Panatella Park offers young home buyers a rare opportunity to live in a community equipped with established services, situated minutes from Deerfoot Trail and a Calgary Transit Park and Ride station. In less than five minutes walking time, you could be sweating off some steam at Cardel Place. This new recreation centre includes a fitness facility, an aquatic facility, three gymnasiums and two NHL-size rinks and a branch of the Calgary Public Library.

“It’s very affordable and it’s the best kind of community anyone in that price range could want,” says Brad Logel, area manager of Panatella Park. “It’s whatever you need it to be.”

With three floor plans to choose from, buyers are given more options than might be expected with your average townhouse. The Garrison, Wildwood and Brentwood all have the option for either two master bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms or one master bedroom and a two other bedrooms.

“Young people want to feel really good about what they are doing and they want to feel good about the construction,” says Logel of Cardel, a 34-year-old Calgary builder. “It’s the quality of the construction and then whatever plan speaks to them.”

Panatella Park was no overnight concept, in fact, Cardel spent two years brainstorming, planning, examining town home plans from across North America and constantly returned to modify floor plans of the 78 units according to what customers wanted.

“We sold 52 units without any models; we basically sold a street in the first weekend,” say Logel, adding that a number of Cardel employees bought units as well. “They are selling themselves.”

Located on a parcel of land where Harvest Hills Boulevard meets Panatella Gate, Cardel Lifestyles’ latest offering has town homes with decks, common green space, external parking and pathways waving throughout.
Let’s say you want to host a giant New Year’s party but don’t want to break the bank, well, as a resident of Panorama Hills, the E-Community Centre can make it happen. Yet another mere steps from your door (imagine how healthy you would be with all this walking!) is the centre all Panorama Hills residents have access to which also hosts classes from karate to yoga. The E-Community Centre backs onto a ravine with a playground, ice skating rink and volleyball courts.

Other walking distance shopping includes Superstore, Sobey’s and a number of restaurants and service shops in Country Hills Shopping Centre.

Cardel is one of the founding builders in Panorama Hills, a Genstar Development and it has invested not only in land but also in the lives of the home buyers, with a $1.21 million donation to the recreation centre that now bears its name.

“We plan on being a part of Panorama as well as the whole city forever,” says Logel. “We wouldn’t have made such a commitment to the community if we felt differently.”

Wildwood, 1239 square feet
The first impression of this floor plan is that each room has a very physically defined design, which would lend itself well to ensuring privacy for residents throughout the home.
From the foyer, which is larger than the two other plans, the great room is compact and forward facing. An angled bathroom faces the eating area, separating it from the entertaining front room. Moving towards the kitchen, a flattened-V-shaped island resembling a wide podium addresses both a eating nook and the living room, making requests from the head chef to couch-potato sous-chef a breeze.
Although skylights are an option available in the stairwell of all three floor plans, the Wildwood wears it particularly well, given the equilateral basic stairs to the second floor. It gives the illusion of incredibly vertically lengthened stairwell landing.

Brentwood, 1257 square feet
You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to see why this floor plan serves sociable over-eager entertainers best. As soon as you walk through the front door, the sheer length of the great room is not only inviting but leaves so many options open for creative interior decorating from lengthy couches to a large entertainment system.  If you can snag a corner unit with this design, the Brentwood plan allows for four windows that spill light into the room, making it appear larger. The main floor bathroom is carefully tucked away, three steps down the basement stairwell. A short bar unites the living room with the small kitchen (compared to the other layouts).

Climbing to the second floor, a long stairwell hugging the length of the home is what gives the great room a wider feel. A built-in desk nook is an option available for this design on the second floor landing.

Garrison, 1260 square feet
With just 20 more square feet to work with than Wildwood, Garrison achieves a confident open arrangement visible from the moment you walk in. Just off the foyer is an open living room that flows directly into the kitchen without any physical barriers. Although this may not seem like much, it makes the first floor look significantly larger than the other two designs. The kitchen counters and island hug one corner of the room, while a breathable eating area backs onto sliding glass doors.

The main floor bathroom faces the great room at a square angle. Breaking the familiar use of 90-degree angles is a large triangular shape cut out of the stairwell, which successfully opens the main floor further and directs the eye upwards to the second floor.