Love where you live: New Gateway Gem condos in Ermineskin offer a break from urban sprawl
Downsizing from a home to a condo can be enticing for many reasons, from less backbreaking yardwork to greater affordability. But all too often, homeowners must move out of their comfort zones, literally, to do it – departing established neighbourhoods for downtown locales, and exchanging homey comforts for ultramodern (some might say sterile) living spaces. Not so with Gateway Gem, the newest condo project from Regency Developments currently under construction in Edmonton’s southwest Ermineskin neighbourhood. Established in 2008, Regency has built some 1,500 new condos across the city, specializing in four-storey buildings that nestle seamlessly into older neighbourhoods populated mainly by single-family homes. “We’ve done about four of them now, and that’s what we thought would be a perfect fit for Ermineskin, rather than doing something like an eight-storey concrete building,” says Raj Dhunna, the company’s COO. “In these older neighbourhoods your vision has to fit what’s surrounding the development.” For Gateway Gem, Regency went with a contemporary yet subdued exterior design: a four-storey, peak-roofed wood structure appointed in tasteful colours and surrounded by a sweep of green landscaping. Unit prices range from just north of $200,000 to the low $300,000’s. Most are two-bedroom, two-bathroom suites, and the luxe-feeling interior spaces feature a choice of several warm-and-inviting colour schemes, stainless steel appliances, ensuite laundry, plank-style laminate flooring, porcelain tile, quartz countertops, glass subway tile kitchen backsplashes and double undermount sinks, among other touches. Private balconies with gas barbecue outlets promise to be a prime spot for summer entertaining. The building is close to Calgary Trail, Anthony Henday Drive and the South Edmonton Common retail complex. It’s a two- to three-minute walk to the nearest bus stop, where residents can hop a ride to the Century Park LRT and access the rest of the city. A large community park lies within a fiveto six-minute walk. Gateway Gem is likely to lure families with its affordable price point and proximity to Keheewin and Steinhauer elementary schools – while also attracting an older demographic looking to downsize, says Dhunna. “I grew up in the neighbhourhood over, and there hasn’t been a whole lot of new development,” he says. “I still have friends whose parents live in the same house that they did when I went to elementary school decades ago. You get a sense that some people are looking to downsize, but not everybody wants to go to downtown or to another new suburb. They love where they live, but they don’t have anywhere new to go.” Now they do. The Gateweay Gem pre-sales start soon. Check the website for limited-time offers at