ARBOURS OF KESWICK HONOURS CITY’S BEST
Streets to be named after remarkable Edmontonians
One of Edmonton’s newest communities, still in its infancy, is actually steeped in history.
The Arbours of Keswick, nestled in a southwest corner of the city, may only have a sprinkling of new homes so far on the 160 acres on which it sits, but streets in the new development are being named in honour of remarkable individuals who contributed to Edmonton in a meaningful way.
Further, Second World War prisoner of war survivor Stanley C. Gordon King, who played a part in the Great Escape — a mass escape orchestrated by Allied soldiers in March 1944 from a German stalag; the basis for the 1963 film of the same name that starred Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough — is being recognized in the neighbourhood. King Vista, just off 182 Street SW, is named after King, as is the Gordon King Pond, a focal point in the centre of the community.
“Gordon King embodies characteristics that we are proud to showcase in our neighbourhood, and has lived a life that his family, community members and Canada can be proud of,” said Amy Power, marketing manager of Rohit Land Development, the developer behind Arbours of Keswick.
King, 98, originally from Winnipeg, has lived in Edmonton since 1965. He spent three years at Stalag Luft III as a prisoner of war. During this time, according to information from the City of Edmonton, he joined a group of men digging tunnels in the hopes of an escape. But he would do more than dig and took on other responsibilities, including being a look-out, taking excavated sand to the entry point and handing it off to a dispersal man, operated an air pump, and, along with another prisoner he obtained electrical wire, which was used to replace the oil-burning lamps in the tunnels.
He was not one of the men who escaped.
After the war, part of King’s focus was to bring attention to veterans and prisoners of war. A sports enthusiast whose interests include curling, he has seen three of his children become Canadian champion curlers.
King has also received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award, given to Canadians who made a significant contribution to their communities and/or Canada as a whole.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
While the grand opening of the Arbours of Keswick is still months away — the event is planned for September — development and interest is said to be strong in the community. Once completed, there will be three phases. The Arbours will feature single-family homes and duplexes built by Excel Homes, Kanvi Homes and Rohit Communities. The Estates will contain premium homes from Kanvi Homes, Kimberley Homes and Parkwood Master Builder. Builders have not yet been announced for the final phase — The Towne — which will offer multifamily options such as condominiums and townhomes.
The Arbours and Estates phases will contain approximately 1,000 homes. Development of the Towne phase is still in the planning stage. A future kindergarten-to-gradenine public school is also in the works, as well as a future church and a neighbourhood commercial centre that will be part of The Towne, with potential offerings including a coffee shop and daycare spaces.
“The Arbours of Keswick was created for the home buyer looking for their next step in a neighbourhood they feel proud to call home,” said Power. “We’ve done this with a relentless attention to detail, specifically in the architecture and landscaping design, and the selection of industry leading builders.”
Initial response to this new community has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Power.
“The Keswick area has become a desirable address in southwest Edmonton and the Arbours of Keswick is offering home buyers remarkable options at affordable prices,” said Power.
“The early adopters have been able to visualize the end result and want to buy now to ensure they get their pick of lot and home style.”
STREETSCAPE HOMES
The Arbours of Keswick is one of the new Edmonton residential communities offering the Streetscape single-family home product, where the front garage is recessed, as opposed to being a dominant exterior feature.
“Streetscape homes are built on a lot that is wider, but not as deep as a traditional single-family lot,” said Power. “This opens the front of the home up to the street and allows for more windows on the front and back of the home. This is allowing us to offer even more variety for our home buyers. Between our three single-family builders, there are over 40 different home styles to choose from in Stage 1 — the single-family show homes are the Streetscape style, so customers will be able to experience the new options.”
Calgary-based Excel Homes, which held its Arbours grand opening earlier this month, is just one of the builders offering the Streetscape option if buyers are so inclined.
“In Phase 1 we’re introducing some brand new Streetscape models designed exclusively for the Arbours of Keswick in conjunction with some of our top-selling traditional style models, such as our Kingston, Campbell and Argyle, all of which are single-family homes,” said Luc Withell, Excel’s area manager. “Moving forward we’ll be opening up some opportunities for duplexes, as well as townhome products.”
This marks the third community in Edmonton for Excel, having entered the local market some 18 months ago with Crystallina Nera in the northeast part of the city, and then Cavanagh in the southwest.
“Excel saw an opportunity that Edmonton is going to be expanding, that there are some opportunities south of the (Anthony) Henday. We’ve had such success in Calgary in similar areas on the outskirts of the city,” said Withell, adding that there were other reasons as well for selecting the Arbours of Keswick for its newest Edmonton homes.
“It’s almost adjacent to the river and we have two ponds, walking paths, and it brings people closer to nature,” said Withell. “Second, everything is right by your home but not right by your house, such as the proximity of Currents of Windermere for shopping and dining. The third reason is the quality of the builders here. For us, being in Calgary for 30 years and being one of the top builders there, I think people are excited to have an opportunity to buy one of the first Excel homes in Keswick.”
Excel has also pre-designed various degrees of customization into its home offerings, above and beyond the finishing touches of flooring, cabinetry, countertops and lighting. For example, upgrades are available that allow you to customize kitchens, pantries or ensuites (depending on the home model) with different layouts within the existing structural footprint. Finishing packages, meanwhile, offer the chance to choose from different doors, baseboards and door handles as opposed to taking just what you see in the show home.
“Our goal is to make the home buying process as easy and as fun possible,” said Withell. “We do that through our one-stop shop process where we’ll make sure we figure out the best home for you moving forward, walk you through any of the potential customization and changes you want to make, and do all the interior design and let you get a hands-on feel through our presentation centre.”