That’s why sales at Calvanna Village in Okotoks have been anything but slow as more people aged 50 and over are opting to leave the traffic and city life behind in search of a more laid-back, maintenance free lifestyle with all of life’s amenities conveniently located at their fingertips.

“A lot of people want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and live in a quieter area that has a bit of a small-town atmosphere, but still have access to major shopping areas,” says Calvanna Village marketing director, Paul Funk. “You are within a two-minute walk from Safeway, drug stores, banks, restaurants, dry cleaners and a seniors’ centre. Pretty much everything you want is within a two-block radius.”

The 50-plus condo development consists of 144 units amongst three-three-storey buildings, which contain underground heated parking and storage. The homey units, which range in size from 750 square-feet to 1,120 square-feet, are available in one-bedroom-plus-den and two-bedroom floor plans with four different layouts to choose from. A one-bedroom unit starts at $256,900 while the two-bedroom unit starts at $256,900.

Attention to detail is prevalent throughout each unit from the moment you walk through the front door. In the kitchen, residents are given a choice of beautiful maple, oak or white cabinets with a full-height ceramic tile kitchen back splash, 18-cubic-foot fridge, self-cleaning range, vented range hood, dishwasher, and full-size stacking washer and dryer.

Each unit also features comfortable in-floor heating and Venetian blinds to give it a real homey feel, along with its own private patio or deck with a barbecue hookup that is perfect for entertaining the family on those long, warm summer nights.

With standard features such as these, Funk said homeowners are left satisfied, not wanting more.

“The interior of the units are pretty much left to the homeowner,” says Funk. “The specifics themselves are such that we find an awful lot of people don’t spend one nickel on upgrading because they don’t need to. That’s really what we strive for.”

Calvanna Village has a strong community atmosphere thanks to a resident-run social club that plans dinners, dances and other events at the clubhouse. The clubhouse contains a big screen TV for movie nights and a wet bar perfect for gathering with new friends and catching up on the latest events.

Even though the town of Okotoks has a young, vibrant demographic, with the latest census revealing Okotoks is the youngest community in Alberta, with a median age of 32, the town hasn’t forgotten about its aging population.

Okotoks, which now has a population of more than 17,000 residents, has a subsidized taxi service with a $3 cost for one-way fares anywhere in Okotoks for residents over the age of 60. The town pays the balance of the cost and also subsidizes taxi fares to Calgary.

Since tenants moved into the first building in December 2006, the second building is now nearly sold out, except for two remaining units, and the third building is nearly half sold. Construction on the entire complex will be completed this summer.

Calvanna Developments has been in business since 1990 and has completed a number of 50-plus developments in and around Calgary.  CL

For more information about Calvanna Village visit http://www.swancanada.com.