Homebuyers seek out ‘greener’ pastures in west Edmonton

By Trevor Robb

EDMONTON — A community in west Edmonton is now home to an excitingly new and innovate ‘green’ housing project.

The City of Edmonton partnered with Park Royal Homes and Encore Master Builder to develop a sustainable housing community that utilizes the latest in green appliances and building technology.

The ‘Home Suite Home – Legacy Pointe in La Perle’ – project on 182 Street and 96A Avenue, is not just a new way to help Edmonton families go ‘green’, it’s also a unique way to sublet your home financially, as every house has an additional and separate basement suite attached.

“I think it’s a win-win for many reasons,” said Hal Wright, City of Edmonton – Planning and Development. “These suites are increasing the number of affordable and safe accommodations within the city of Edmonton and they’re not limited to certain areas – as demonstrated by the ‘Legacy Pointe’ project – these can be built anywhere.”

“It’s really exceeded our expectations,” said Wright.

Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel, has also praised the new project:

“We are thrilled to undertake such an innovative project that provides residents with attainable home ownership and a variety of housing options in an established residential area,” said Mandel in a press release. “Building in a mature neighbourhood means cost efficiencies from using existing infrastructure and increased livability for owners and renters being close to schools, transit and amenities.”

Cornerstones Grant Program

The main feature about these homes is the affordability. Each home-buyer will have the opportunity to apply for a one-time grant through the Cornerstones Grant program, for up to a maximum of $20,000 per secondary (basement) suite.

According to Wright, Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC) has come on board offering any homeowner with a CMHC-insured mortgage be allowed to use 100 per cent of the grant funds towards a down payment for the home. Additionally, CMHC will allow 50 percent of the expected income stream generated from the basement suite to be counted as additional income when applying for a mortgage.

“How about a young couple that are just on the cusp of qualifying for a home? They’re not right there, but an option like this makes it completely available to them and affordable to them,” said Wright.

BuiltGreen Standards

Houses are built to a BuiltGreen standard and include several high efficiency appliances, provided in the standard housing packages, including:

•    Instant hot water on demand
•    Dual flush toilets
•    Single level faucets
•    Double high-efficiency furnaces (one for each level)
•    Separate programmable thermostat
•    Spray foam insulation
•    High efficiency washer, dryer and dishwasher
•    High efficiency light bulbs

“If the home owners don’t like the particular front-load washer and dryer they can go pick another one, so long as it meets those energy requirements,” said Kevin Read, General Manger with Encore Master Builder. “Appliance usage is one of the biggest wasters of electricity in homes.”

From the outside, each house looks no different than any other house on the street. But when you step inside you will find that each house has an attached garage which is divided and separated down the middle. Each garage serves as a separate entrance to the main level and basement suites. There are two main designs for the houses, named “Sapphire” (2,623 square feet) and “Topaz” (2,745 square feet).

“We didn’t want to make it look like we’re creating an up and down duplex or that sort of thing,” said Read. “We wanted to make it look like a single family residential community, but we can fit two families in each house.”

Open houses for the ‘Legacy Pointe’ project remain open to the public. The show homes are open Monday to Thursday from 3 to 8 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

 

robbt@mymail.macewan.ca

Topaz Suite Video Tour

Sapphire Suite Video Tour