Qualico joins Harmony project
Experienced developer enters partnership with Bordeaux Developments
Bordeaux Developments has brought on Qualico Communities as a development partner in Harmony, a new community about to break ground just west of Calgary.
The new community, just to the west of the Springbank Airport and north of the TransCanada Highway, will be home to about 10,000 residents in about 3,500 residential units at build-out, feature a 27-hole golf course and an employment campus, and utilize state-of-the-art environmental and water conservation methods.
“Since its foundation in 2001, Bordeaux has always been about partnerships,” says Birol Fisekci, president and CEO of Bordeaux Properties.
“Harmony specifically has had the motto ‘the more great minds there are, the more great ideas there will be.’ It’s really been about delivering – whether it’s communities or homes or projects to the market that are unique, that are creative and that contribute to the fabric of the area.”
Bordeaux Properties has found a like-minded company in Qualico, Fisekci says.
“There’s an incredible depth of experience at Qualico. When you look at a project of the magnitude of Harmony, you really want to get it right, and that’s why the fit with Qualico. The skill set that their team brings to the table is phenomenal – both financial and development expertise, community respect and community outreach.”
The two companies’ teams have had a chance to work together on a fundraiser for the past two years, Building Hope for Kids, in support of the Alberta Children’s Hospital, finding that their company cultures mesh well, he added.
“This is a big move for our company, and our partnership. It’s a brand-new development from the ground up,” says Karin Finley, Qualico Communities’ vice-president of community development for Southern Alberta.
“For all of Qualico, including Western Canada and the United States, this is the largest project we’ve been involved with in terms of investment. Probably the second-largest was the Epcor Tower in Edmonton — we went up a long way there.”
At just over 10 quarter-sections’ worth of area (about 700 hectares, or 1,700 acres), Harmony is much larger than any single community in Calgary. Qualico brings expertise on all the attributes of the plan.
“All of the components of the community we’re very familiar with – that’s what we do. There’s a mix of housing, aging in place, health centres, schools, employment centres. In partnership with the city in the past, we’ve even built things like water treatment facilities or pump stations, so we’ve been involved in utility construction, as well,” Finley says.
The $130-million investment in Phase 1 will launch shortly. The first phase includes the golf course; a 16-hectare instalment of the 55-hectare lake; a school; residential homes and amenities including a trail network; play fields; and public art displays.
“The cultural component will be rich from day one in Harmony,” Fisekci says.
The man-made lake, which will support fish habitat and nonmotorized lake activity such as canoeing and sailing, will provide a focal point for the community.
“The scale of Harmony is fascinating. You look at the map and think, oh, that’s a small lake. That’s already on par with Cal- gary’s largest lake. On the lake, there is a small island that the children can boat out to and discover and create their own stories within the community,” Fisekci says.
By comparison, the community of Mahogany’s lake, in southeast Calgary, will be 25 hectares at build-out.
The 27-hole championship golf course is designed to hug the northwest sides of the Springbank Airport. West of the golf course, the village core will be the heart of the community, with local boutique retail opportunities and community gathering spaces.
The 7,585-yard golf course is designed by World Golf Hall of Famer Johnny Miller and PGA powerhouse Stephen Ames. The Copithorne Club is set to be one of the longest and greenest golf courses in Alberta. It is also designed with hosting world-class events in mind, including events such as the Canadian Open.
The course is named for the Copithorne family, the landowners whose company, Elbow River Land Corp., is partnering with Bordeaux and Qualico to develop Harmony.
Construction is expected to begin this spring, with show homes opening in September 2015.
Harmony’s builder group will include Baywest Homes and Qualico’s builder group of Sterling Homes, Broadview Homes and NuVista Homes. More builders are being considered, as well.
“This is a complete community and will function like a village,” Finley says. Because the land is wholly owned by the one partnership, “it’s really exciting to be part of the whole, rather than in pieces of the whole.”
For more information on Harmony, visit liveinharmony.ca