea- con Hill Shopping Centre, and Sage Hill Crossing are all a quick drive for Nolan Hill residents. There’s the Gates of Nolan Hill development, anchored by a Sobeys grocery store, within the community, as well.
“When it’s cold and you have kids, you can’t really go outside
with them,” says Archer. So she takes hers to TommyKplay, an indoor playground and family entertainment centre that Archer says is “three minutes from my place.”
“Nolan Hill has been a very successful community largely due to its prime northwest location,” says Steve LePan, development manager for Anthem United.
The developer, which is also behind the nearby community of Sage Hill, is slated to launch the new communities of Belmont in southwest Calgary and D’Arcy in Okotoks later in 2018.
“With an abundance of ame- nities in the region that include Sage Hill retail and Beacon Hills shopping, residents do not need to travel far to go to the gym, to the doctor, the vet or for a load of groceries,” LePan says.
“But if they do need to travel, the Ring Road is only two kilometres away.
“With plenty of competition in the region, it was important for Nolan Hill to stand out and we feel we accomplished that with our unique parks and entry features.”
Along with Sterling, Nolan Hill’s single- family builder group is comprised of Pacesetter by Sterling Homes, Morrison Homes, Shane Homes, Trico Homes, and Homes by Avi. Prices start at about $500,000, including the lot and GST.
Archer and Roc chose Sterling’s Beaumont 2 — a front-attached garage single-family home that measures about 2,700 square feet — but customized portions of it to better suit what the family was looking for. The home sits on a sunny walkout lot.
Rather than putting off the basement development, they decided to finish it from the get-go.
“Why not enjoy the whole house instead of waiting?” Archer says. “Whatever floor we go into the house, we are amazed. We have enough space, the kids have enough space. On the main floor, we have a kitchen that’s open concept. “It’s really beautiful.”
For Roc and Archer, an open plan was key.
“When we are cooking or washing the dishes, and the kids are with us, we want to have an eye on them,” Archer says. “And if we have guests over ... we just want everybody to enjoy the moment at the same time.”