Calgary homeowners capitalizing on market by going bigger

When Stephanie and Robert Morgan decided to make a step up from their Evanston home, their biggest concern was space for them and their growing family.

After looking at several "lateral" options that would have seen them gain little in the way of square footage, the Morgans decided to make the jump to something significantly bigger

"We really wanted a place that would feel like a home for each member of our family – somewhere where we could each have our own space but also enjoy the common areas without tripping over each other," said Elizabeth, who, along with husband Robert, shares the home with their four-year old daughter.

Americans and Albertans alike looking to the mountains for recreation homes

The old truism of "location, location, location" applies as equally to recreation property as it does to a good piece of primary real estate. And it may become even more important in a tight economy.

Alberta's recreational property market — much of it located in the mountain areas and lakes within an hour and a half of Calgary — continues, at least for now, to be fairly strong.

With the decreasing Canadian dollar, American buyers coming from a healthier economy are once again looking at Alberta property while local buyers may be seeking cottage life closer to home.

What do gardeners want? Houzz.com tells us in new survey 

Even if you are reading this column you don't actually want to garden. What you really, really want most in your garden is easy maintenance and outdoor living. I realized this after reading the new Houzz.com garden survey online (http://bit.ly/1NUnvls). Yes, it's true. Most gardeners' responding to the survey just wanted to sit in the garden and do as little as possible.

And if you bought a new home recently you are more likely than others to develop an outdoor sitting space immediately and get right to the business of lounging.

Houzz followers buying new homes plan to spend extra money buying outdoor furniture and developing colourful, low maintenance beds to surround their new sitting space. And after this space is designed and built, the top use for the renovated outdoor area is simply this: relaxing.

Cycling Calgary's surrounding communities

On the rim of on-street bike lane initiatives in Calgary, more cyclists are looking to transport safe pedal-power to smaller cities around southern Alberta.

Met with controversy by some motorists, Calgary has approved 260 kilometres of on-street, 3.1-metre wide bike lanes to go along with a 550-kilometre pathway system.

While bike lanes may be the trail to two-wheel success in Calgary, many smaller centres are relying on an array of paved and non-paved pathways to accommodate a growing number of free-wheeling travellers.

But while multi-use pathway systems may be an attractive option for recreational riders and casual commuters, hard-core on-street distance riders like Nick Lynem have experienced some road sharing concerns with automobiles.

Design updated following 2013 floods

The newest addition to Cochrane's parks and pathways system is set to open later this month.

Following a redesign after the 2013 floods, Riverfront Park will open on Aug. 29 with a ceremony featuring the Cochrane Pipe Band, a Native Elder blessing, First Nations dancers, and remarks from Wild Rose MP Blake Richards, Banff-Cochrane MLA Cam Westhead and Cochrane Mayor Ivan Brooker.

Riverfront Park is one of a new generation of urban parks that showcase natural areas within an urban environment. The park has been in planning since the Open Spaces Master Plan was approved by Council in 2012. Changes were made to the design after the 2013 floods, but senior manager of community services Suzanne Gaida thinks the final design is even better.

Getting a head's up on HOA fees

When school let out this year, Suzanne Maynard and her two young daughters joined a cohort of neighbours at Lake Bonavista for a summer kick-off party.

Unlimited access to the private beach is worth every penny of the Homeowner Association (HOA) fee Maynard says she and her husband pay annually.

"We truly believe it's the best $288 we spend in a year," she says. "The money that goes towards the community is priceless – it provides endless entertainment for our kids and we have got to know our neighbours down at the lake."

After much speculation, the Calgary Flames have announced plans for a massive sports complex, including a new football stadium and field house. The plan would see replacements for the aging Scotiabank Saddledome and McMahon Stadium constructed on the west side of Calgary's downtown. Dubbed CalgaryNEXT, here's a breakdown of five things you need to know about the new Calgary arena project.

1. Location
Currently home to an assortment of car dealerships, empty lots and the GreyHound bus station, the proposed site for the project sits alongside the recently opened Sunalta LRT in Calgary's West Village. Once home to a creosote plant, construction on the site would likely necessitate a costly cleanup, with an estimated pricetag between $50 and $300 million.

Has "not in my backyard" become Calgary's unofficial slogan?

The cry "not in my backyard" has been heard in this city over many topics. From secondary suites to skateparks to special needs schools and even bottle depots, objections have arisen on projects both public and personal.

Having even spawned its own Twitter handle, Calgary's long-running history of NIMBYism has seen residents object to special needs schools on the basis that they would lower property values, social housing based on an increase in population density and skateboard parks based on the "racket" created by budding Tony Hawks.

For those tasked with moving projects forward in the face of such criticism, it can be a delicate balance.

"Obviously there is NIMBYism in Calgary, as there is in every city. Whether or not there's more, I don't know," said RESOLVE spokeswoman Amy Hurst.

Condo herb garden project sparks sense of community

If you want to know what's going on in your neighborhood, just lean over the fence and ask what's growing in the garden.

That's a British saying that's as true in a Kent country cottage as it is in a downtown Calgary condo.

But how do you find the space?

For Marion Tompkins, retired and living in an Eau Claire apartment tower, it meant re-imagining some under-utilized space right under her nose into a communal herb garden.

New museum provides perspective of just how far growing town has come

Gordon Davies's roots run deep in Cochrane.

His family moved to the area in the early part of the 20th century, while Davies himself is president of the Cochrane Historical & Archival Preservation Society (CHAPS).

The society, in fact, is behind the new Cochrane Historical Museum, which opened May 31 and was nearly two decades in the making, according to Davies.

"Unlike many towns, Cochrane has never had a museum dedicated to its local history," he said, noting CHAPS has been planning the museum since the society's inception in 1999.