Discover the charms of Cochrane – Alberta’s fastest growing community

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Cochrane’s bedroom community is anything but sleepy.

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The city northwest of Calgary continues to be Alberta’s fastest growing community and is now the 11th fastest growing municipality in the country. With a population of nearly 33,000 people, 65 percent of whom commute to Calgary daily, the city has successfully fought its growth to keep its small-town image intact.

There are 23 new subdivisions awaiting council approval, with many new communities underway. Not all of them are growing on the outer edges of the city. An old gravel pit in the heart of Cochrane has been rehabilitated for development as the Greystone mixed-use community, which officially broke ground in June.

Josh Hagen, vice president of development for landowner Burnswest Properties, said the urban village-style community is the most special project he thinks he’ll work on.

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“Not many municipalities have the opportunity to reclaim an abandoned industrial site of this size — 150 acres next to the Bow River and a 325,000-square-foot sports facility,” he said, referring to the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Center immediately south of the development. future.

Greystone will focus on an angled parking lot main street with a mix of single-family, duplex, urban and multi-family homes, plus a shopping center and light industrial district. Construction on the storm pond and the first phase of 129 lots is underway with a supermarket anchor and hotel chain already committed to building.

“Clearly hotels don’t fit into every community, but the synergy that is next to the recreation center, which hosts hockey tournaments and curling tournaments, having that use here and all that it will bring will be just fantastic,” he said.

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The group of builders includes Douglas Homes, Green Cedar Homes, Prominent Homes, Rohit Communities, Ocgrow Group and Avalon Master Builder.

Recalling the 1970s, Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung said he grew up around the old gravel pit, helping his family’s digging business.

“I would like to thank the Burns family for investing in our community. It’s great to see what the future holds for this section of land right in the heart of our community. This is us, taking a leap into the future,” she said.

Cochrane held 3,353 building permits in 2020 with another 5,068 in 2021, setting up 2022 to be another breakneck year as construction in new communities continues.

Development continues in Heritage Hills by Harmony Park Developments to the northwest and Melcor Development’s Sunset Ridge, north of downtown and east of Highway 22. The community launched in 2008, but new phases continue to come to market.

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“The Pinnacle at Sunset Ridge consists of four phases of real estate lots from 40 feet to 60 feet wide, offering a variety of interior lots and ridge lots with unobstructed mountain and ravine views,” said Ruth Price, project coordinator of Melhor.

An environmental preserve borders three sides of this phase, while Melcor is working with the town to build a network of trails with interpretive signage and lookout points. Builders include Aspen Creek Designer Homes, Castellano Custom Homes, Douglas Homes, and Rohit Communities. Price said the lots will be delivered to builders this fall.

Heartland by Apex Land Development, launched in the mid-2010s, continues east toward Highway 22. It is 75 percent complete with nine more phases to go. Daytona Homes and Excel Homes front-wheel drive single-family pilot homes will launch this fall in the next phase, which will include a school site.

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Across the Bow River and up the hill is Fireside by Calbridge Communities (formerly La Vita Land). This large, family-oriented community on the southern edge of Cochrane is much closer to Calgary and the Trans-Canada Highway than the mountains west.

Fireside has public and Catholic schools, a vibrant shopping area, community gardens, and an enviable NHL-sized outdoor track. Calbridge recently opened Phase 10C, an exclusive preserve of 15 semi-estate lots with exits and pie-shaped lots opening onto green space. Calbridge Homes and Janssen Homes are the builders on this phase, while another phase is slated to launch in August 2022 with front and rail drive homes, duplexes and street towns. Two new builders will join Fireside, Cardel Homes and Genesis Builders.

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To the south, the community of Riversong is closing and selling its final phase, an exclusive enclave on a landscaped escarpment overlooking the Bow River and the Rocky Mountains. Tamani Communities, one of the Precedence developers in Riversong, says there are 156 parcels in that neighborhood with Phase 12 now for sale.

“Award-winning builders Trico Homes and Jayman Built opened new show homes in Precedence this spring. Homeowners can purchase a home with an attached garage out front, including bungalows, on one of the 70 available lots in Phase 12, starting in the lofty $500,000,” said Josh Delannoy, Tamani development manager.

Meanwhile, the city has undertaken infrastructure improvements such as the Highway 1A corridor, which is the gateway through Cochrane, which is scheduled for completion in the fall. The upgrade ties in with Alberta Transportation’s Highway 1A and 22 interchange project, which is due to start in 2023.

Construction continues on The Station at Cochrane Crossing and a new protective services building, while a new initiative called The Trail is underway. Phase 1 of the non-vehicular road connecting Cochrane and Calgary will travel along Treaty Territory Seven connecting Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park and the Rotary/Mattamy Greenway trail.

The project, which to date has been entirely funded by donations, could possibly extend as far west as Canmore.