The path has been cleared for the town to market a one-acre site in the Upland Aspen area for high-end condos, a development that will raise the bar for upper end living in Innisfail.
Located at the southwest corner of Lakewood Drive and Aspen Heights Way, the site has been targeted over the past 14 months by town planners for a set of distinct architectural and site development guidelines.
There was a proposal on May 14, 2012 to increase the site to 1.5 acres but council defeated it after being told of public concerns about the proposed development's future appearance. Administration was directed to prepare the architectural guidelines to ensure that future development would be visually attractive.
On July 22, town council approved the set of architectural and site development guidelines for the site, giving the town the green light to now market it for high-end development.
Craig Teal, the town's director of planning and development, said the plan is to have a 36-unit building of high-end condos at the site, which offers views of the mountains to the west and the Innisfail golf course to the north.
“We are dialing up the requirements compared to what is in our Land Use Bylaw, and we can do that because we are the developer in essence and selling the lots,” said Teal, adding that a “broad estimate” cost of the future condos will be in the $300,000 range. “We are using our vendor status to make sure we get that good quality product.”
He said the town will now begin marketing the property to see if there is prospective developers interested in meeting the town's architectural and design expectations, along with the proposed prices of the planned units.
“We made commitments to deliver a high quality product and this (architectural guidelines) is a key tool in honouring that commitment,” said Teal. “It probably will be a nicer product than we have historically seen.”
The guidelines for the high-end development prepared by the town's planning department include the number and size of dwelling units, building height, colours and exterior finishing treatment, windows and doorways, roof design, balconies, on-site parking, landscaping, lighting, outdoor storage and utilities, and creation of a condominium corporation.
