BOWNESS DRAWS ’EM BACK
Inner-city site offering affordable, ‘environmentally responsible’ townhomes
Geoff Peterson has glowing memories of growing up in Bowness.
He looks back fondly on family outings at Bowness Park and his first job, helping people carry out plants and potting soil from Sunnyside Garden Centre. Now, Peterson is heading back to the historic northwest Calgary neighbourhood.
“It’s home. It always has been,” says Peterson, 38.
He bought at Arrive at Bowness, the latest townhome development built by Partners Development Group. Eleven units of the 50-unit development will be sold through Partners, and the other 39 will go through Attainable Homes Calgary Corp.
“We are proud to offer our first inner-city townhome development in partnership with Attainable Homes Calgary Corp., offering environmentally responsible, energy-efficient towns,” says Jade Mahon, vice-president of sales and marketing for Partners. “Our community includes pathway con- nectivity with Bowness and has a municipal reserve area as part of the development.”
Peterson bought through Attainable, a wholly owned subsidiary of the City of Calgary that runs a home ownership program aimed at helping middle-income earning Calgarians afford the down payment on a new home.
Through this program, homes are available for a down payment of $2,000. Program applicants must qualify for a mortgage and not earn more than $80,000 annually. People with dependent children can earn up to $90,000. Peterson will be moving to the townhome with his 17-year-old son.
“When they first announced the Bowness project ... I was all in,” says Peterson, who works as a safety technician and currently rents a duplex in Cochrane. “It was exactly what I wanted.”
The appeal started with location. He returns to a neighbourhood where he has deep family roots and an appreciation for the benefits that set it apart.
“It’s a very tight-knit community,” says Peterson. “It’s mature trees, big green spaces — I am excited to be going back.”
Growing up, Peterson was no stranger to Bowness Park, a 30-hectare green space at 8900 48th Ave. N.W.
“There are parks and little trails that we would walk around ... We would go there and have family picnics, and go ice skating during the winter,” he says.
Since opening sales earlier this summer, much of the interest has come from people who know and love the neighbourhood, says Attainable Homes sales lead Neil Mitchell. Many buyers either used to live in Bowness or have family and friends in the vicinity.
“One thing we noticed, even when we did our sales launch was there’s this deep down love of Bowness,” Mitchell says. “I think a lot of people just like to be feeling like they are part of the community.” He notes, shortly after the Calgary Stampede Parade, Bowness had its very own parade. “You don’t see that very often.”
Also driving interest to Arrive at Bowness is the affordable price point, says Mitchell. Opportunities through Attainable Homes start at $317,900 and range from 1,308 to 1,600 square feet. They come in two-bedroom plus den and threebedroom plus den orientations, and include a single-car garage with a full driveway. Attainable is selling out of a sales centre at 1010 6th Ave. S.W
Partners’ townhomes are 1,519 square feet, have three bedrooms and an attached two-car garage. These are selling out of the sales centre for Arrive at Evanston, which is another town home development by the builder, at 101 Evanston Manor N.W. Pre-construction prices for an interior unit start at $419,900 for an interior unit and $429,900 for end units. Townhomes at Arrive at Bowness overall feature two-inch blinds, laminate hardwood throughout main floor, carpets on the upper level, stainless steel kitchen appliances and a washer and dryer.
Townhomes sold through Partners have granite, tile and other upgrades.
To get a taste for what he’ll be moving into, Peterson visited Partners’ show homes in Evanston.
“They are not in the same floor plans, but you can tell how a builder works by how they finish the house,” says Peterson. “They’re gorgeous.”
Also important is what these townhomes have under the surface. Like Partners’ townhomes in Evanston and the northeast Calgary communities of Redstone and SkyView Ranch, these will be equipped with energy-efficient fea- tures and certified through Built Green Canada.
Built Green is a national organization with a certification program that rates the level of energy-efficiency in a home.
At Arrive at Bowness, greenminded specifications include EnergyStar appliances, a 96 per cent recovery ventilator and 100 per cent efficient electric water heater, floor-to-ceiling low emissivity windows, water-saving faucets and a heat-recovery ventilator.