A UNIQUE VISION FOR LAND USE
Lot configuration at the Keys of Symons Gate brings buyers more home for the money
An uncommon way of thinking about how to save homebuyers on the cost of land has led Brookfield Residential to an innovative formula at a new boutique development within Symons Gate.
It’s called the Keys of Symons Gate and what’s driving its value is the ability to offer a larger home on a smaller lot, and at a more affordable price than a similarlysized home on a typical lot.
This includes duplexes with rear-attached double car garages starting from $375,500 including the lot and net GST.
For Andrea and Ben Hodges, first-time home buyers renting an apartment in Sherwood, the Keys allowed their budget to take them further than they expected. They didn’t think they ’d be able to afford a duplex at the dimensions they did within the city.
“That was a huge thing because of the square footage we were able to get for that price,” says Andrea. All of the duplexes at the Keys at Symons Gate come in Brookfield’s Cadence model, and range from 1,494 to 1,780 square feet.
“It’s a lot of living space,” she adds, estimating their new place will be about “three times” the size of the one bedroom plus den floor plan they’re in now.
Ben agrees, adding, “It’s bigger than some single-family homes that we were looking at.”
The Keys also has single-family homes, ranging from 2,220 to 2,437 square feet, starting from $508,000 including the net GST.
“The Keys was an innovation that came about through unique land considerations and focusing on offering homeowners value,” says Tiffany Ardolino, Brookfield’s senior business development manager.
“We took two lots and have placed three homes on them, a single-family attached double or triple garage home in the front and duplex with double attached garage, in the back,” she adds.
“Not only does this increase affordability by maximizing the size of the home on the lot providing more living space — but it also provides other benefits such as limited yard maintenance and living in an integrated, intimate 16-home micro-community within Symons Gate.”
The plans fit together much like the black and white keys of a piano.
While the single-family frontattached garage homes are located along the street, the duplexes, which have rear-attached garages and are located in a row behind them, can be accessed from the lane, as well. Walkways located between the single-family homes go from the street to the front door of each duplex.
The duplex provides three storeys of developed space, including two or three bedrooms on the top level.
For the Hodges, the flex room, located on the ground level adjacent to the garage, was part of the home’s appeal. It measures more than 12 feet by 13 feet and gives them that basement-like living area they were hoping for.
“It will be like his man cave,” says Andrea. “An extra room to watch sports and whatnot.” The couple is from Vancouver and Ben is an avid follower of all of his home city’s professional sports franchises.
They were also fans of the convenient double car garage.
On the main level, they were impressed by the open-concept design and singled out the spacious kitchen pantry, a feature they don’t currently have in their apartment.
Andrea says she’s also excited about the kitchen, as a whole, and dining area, adding, “I love to cook.”
Ben works at the Calgary International Airport and Andrea works in Beacon Hill, so when deciding on where to buy their first home, the couple had their hearts set on staying in the well-connected northwest quadrant.
“That was a big sell for us, because it’s just down the hill from where we are now,” says Ben. “We’ve got all of the same shopping areas, and it’s basically the same distance to work.”
Symons Gate is near major retail complexes, such as Creekside
Shopping Centre, Beacon Hill Shopping Centre — which has a Costco — and Sage Hill Crossing.
The Hodges also liked what they saw from Symons Gate, as a whole, which is master-planned by Brookfield’s land development division. It features long stretches of pathways and trails, and attractive open spaces such as a 1.6-hectare (four-acre) environmental reserve, and a centrally located park with a playground dubbed Curious Park.
“The pathways was big for us,” Andrea says, adding the couple enjoys going for walks. They also like that they’re heading into a community that’s already a couple of years into its development.
“I like the area,” she adds. “It’s built up, so we knew what was going to be in the area. We knew there was a park across the street, so a lot of that was good to see and influenced our decision.”