A new construction project has broken ground in Innisfail that will bring a little bit of Spanish inspired old world charm to an otherwise western town.
After coming back to work from a medical leave a local Innisfail developer wanted to design a housing project that was different from anything he had ever built before. So when Jerome Chmura found his inspiration for the project while travelling in California he knew immediately it was something he wanted to try in Innisfail.
The housing development project will consist of seven houses on just more than 1.5 acres of land and will include two bi-levels, three lakeside basement walkout homes, and two, two storey homes.
The neighbourhood is being built just off of Dodd’s Lake behind the Dr. George - Kemp house. The small plot of land is barely visible from the street and is accessed by one road off of 56th street.
The development is based on a village inspired concept with all of the homes facing a common courtyard. Each of the homes will be styled differently but finished with stucco, stone, and clay. The homes will be built with the lay of the land in order to not disturb the natural landscape or vegetation and the design also creates a different visual appeal then a regular flat and orderly neighbourhood.
With several added trees, iron fencing, and another common area down by the lake, the community will have a warm feel, said Chmura. Although the area will be walled for privacy it is not a gated community. However because of it’s location visitors will almost have to drive right into it to even know it is there.
The property is currently lined with large trees and backs directly off of the lake and Chmura said they will not be cutting any of them down for the development.
“We wanted to stay as far away from the lake as we could to preserve the environment there,” said Chmura.
The homes will all be upper end developments because of the detailed finishing and the community will be age qualified living for those in the 45 plus age category.
The high end living community will be one of the most unique housing projects in Innisfail said Chmura, adding that he wanted to the neighbourhood to be a small intimate setting for residents.
Chmura has in the past built regular multi-family homes in Innisfail and in the last 12 years has built more than 64 units in town. However, his desire to do something different has now allowed him to tap into the high-end market that he said has not yet been addressed in Innisfail.
Construction on the project is expected to be complete in 12-16 months.
