Likewise, everything new isn’t always better. Think the ‘new’ Coke a few years back.

At Statesman Group of Companies, that’s not the case. As Calgary’s original villa community builder, Statesman has been setting the standard in retirement condominium living for more than two decades. And, while their original project out at Priddis Greens has stood the test of time — it’s still a very desireable address, but not many become available via resale as not many people want to move out — their new condo projects still set the standard today. In fact, they prove that you can, in fact, to twist Paul McCartney’s lyrics to Hey Jude: “take a good thing and make it better”.

One such project is the Landings at Cougar Ridge, located off Old Banff Coach Road. The community offers spectacular views of the city and Bow River valley, as well as close proximity to amenities such as the West leg of the LRT, Canada Olympic Park, Westhills rec centre, and several shopping centres. Access to downtown is literally minutes away on Bow Trail East — while the Rocky Mountains are less than an hour’s drive to the west.

“We did the market research,” says Jason Goodwill, area sales manager for the Landings at Cougar Ridge. “This part of town is doing really well. It’s still a growth area.” For someone who’s only been in town for a few months, Goodwill seems to have a solid grasp of Calgary’s traditional new home buying patterns. That is, people who live in the southwest, if they move, tend to stay in the southwest. “We think The Landings will have a lot of appeal for people who like living in the southwest, who are comfortable in their finances and want a low-maintenance luxury lifestyle.”

Although there’s no official age restrictions, “it’s very much a 50-plus crowd, even in the townhomes.”

Not only will the 45 townhomes and 21 villas boast all the numerous other high-end trappings that have become a signature of the Statesman lifestyle, but they also offers residents the opportunity to live in a luxury home that’s built to be extremely environmentally friendly. The website says the homes will “exceed all current standards of excellence in design, functionality and sustainability”. Lofty goals, but then again Statesman has never shied away from a challenge.

Townhomes are two-storey and range from 1,605 –square-feet to 1,846 square-feet with four base models available. Each of these, however, has a couple of different floor plan options (most are two or three bedrooms with two-and-a-half baths) so that there’s actually about 16 slightly different layouts. What all the floor plans share is secure heated underground parking with two stalls per resident right outside the door to their home. Inside, each home features a high-end standard finishing package that includes granite countertops, stainless steel energy efficient appliances, hardwood and ceramic tile flooring, and safety features like a full sprinkler system. Energy Star lighting, dual flush toilets and R20 insulation provide add to the sustainability factor. Townhome prices range from $520,000 to just under $600,000, plus GST. Monthly condo fees have been pre-set at a very reasonable $290.

One of the most popular features of a villa home, says Goodwill, is the opportunity for single-level living. All villa designs are bungalow style, with private garage entrances — most with below-grade parking for three vehicles. Villas also come in four basic floor plans, again with about a dozen slightly different configurations, ranging from the cozy, 1,552-square-foot Emerald model, to the massive 2,819-square-foot Diamond design. Villas range in price from $799,000 to $1 million-plus, with all the same high-end finishings. Condo fees are $350 per month.

But, while both the townhomes and villas are definitely pleasing to the eye — especially the views — it’s what you don’t see that’s where the real value is.

What you don’t see are the hours upon hours put in by Statesman’s community planners, architects and designers as they strive to build the best communities possible. And, when you’ve got a tradition of quality like Statesman, it’s not always easy to keep one-upping yourself. This time, however, there’s no question that they’ve done it.

Their secret? They take a forward-looking approach to the future of intelligent communities. They don’t just think about what will work well now, they design for what they think will continue to be viable well into the future. They also like to think about the community as a whole, not just as individual home units. After all, these communities — not just the bricks and sticks — should be able to hold their appeal, and value, for several generations.

Another thing residents maybe won’t see, at least until they check their utility bills, is just how energy efficient their entire community is. Statesman calls it “optimal energy utilization”. For example, natural gas may be cheap right now, so we may think we’re using energy efficiently by burning gas, but are we using it as efficiently as we could? The answer, of course, for most homeowners, is no.

The Landings at Cougar Ridge attack this issue head-on with an innovative ‘geothermal hybrid system’ which includes ‘intelligent monitoring’. Nice, but what’s it all mean? It means that a combination of geothermal and conventional energy supply is accessed as needed with very little waste or greenhouse gas emissions.

The way it works is thus: A geothermal heat pump, a specialized device that looks a lot like the gas furnace it’s replacing, burns gas and draws heat from an underground ‘loop’ (a series of pipes) to provide heat for hot air and water.

‘Excess’ heatis then either sent back down into the loop, or converted into electricity and stored. Carbon dioxide is re-captured and sent back down below rather than being released into the atmosphere. The intelligent monitoring system keeps track of energy use (right down to the BTU or kilowatt hour for each home and for  the community) and market prices, and then the condominium corporation buys or sells energy from or to the grid depending on the community’s needs. Nothing is sold back to the grid until the energy needs of the community itself are satisfied. It’s really a win-win-win situation for individual condo owners (who save long-term on their utility bills), the community (which can be sustainable or even profitable) and the environment (energy and water conservation and fewer greenhouse gas emissions).

Of course, all of these valid points are not lost on Calgarians. In fact, although pre-sales have only been open for the last couple of months as of press time, Goodwill says he’s seen immediate response. “I’ve already got 14 reservations I needs to draw up contracts for.”

Official ground-breaking for phase one was in early August, with occupancy expected for Spring 2011. All five phases, consisting of a total of seven buildings, should be completed by Spring 2012. An on-site sales centre is expected to be finished by late September,

For those who can afford the luxury lifestyle, the value is certainly there in The Landings at Cougar Ridge. Especially in the things you don’t see. CL

FAST FACTS:
Community: Cougar Ridge
Project: The Landings At Cougar Ridge
Developer: Statesman Group of Companies
Style: Luxury townhomes and villas
Size: From 1,552 sq. ft.
Price: Townhomes from $520,000, villas from $799,000
Address: 771 Patrick Street S.W.
Hours: Wed to Sun – noon to 7 pm.
Website: http://www.cougarridgelandings.com