One of St. Albert’s newest neighbourhoods will be the first to participate in a national pilot program geared toward sustainable community development.
Averton Home’s Midtown project in South Riel will launch Built Green Canada’s pilot Communities Program. Spanning 45 acres, the 900-unit, mixed-use development will bring townhomes, mid-rise buildings, neighbourhood commercial and seniors active lifestyle options to St. Albert.
Since 2003, Built Green Canada has worked with builders across the country to offer third-party certification programs for those interested in sustainable practices in the residential building sector. Under the pilot, interested developers would work with the national organization on incorporating sustainability into neighbourhood design, from the site's location and energy systems to water and waste management.
Paul Lanni, Averton president, said they became interested in Built Green’s pilot after hearing about how their certification stretched beyond the construction of a home to the overall design of the community.
"It was an opportunity to bring a sustainability conversation to the community level, which was something that was very interesting to us," Lanni said.
Evaluating a home for sustainability typically involves looking at a home’s energy consumption and modelling, he explained. But when you evaluate a community based on sustainability, it’s really a top-to-bottom approach to ensure the wellness and livability of the neighbourhood.
“It takes the approach that there's a better way than the standard way to design a community. And Midtown has been designed to be better than what is typical in the region," Lanni said. "We are focused on people and the way that people are going to live in this community."
Instead of front-facing garages, garages and driveways are off to the side so families can play on the sidewalk and front yard without having to worry about vehicles coming and going, he said. Homes are designed with front porches so residents can see and say hello to their neighbours on a Saturday morning.
Open green spaces are designed to bring more gathering spaces to a community, like parks, trails and art installations. The trail system will connect with paths to the Enjoy Centre, and residents will be able to bike or walk along the river to St. Albert's downtown area.
“It’s about fostering that sense of community that I feel has been lost over the years,” he said. "I think that this is one of the opportunities where we can be creative and promote a good sense of community."
Jenifer Christenson, CEO of Built Green Canada, said their mandate is to help move the industry forward into more thoughtful, sustainable design. So far, five other developers have expressed interest in participating as well.
"When we think about a post-pandemic world, there will not only be a greater focus on taking care of the environment, but also on becoming more self-reliant and self-sustaining. And one aspect of this is focusing on greener buildings and communities," she said.
Participating builders and developers can choose from a list of 'green' features they want to integrate into their development across several categories, including site location, layout and design, energy systems, water conservation, materials and waste management, health and wellness and business practices and innovation.
Christenson said she was impressed with Averton's design and their desire to look at neighbourhood design from a bigger perspective. That aligned interest made them a good candidate to launch the pilot, she said.
"(Averton's) design is amazing, I really think they're doing some fantastic work," she said. "I'm pretty impressed."
Averton Homes will be unveiling the neighbourhood's first showhomes on Friday, Nov. 13. Additional units are under construction in subsequent phases. Next summer, crews will work on expanding the road within the community and start to build some of the open space.
