Mahogany sets single-family permits pace
A community in the southeast and another in the northwest topped all areas of Calgary in applications to build single-family homes over the first half of 2015.
There were 224 applications to build single-family homes in Mahogany over the first six months of 2015, which was the busiest in Calgary, says the city’s planning and development department.
This was followed by 172 applications in Evanston.
New construction of single-family homes in the Calgary area cooled by 35 per cent between Jan. 1 and the end of June compared to the same months in 2014, says Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
Despite the downturn, Mahogany’s single-family building permit applications were almost the same. The community filed 225 building permit applications over the first six months of 2014, which was fifth most in the city at the time.
“We weren’t sure what to expect this year in Mahogany,” says Scott Hamilton, director of marketing and communications at Hopewell Residential, the community’s developer. “But really, I think it gives us confidence that we built something people want to be a part of.”
Mahogany earned the Land Development award at this year’s National Canadian Home Builders’ Association SAM (Sales and Marketing) Awards and the “Community of the Year” title at the Calgary Region SAMs.
“Now that many of the major amenities have been built in Calgary, I think many people are seeing it first-hand and really wanting to be part of it,” Hamilton says.
Evanston is an area in the Symons Valley corridor that includes the communities of EvansRidge by Dream Development and Evanston by Qualico Communities.
Over the first six months of 2014, the Evanston area outpaced all parts of the city with 263 applications to build single-family homes.
The other leaders in single-family building permits over the first half of 2015 were Nolan Hill in northwest Calgary along with Auburn Bay and Legacy in the southeast.
Nolan Hill, which is masterplanned by United Communities, logged 151 permits. Auburn Bay had 114 while Legacy finished at 109. WestCreek Developments is behind Legacy, and Auburn Bay’s developer is Brookfield Residential.
For multi-family development, the Beltline district was tops in the city in building permit applications with 26. During the same time in 2014, the historic neighbourhood also led all areas in Calgary with 34.
Trailing the Beltline was Legacy with 23 permit applications and 22 in Nolan Hill. Then there were 14 in Cranston and Cityscape, respectively.
Cranston is a southeast community by Brookfield, and Cityscape in northeast Calgary is by Mattamy Homes.
I think it gives us confidence that we built something people want to be a part of.