Creating sought-after developments in Airdrie for more than 20 years, Melcor Developments Ltd. is once again offering a community to enrich residents' lives with its newest project, Lanark Landing.
Located next door to King’s Heights and Ravenswood, Lanark already has everything you need in a place to call home. Pathways effortlessly connect it to the established communities it neighbours, providing convenient and safe access to Kingsview Market, ponds, schools and even a sportsfield/skating rink.
“The nice thing about purchasing in Lanark is that it is right beside King's Heights which is almost built out and has numerous amenities in place. You are getting pioneering pricing on housing because it's the first phase of a new community, but you're able to leverage the complete community that's right next door,” said Alan Boucher, senior development manager for Lanark Landing.
Much like Melcor Developments Ltd., which is nearing 100 years of operating in Alberta, Lanark mixes the lessons from the past with the desires of today – even in the community’s name.
“'Lanark’ is Scottish in origin and Airdrie, Scotland is part of Lanarkshire, Scotland. If you look at the Gaelic term, Lanark means wide-open spaces, which I think really speaks to Airdrie and certainly to life in the prairies,” Boucher said.
“We have organic open spaces and have honed in with those natural organic materials. We're using cedar on our entry features and, as water is a big part of our ecosystem, we've tried to integrate that throughout our open spaces using a variety of different features.”
He added the waterwheel entry feature for the development was inspired by a similar one erected at one of the first cotton mills in Lanarkshire, which is still operational today.
A component of Lanark Boucher said he is particularly excited about is the central site playfield area, the community's main amenity, which Melcor is proposing to be used as a four-season gathering space.
“You can have a little gazebo/trellis area with the small amphitheatre if someone wants to set up the stage for events, some barbecue pits, picnic tables and – what is interesting about conversations I've had with councillors in Airdrie – is that there is a real push for the community to look at growing food in terms of community gardens and fruit trees that actually produce edible food,” he said. “So we took that concept and we're proposing a pretty cool community gardening kind of orchard gathering area as part of the overall facility.”
The intentionally developed open spaces of Lanark highlight Melcor’s thoughtful planning and design to ensure the community is built for the enjoyment of its residents for years to come.
“Based on our experience in King's Heights, people like to be within walking distance to open spaces, whether it's a pathway or an area to sit down and chill out or reflect a bit, or playgrounds. With the young demographics in Airdrie, that's pretty important,” Boucher said.
“We try to have a pretty good balance of pathways, open spaces and playgrounds within a five-minute walking distance of everyone living in the community.”
Another perk of the kilometres of pathways is the ease of access to schooling options. Not only is the community situated to allow children to walk to Heloise Lorimer School (K-5), Francophone d’Airdrie (K-12) and the private Footprints for Learning Academy (currently K-10, with plans to expand to Grade 12) without having to cross major traffic corridors.
“Directly beside our first phase of Lanark there is an existing school site that's geared for separate, so Catholic school more likely. In the middle of Lanark, consolidated with the playfield and gathering areas, there is a public school site,” Boucher said. “At build-out, options will be available for all families whether you want Francophone, public or separate.”
The community’s proximity to Kingsview Market speaks to the developer’s commitment to integrated communities with amenities that fit today’s lifestyle. The shopping centre, a large portion of which is owned and operated by Melcor, boasts 13 restaurant and dining options from Dairy Queen to State and Main Kitchen and Bar, three banking options, health services such as medical and dental clinics, physiotherapy, massage and chiropractic care and an optician. Personal care options include a nail salon, barbershop and places to workout. Additionally, the market takes care of resident’s daily needs with Save on Foods, Sobeys Liquor, Esso, Plant Life, Fulton’s Home Hardware, Jiffy Lube, Global Pet Foods and Shopper’s Drug Mart.
“You'll have to cross Kingsview Boulevard to get all the way to the [shopping centre] site, but up until that point, it's a nice family bike ride or walk with the dog if you need to go grab something quickly," Boucher said.
He added the build-out of Kingsview Market includes a few more phases. Six new businesses opened last year. In May 2019, Airdrie City council granted a land use amendment to accommodate the increased demand for commercial space in the shopping centre. Approved land use for the amendment includes childcare, indoor recreation, health care, entertainment, office, personal service and retail.
Lanark features ease of access to Highway II and Calgary along with architectural controls, which create a welcoming and cohesive streetscape. This picture-perfect vision wouldn't be complete without the landscaping elements, attractive entryways, consistent decorative fencing, masonry features and lighting, all of which will be maintained by the homeowners association.
“The architecturals, I think we've really outdone ourselves” Boucher said.
With clean, mid-modern architecture throughout Lanark, the development includes diverse housing options from single-family lane homes to multi-family options.
“I think a lot of consumers are kind of looking for something that's still traditional but it has a sleek mid-modern flair to it,” Boucher said.
Melcor’s philosophy of “inclusive communities” ensures housing options are available for anyone's lifestyle or budget.
If you're looking to downsize or to purchase your first home, Boucher said the community offers beautiful walk-up street townhouses from Douglas Homes and McKee Homes Ltd.
“They're kind of bringing a mid-modern caisson prairie style to the community, which I'm really excited about,” he said, adding the townhouses start in the $290,000s.
“Our builders have phenomenal pricing on their homes right now. Homes by Avi has semi-detached product, starting at $299,900. And then McKee and Pacesetter by Sterling Homes have laned single-family homes starting in the $350,000s.”
Later phases will include move-up products and options for those looking to completely customize their home.
“Castellano Custom Homes and McKee Homes are building in King's Heights right now if someone is looking for a more of a higher-end custom home, and I would encourage you to check that out,” Boucher said.
“In our starter product in the first phase of Lanark, the builders do work with clients on customization and selections.”
Lanark Landing show homes are now open and the response has been positive with buyers showing interest right out of the gate. You can take a virtual tour of the show homes at liveinlanark.com/showhomes-in-lanark/
“There's no better time to buy a house than now,” Boucher said. “I know that it's a very challenging situation for many people right now, but there are some really good home prices out there and builders are pretty open and flexible to working with customers to make your dream home happen even in these difficult times.”
