BUYER BUILDS ON HER FUTURE
Unity in Seton offers green spaces, welcomes pets, and has recreation facilities nearby
Aman Lall bought her new townhome in Seton because she saw that it had the qualities to play different, but equally important roles.
Down the road, it’ll be an investment property that she rents out, so a savvy decision about the home style and location was key. But in the meantime, the first-time purchaser needed it to line up with her lifestyle — which includes her 1.5 year old medium-sized Siberian husky named Remi.
Lall, who works in sales and marketing, bought at Unity in Seton, a townhome development by Trico Homes. The complex, planned for 107 units, starts from the $290,000s, before tax.
Trico is also in various stages of sales and development on townhomes in the communities of Sage Hill in northwest Calgary, Legacy in the southeast, and Wentworth in the southwest.
“It definitely had to be dog friendly,” says Lall, who jokes that her friendly, four-legged pal sometimes “thinks he’s a cat,” and will happily nap anywhere.
But at the same time, “he definitely needs his exercise,” says Lall, 32, who kept a keen eye on locations that included quick access to generous open space.
At both Unity, and Seton as a whole, she spotted a match.
The townhomes are taking root across the street from a planned regional park in the community, putting a fun outing in 6.5 hectares (16 acres) just a few steps away.
But for Unity residents, the access to a welcoming green space is even more direct. The development is earmarked for a central dog-friendly park.
“We just wanted to cater to the type of buyers that we think will be attracted to the Seton area,” says Nada Courtliff, Trico’s multifamily sales and business development manager. “It seems that a lot of young single, couples, or even small families generally have a pet.”
The space is open, has bench seating and is there for “homeowners to use and get to know each other, as well,” Courtliff says.
Some units, such as Lall’s, will back on to this space.
“It’s nice to be able to walk out my front door and there’s a park right there,” says Lall.
For both long-term value — which Lall calls the “No. 1” factor in her buying decision — and her short-term needs, Seton is an appealing mix.
The innovative southeast Calgary community master-planned by Brookfield Residential is home to the city ’s newest hospital in the South Health Campus. The development, on 283 hectares (700 acres) of land, will also boast up to 1.5 million square feet of office space and one million square feet of retail space.
One of the businesses, MEC, will make Seton its second Calgary location, with a grand opening this weekend.
Seton also has a school, movie theatre, and will welcome a 330,000-square-foot recreation facility in early 2019.
“That seemed to be a smart location to be in,” says Lall.
The slate of amenities in Seton has been compared to what’s more commonly see in a city’s downtown core.
“I wanted something that was a little bit more urban, but without having to be in the middle of downtown,” Lall says.
She also sees Seton as a convenient location, with “fast access” to Stoney Trail, Deerfoot Trail, and Macleod Trail.
Each of the townhomes at Unity has a tandem format attached garage, which was an important factor for Lall, who owns two vehicles. One is a muscle car she uses primarily during the summer months and the other is a sport utility vehicle, her go-to mode of transportation for work.
Her townhome has a driveway, as well, which will come in handy, Lall says, adding “when family and friends visit, it will be nice to have a little extra parking.”
Floor plans at Unity range in size from 1,175 to 1,215 square feet and are available in two or three bedroom configurations. Each townhome boasts appealing outdoor space for stepping out to enjoy the fresh air, with a balcony on the second level.
Show homes at Unity are on tap to open in early November of this year, with an end and interior unit set to be displayed.
“I think they’re really well laid-out functional spaces, says Courtliff. “We have windows on both sides of the units, so it makes the living spaces feel very light and bright.
“I think the efficient use of space is really key when you’re working with a townhome, and so we try to utilize every corner and allow of homeowners feel like they’re maximizing the square footage.”