Genesis Land Development
Where many see an open prairie, Genesis Land Development Corp. sees a thriving community of families and businesses. The real estate developer has four divisions: land development, single-family construction, multifamily construction and commercial construction. Each does its part to turn that intangible vision into a complete community.
“Genesis, right from the start, focused on acquiring land in excellent areas,” says Arnie Stefaniuk, general manager of land development. “And now we are starting to capitalize on purchases that were made many years ago. Our vision was right from day one, and we are reaping those rewards now.”
A main facet of the Genesis vision is to purchase land holdings in highly desirable growth areas. However, instead of resting on the selling point of location, location, location, Genesis strives to enhance the value of each of its communities. It has been active in developing nine communities since its 1992 inception, and unlike many neighborhoods in Calgary and surrounding areas, Genesis communities resist cookie-cutter suburban formats, Stefaniuk says.
“A lot of our competition put out very good, quality products,” he maintains. “But it’s hard to differentiate between individual communities. Genesis tries new things with our subdivisions that no one else would try.”
New Developments
Genesis is in the midst of three projects that demonstrate the company’s innovation. At the 160-acre Saddlestone in northeast Calgary, Genesis will unveil its first two phases encompassing 166 single-family lots in April. The project is scheduled for 12 phases over five to six years.
Stefaniuk says it is the largest community in the country to incorporate a fused grid layout, which creates efficient movement for pedestrians and vehicles. A rain garden system is embedded in the community, which naturally treats water that otherwise would flow into pipes.
“Instead of a piping system, we let the water flow down the streets into green areas where Mother Nature treats the water and recharges it into groundwater,” Stefaniuk says. “It requires less infrastructure and Mother Nature recycles the water that gets piped away in a typical development.”
At Sage Meadows in northwest Calgary, Genesis has built 200 single-family lots on a 230-acre space. It opened its showroom parade April 9.
“We had an excellent turnout. It was better than expected,” Stefaniuk says. “This a highly desirable area of Calgary. It’s close to major transportation routes and the airport, easy to get to downtown and there is a lot of existing shopping.”
Sixty percent of the site is green and natural space, and it’s designed around the West Nose Creek Ravine. “Try to find lots backing onto a creek in Calgary – it’s just not available,” he says. “There certainly were areas that we could have developed that we chose not to for sake of aesthetics, for sake of the wildlife and for sake of keeping things as natural as possible.”
At Bayside in Airdrie, Alberta, Genesis is developing 728 acres of land. Half the property is built out through 13 phases with six kilometers of canals and two lakes, all interlinked.
“This is a dry part of Canada in southern Alberta, and putting this amount of water on the prairie is very unique and took a lot of courage,” Stefaniuk says. “All the lots that back on to water are walk-out lots. The properties sit on the canal, and you can put a kayak or a canoe out there. The canals also feature linear parks with pathways so you can walk or cycle through the whole network. You can even skate on it when it’s frozen. It’s truly a community for all seasons.”