6 Amenities To Expect in a New Community
Finding a new home with a floor plan and design style to fit your family’s needs is one big step in the process of buying a new home. Finding the right community in which to plant your family’s roots is another. The location of your new home can be the difference between long or short commute times, access to recreational activities, and your family’s overall health and wellbeing.
Let’s explore some of the amenities to expect as you look for a new community for your family.
Green Spaces and Parks
We live in the digital age. Many of us have several electronic devices in our homes, but we still need to get outside to benefit both our physical and mental health. Many new communities offer dedicated green spaces with walking trails, beautiful trees, open grass, and playground areas to spend time outdoors.
Look for a community that offers the type of space your family can enjoy, such as a large open green space for frisbee tossing or fetch with the pets, paved trails for walking, cycling, or jogging, or even water features where the sound of bubbling water is a great place to meditate.
Some communities such as Cy Becker offer playground areas as well as water spray parks for the kids, or even an ice rink or toboggan hill for winter activities!
Local Shopping and Restaurants
Driving a long way to get groceries or pick up the odds and ends isn’t ideal. Choose a new community that offers proximity to grocery stores, smaller market shops, or a convenience store. The closer to home these types of shops are, the easier it will be to pick up dinner on the way home or spend less time doing a full grocery run.
Most families enjoy eating out from time to time, and having good restaurants closer to home can be a great option to eat out without having to travel too far. Find a new community that offers a variety of restaurants your family can enjoy or a community close to a large shopping center such as Crimson in Creekwood Chappelle, located near the Currents of Windermere.
Schools
Moving your kids to a new school is already a stressful process for both you and them, but moving to a new community where schools are near your new home can ease the strain. A neighbourhood where your kids can easily walk or bike to school on their own will save you the time to drive them and pick them up every day, or the cost of bus transportation. Going to school close to home also gives your kids a chance to become friends with kids in their own neighbourhood, helping them feel more at home.
If proximity to schooling is important to you, consider a community such as Laurel Crossing, which is less than two kilometres from A. Blair McPherson School.
Health and Safety Services
In addition to shopping, your family will need access to medical and wellness facilities. Having a medical clinic, dentist, and a pharmacy close to home is ideal when you need them most. It may also be worth considering the proximity to the closest hospital (such as Aster, which is close to Grey Nuns Hospital) when choosing your new community.
Having a fire station closer to home not only gives you peace of mind but also helps with your home insurance rates. The closer you are to a municipal fire station, the lower your premiums will be. In addition to this, having a nearby police station can also contribute to your peace of mind.
Recreational Activities
If your family participates in extracurricular activities, living either within the same neighbourhood or along major thoroughfares will help reduce commute times. Many new communities such as McConachie Heights or The Uplands at Riverview are built with easy access to Anthony Henday Drive, offering quick access to most areas of the city.
Recreational facilities are available in various areas of the city as well, offering a wide variety of activities from sports to health and wellness classes. Many of these facilities offer swimming pools, ice rinks, soccer fields and basketball courts, and regular classes for everyone in the family. Jesperdale in Spruce Grove is less than four kilometres from the TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre.
Public Transit
If your family needs access to public transportation, seeking a community with plenty of transport options will help them get around. Many new communities have bus services currently operating or coming soon, with some (especially in the Southwest of the city, such as Cavanagh and Desrochers) found along LRT routes and transit hubs.
This is also ideal if you work downtown and prefer the less expensive parking fees of Park and Ride stations like Century Park, Lewis Farms, or Belvedere, among others.
Planting your family’s roots in a new home also means choosing the right new community. Make a list of your family’s regular activities and seek communities that meet these needs. Be sure to consider how your family will grow and thrive in this community for both today and the years to come. The right community can bring your family happiness, good health, and a stable place to live and grow.
Originally Posted February 1st, 2019, updated May 12, 2022
Photo credits: depositphotos.com
About the Author:
At Sterling Homes, our mission is to provide the opportunity for affordable homeownership without compromise. Over the last 70 years, Sterling Edmonton has quickly become one of Edmonton’s most popular builders. We bring more than seven decades worth of exceptional customer service, superior design and unparalleled craftsmanship to the greater Edmonton area. As a member of the Qualico Group, Sterling Homes focuses on greater Edmonton’s finest family communities, while being able to offer some of the region’s most family friendly prices thanks to volume purchasing power for materials, trades and land. This has not only made Sterling one of Edmonton’s bestselling, move-up builders, but also one of the industry’s most respected home providers. It is through our uncompromising commitment to our customers that we proudly deliver the Sterling Advantage – that’s why each and every home we build includes a 10-year home warranty, a completion guarantee and new home warranty excellence rating. Our Advantage is our pledge that, when you build your dream home with Sterling, we will deliver a timely, well-built home you’re sure to enjoy for years to come.
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