A major development in the city’s north will bring new growth to the city and create more options for housing and commercial sites, said a senior associate with Melcor Developments.
The Edmonton-based company recently confirmed the purchase of 202 hectares (500 acres) of land north and west of Walmart in St. Albert’s north.
Senior development manager Susan Monson said the company is planning for a mixture of commercial and residential developments, and hopes to begin construction next summer.
Melcor is now working with city council and administration on approving the area structure plan for the site.
“We’re focusing a lot on building a community that encompasses the family values in St. Albert as well as some opportunities for recreation,” she said.
“Some of the things we are focusing on is walkability, which connects people from residential to commercial and vice versa, and also good linkages to the existing trails in St. Albert.”
Monson said the majority of the development will consist of housing, with about 14 hectares (35 acres) set aside for commercial development. Housing options will encompass everything from apartment and condominium buildings, to duplexes, and town and estate homes, she said.
She added that the company has not yet created specific plans for the commercial part of the development but is hoping to blend in with the surrounding area.
“I know in that area there are quite a few big-box stores already so we’ve been talking about different ways that we can complement some of the stores that are already there,” she said.
Monson added the project is a joint venture with St. Albert-based homebuilders Sarasota Homes and Daytona Homes, as well as developer Reid Worldwide.
“They are all very familiar with the people in St. Albert and working in St. Albert and so far they’ve been great members of our team,” she said. “We worked with all of them in the past in different capacities and it just seemed like a logical choice to keep our relationship going.”
Melcor is now working with St. Albert city council and administration on land planning and hopes to get the area structure plan approved in the spring of 2014.
Considering the size of the land, the project’s completion is anticipated to take between 10 and 15 years, Monson said.
