As one of the city’s top homebuilders, Shane Homes prides itself on delivering spectacular homes for discerning Calgarians, but even the talented team at Shane couldn’t compete with Mother Nature on this current project. The unique natural amenities of this northwest Calgary land became the focus and inspiration of the neighbourhood as well as the community’s namesake. An esker is a winding ridge sculpted by glacial meltwater, and this stunning natural landscape is the star of Shane Communities’ first Signature community, Esker Park.
“Our focus was to embrace and highlight the natural escarpment formed by glacial activity, which can be traced back to the Jasper area and Mount Edith Cavell. The design of Esker Park, along with the surrounding developments, was carefully planned to complement these natural features, allowing the landscape to shape the community rather than the other way around,” says Brenden Montgomery, vice president of land development at Shane Homes Group of Companies.
The landscape designs reflect elements from glaciers and the formations they create, giving the community a more naturalized feeling. With pathway connections from within the community winding out to lookouts over the escarpment and gorgeous green park spaces acting as the central hub of the community, Esker Park brings nature to its residents’ doorsteps. Of the around 60 acres located east of Glacier Ridge, west of Ambleridge and Ambleton and directly north of Sage Hill beside the old Simons Valley Ranch site, more than 10 acres are taken up by an environmental reserve and open green space, offering ample opportunities for residents to walk, bike and play with an incredible natural backdrop.
The area is easily accessible by the Stoney Trail ring road as well as various north-south connectors to make getting around a breeze, but Shane Communities aims to make it easy and attractive for residents to stay close to home. The team designs communities perfect for active Calgarians, so whether walking the dog, playing in the greenspace courtyard, taking kids to the school slated for the area or doing some shopping in the existing nearby amenities, cars are practically optional in Esker Park. The standard in new communities is to strive for walkability and convenience, and Shane Communities earns high scores on both with this one.
“What we aim to do from an environmental perspective is reduce reliance on driving. Esker Park is designed to encourage walking and biking, where residents can easily reach parks, shops and future schools without needing their car as often. It’s a community built for connection, convenience and sustainability,” he says.
Great walkability encourages social connection through more interactions with neighbours and leads to better physical health, all while saving on gas and reducing emissions. This sense of community will grow quickly thanks to the accelerated development schedule that will limit the time residents live with construction. Many other new areas see residents navigating construction zones for 15 years before the development is finished and the last neighbours take possession. Esker Park is different. Calgarians buying in phase one enjoy a truncated development period, and while there will still be construction, the team manages debris and strives to ensure their new communities are clean and safe for families living there as they build out the neighbourhood. When completed, Esker Park will feature about 420 homes (350 of them being single-family homes with multifamily units making up the rest) and with the huge early interest in Esker Park, Shane Homes has been able to reduce the number of phases from four to three to bring the completion timeline down to around four years.
It is a winning combination of fast development completion and a wide selection of floor plans and home styles, all of which are backed by the company’s impeccable reputation for quality construction and top-notch service. This has Calgarians flocking to the temporary sales centre at 4040 144 Avenue NW to find out how to become part of Shane Homes’ incredible new neighbourhood.
“This is an incredibly desirable location and the excitement around Esker Park has been overwhelming. Even before the showhomes are complete, we’ve seen strong demand from buyers who recognize the value of this unique setting and the nearby amenities,” says Melanie Gowans, vice president of sales, marketing and interior design for Shane Homes Group of Companies. “We’ve carefully designed Esker Park to be a true destination, not just another subdivision. With five distinct home styles, there’s something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a townhome, laned home, front-drive home or duplex. This variety ensures a diverse and vibrant community where people can find a home that truly fits their lifestyle.
Diverse offerings, a great location and the weight of Shane Homes’ reputation in the city have contributed to phase one’s brisk presales, with possession of smaller homes as early as this summer and move-in for larger, more customized homes in October and November. This first phase features single-family homes boasting classy, timeless designs perfect for any lifestyle. To help buyers who aren’t quite sure which style fits their needs best, Shane Homes is building seven showhomes this summer and early fall to highlight the different options in Esker Park. The parade of showhomes will be built close together allowing homebuyers to easily compare the options; they can visit a townhome, pop across the street to walk through a laned or front-drive home and then tour a beautiful duplex around the corner. And as they walk through all of the showhomes they can draw inspiration for their own homes from the Shane Homes interior designers’ creative ideas showcased inside.
Inside and out, Shane Homes Group of Companies always makes a strong and lasting impression in the Calgary market. Unparalleled curb appeal and sophisticated interior design paired with durable materials and advanced construction methods results in a community of high-quality gorgeous homes that can better stand up to the at-times volatile Calgary weather.
After all, this inaugural Shane Homes Signature Community will be the example to which all future Shane developments will be compared so the team is making sure they are built to stand the test of time; future home buyers will need only look at Esker Park to see the care, attention and intention that goes into every element of these signature developments. From green spaces to commercial amenities to incredible home designs, Shane Communities focuses on the smallest details that make good communities exceptional ones. These high standards and careful planning create the template for a remarkable neighbourhood and then the homeowners do the rest.
“While we develop the physical infrastructure of a community, true community is built by the people who live in it. Our goal is to create spaces that foster connections and a sense of pride in where people call home,” says Montgomery.
And there is much to be proud of. Homebuyers take pride in living in beautiful quality-built Shane homes set in glacier-inspired landscapes, and they are excited to follow the developer’s lead in transforming a collection of houses into a connected, vibrant community of neighbours. Esker Park may be Calgary’s newest northwest community but this Shane Homes Signature Community was 22,000 years in the making, and it was well worth the wait.
