LEAVING THE CAR IN THE GARAGE
‘All-inclusive’ condominium project allows couple to park, walk, and ‘do our thing’
When Richard and Darlene Faust aren’t at their second home in Invermere, B.C., or visiting their daughter in southeast Calgary, they won’t be seeing much of their car.
A convenient location that allowed the couple to get where and what they needed on foot is one of the benefits of a new northwest Calgary development where they recently bought a condo.
“We do a lot of driving, out to the Windermere Valley and so on, and when we’re in Calgary, we don’t want to drive a whole lot,” says Richard. “This project is allinclusive.”
The Fausts bought a condo at the Q Condominiums in Sage Hill Quarter by Morrison Homes Multi-Family, a development that launched pre-construction sales in June.
Q will have 173 condos, with 75 units in one building and 98 in the other, along with two units earmarked for guests of residents to use when they stay overnight. The current starting price on condos here is $219,000, before tax. An underground parkade will be exclusive to residents of the development, and there will also be surface parking for visitors and the option for additional stalls to be sold to owners.
The floor plan selection includes one- and two-bedroom orientations and range from 564 square feet to 908 square feet. Some of the two-bedroom options will have two bathrooms.
An event featuring a barbecue, activities, music, food trucks, and a draw for use of an Audi Q5, will be held at the Q Condominiums presentation centre at 67 Sage Berry Way N.W. today from noon to 3 p.m.
One of the factors that sets the Q apart is its handy location, where the term walkable may be putting it too loosely.
The Q condo buildings will be surrounded by 240,000 square feet of commercial space, giving residents a range of amenities, such as stores, services, and places to eat, just out their front door.
“The grocery store, the shops, all of the services are right outside,” says Richard. He and Darlene are both retired.
“So we feel, when we are in Calgary, if we aren’t visiting someone, we will be able to come to our apartment, park, and if we need to go grocery shopping, go for coffee ... we just walk down the stairs and do our thing,” he adds. “That was a big part of the project (for us).”
Sage Hill Quarter, by developer Ronmor, is under construction on a site that measures about 6.8 hectares on Shaganappi Trail and 144 Avenue N.W.
The confirmed businesses that have been announced, at press time, include a Co-op, Shoppers Drug Mart, Bow Valley Credit Union, Tim Hortons, and an orthodontics clinic.
“That’s been the key selling feature and advantage of living at the Q,” says Robert Toth, Morrison Homes Multi-Family marketing lead. “Everything is going to be around them.”
Past the immediate development, Sage Hill is also home to a Walmart Supercentre, and Loblaws City Market in Sage Hill Crossing, another commercial complex in the community.
Creekside Shopping Centre, just outside of Sage Hill on Symons Valley Road, is nearby, as well.
For the Fausts, the need for connectivity also extended to the development’s proximity to major arteries.
“For us, access to be able to get out of the city into the mountains is important,” Richard says. “So when we looked, we looked around projects that were close to Stoney Trail, because it provides easy access out of the city.
“Also, it (offers) very good access to get on Deerfoot. Our daughter lives in the south and we can get to her place pretty quickly, as well.”
The Fausts’ move was motivated by the need to downsize. In Invermere, their place — in which they spend about half their time — is 2,400 square feet on a one-acre (0.4 hectare) lot. With the maintenance it requires, the couple was ready for something that demands less upkeep than the 1,900-squarefoot villa they have in the Hamptons, an established neighbourhood in northwest Calgary.
They picked the D1 floor plan, which at 863 square feet is the largest option available in the first building at the Q.
“We wanted to downsize, but we didn’t want to downgrade in quality,” says Richard.
And as he explains, the calibre wasn’t compromised. The couple was impressed by Morrison’s show suite for Q, Richard says, singling out the kitchen’s appliances, cabinets, and counters.
The outdoor space stood out, as well.
“The (condo) we decided to go with has a large-sized balcony. That was something we were looking into,” Richard says. “We like, in the morning, to get on the deck, drink a coffee and read the news, and the unit we have is going to give us that, as well.”
The Fausts’ condo has two bedrooms, a configuration that doesn’t necessarily need to both be sleep spaces. Morrison is allowing buyers of two bedroom-condos the opportunity to turn one into a space that better suits the residents’ lifestyle.
Called the Q DreamSpace, Morrison can turn the second bedroom into dining room, office, or entertainment room. The builder can add or remove closets, and add a single door, double door, or no door at all.
“We want people to decide what works for them,” says Toth.
The Fausts will use theirs as an entertainment space, “where we’ll listen to music,” says Richard, who has an extensive album collection.
“With a sofa bed, we can convert it into a bedroom if someone stayed over,” he adds.
While the Q presentation centre is the development’s showcase for condo buyers, Morrison is expanding its role.
“We really want to facilitate building more of a community, almost like a village atmosphere,” Toth says, of an initiative the builder
has dubbed Q Club.
For this, he says the aim is to bring together people with similar interests. This includes meetups for activities such as yoga and spin classes, running clubs, book clubs, evenings featuring live music, and seminars around topics such as investments and what’s needed to qualify for a mortgage.
“People can get together, enjoy their interests and develop that community feel,” says Toth.