Blatchford Development | ?m | ?s | City of Edmonton

[Platinum107]

Personally, I think what would've been a much better and forward-thinking design is a cottage court; You can have the benefits of the smaller profile and easier access of the bungalow while maintaining a level of density appropriate for Blatchford. Especially from the perspective of seniors and older couples, this kind of setup would be perfect for having some community and shared amenities while having your own house.

 

[fjordgard]

Personally, I think what would've been a much better and forward-thinking design is a cottage court; You can have the benefits of the smaller profile and easier access of the bungalow while maintaining a level of density appropriate for Blatchford. Especially from the perspective of seniors and older couples, this kind of setup would be perfect for having some community and shared amenities while having your own house.
View attachment 627388

Yes, this would make a lot of sense in Blatchford! Sometimes I wonder if the Special Area bylaws for Blatchford are actually behind the new Zoning Bylaw for the city as a whole...

 

[TAS]

I was doing some research for my spring trip to The Netherlands/Germany and came across the Markthal (market hall) in Rotterdam. I was thinking this would be amazing in place of Hangar 11 that was lost to fire.
Similar style building that would fit nicely in Blatchford (or the Quarters or Strathcona) that is a mix of residential, office, retail and certainly a major gathering space.

Who's got some deep pockets or connections?

 

[Airboy]

Personally, I think what would've been a much better and forward-thinking design is a cottage court; You can have the benefits of the smaller profile and easier access of the bungalow while maintaining a level of density appropriate for Blatchford. Especially from the perspective of seniors and older couples, this kind of setup would be perfect for having some community and shared amenities while having your own house.
View attachment 627388

This is something I could see moving into in a few years.

 

[policyenthusiast]

This is something I could see moving into in a few years.

The appetite generally exists, seen in the popularization of tiny homes and modular homes.

 

[Coprolite]

Personally, I think what would've been a much better and forward-thinking design is a cottage court; You can have the benefits of the smaller profile and easier access of the bungalow while maintaining a level of density appropriate for Blatchford. Especially from the perspective of seniors and older couples, this kind of setup would be perfect for having some community and shared amenities while having your own house.
View attachment 627388

In places which have these, are they typically freehold or condo? It seems like they would lend themselves more towards the latter what with the shared amenities.

 

[policyenthusiast]

In places which have these, are they typically freehold or condo? It seems like they would lend themselves more towards the latter what with the shared amenities.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they're typically classified as single-family detached bungalows. Sometimes they're classified as condos, but it varies between developments.

Two of the main things that prevent these from being popular are LUBs (and minimum lot sizes/setbacks), and the fact that if you're developing a large enough plot of land that you can make this style of home, it would likely be faster, cheaper, and easier to build an apartment complex.

I know an apartment complex isn't really comparable to cottage communities from a buyer side, but the market composition is ultimately decided by the supplier.

 

[Coprolite]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they're typically classified as single-family detached bungalows. Sometimes they're classified as condos, but it varies between developments.

Two of the main things that prevent these from being popular are LUBs (and minimum lot sizes/setbacks), and the fact that if you're developing a large enough plot of land that you can make this style of home, it would likely be faster, cheaper, and easier to build an apartment complex.

I know an apartment complex isn't really comparable to cottage communities from a buyer side, but the market composition is ultimately decided by the supplier.

Single-family detached is not exclusive of condominium. One is a lot/structure format, and the other is a mode of ownership.

Our townhouse is freehold rather than condo because our responsibilities end at our lot line and there is no communal property requiring overarching maintenance, and we can ultimately modify the structure down the road within the guidelines of . I've also lived in townhomes that were condo since the owners only owned the interiors of their units and external structure, parking, and various green space except for the back yards were owned by the condo board and maintained jointly via condo fees.

A cluster of single detached homes with shared infrastructure specific to the group of owners requiring maintenance joint maintenance like a court, parking lot, etc would require some overarching structure such as a condo board (or in the US, possibly an HOA). I am thinking about this because the Blatchford plan distinguishes between lots parcelled for freehold, and lots parcelled for condo development. The Streetside bungalow row is one of the former.

It might be possible to do something similar to this as freehold, but that would require dividing the block completely into parcels other than those which were originally surveyed and not sharing things like parking.

 

[erudyk_29]

Personally, I think what would've been a much better and forward-thinking design is a cottage court; You can have the benefits of the smaller profile and easier access of the bungalow while maintaining a level of density appropriate for Blatchford. Especially from the perspective of seniors and older couples, this kind of setup would be perfect for having some community and shared amenities while having your own house.
View attachment 627388

100% yes!!

 

[erudyk_29]

If there was a way to get Montreal style stacked townhomes in Blatchford, I'd put a down payment down today (if I could afford it, which I absolutely cannot lol).

 

[Coprolite]

If there was a way to get Montreal style stacked townhomes in Blatchford, I'd put a down payment down today (if I could afford it, which I absolutely cannot lol).

Just in terms of the aesthetic, or is there a key feature that's attractive to these that's absent in the Blatchford townhomes?

 

[erudyk_29]

Just in terms of the aesthetic, or is there a key feature that's attractive to these that's absent in the Blatchford townhomes?

They have multiple units stacked on top of one another but staggered, so they create significantly more density with a similar street presence. The curving stairs on the outside provide access to separate upper units, a lot of them also have semi-basement units as well.

This obviously is a bit problematic for accessibility, not good for seniors or people with mobility issues, but great for young professionals.

The aesthetic is nice too lol.

 

[Coprolite]

They have multiple units stacked on top of one another but staggered, so they create significantly more density with a similar street presence. The curving stairs on the outside provide access to separate upper units, a lot of them also have semi-basement units as well.

The aesthetic is nice too lol.

It's done to a degree in Blatchford, but without spiral staircases. The Encore Brooklyn and Manhattan, and the Ocheller builds all use that approach with an upper suite (two floors) and a lower suite (semi-basement/basement) with separate entrances. Ocheller probably did the nicest job because their lower suites have their own separate nice little patio and really good lines to let light in.

They don't have any with three separate stacked units though, and I can't help you on the affordability front.

 

[CplKlinger]

January 2025 Newsletter

Here are some of their plans for 2025:

Community/Land Development (Responsibility - City/Blatchford Office):

• A facelift for the control tower: Plans are underway to transform the base of the former airport control tower into a usable community space.
• Readying more land for homebuilders: Construction (e.g. infrastructure) on the next stage kicks off again in spring. This land will support homebuilders constructing 195 townhomes.
• Developing Blatchford Market: Work is moving forward on land that will eventually be home to a vibrant market district (including retail) near the NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT station.
• More greenspace: Construction of a new linear park is set to kick off this year. The new park space will bring even more green space and amenities to the community.

Homes (Responsibility - Homebuilders):

• A new home type is coming: Get set for townhome bungalows by StreetSide. Adding different product types gives homebuyers more options for homes and price points. Did you know? Adding bungalow townhomes to the community won’t impact Blatchford’s land use density goals. That’s because the number of housing units on this land parcel stays the same as what was originally planned for.
• More homes!: Homebuilders are currently planning for hundreds more homes on land that has been purchased from the City/Blatchford Office, is pending sale or has active builder interest.
• Six storey apartments are on the way: Land has been sold to homebuilders for several six storey apartment buildings in the community. Stay tuned for updates as the homebuilders confirm their construction timelines.

 

[policyenthusiast]

January 2025 Newsletter

Here are some of their plans for 2025:

Community/Land Development (Responsibility - City/Blatchford Office):

• A facelift for the control tower: Plans are underway to transform the base of the former airport control tower into a usable community space.
• Readying more land for homebuilders: Construction (e.g. infrastructure) on the next stage kicks off again in spring. This land will support homebuilders constructing 195 townhomes.
• Developing Blatchford Market: Work is moving forward on land that will eventually be home to a vibrant market district (including retail) near the NAIT/Blatchford Market LRT station.
• More greenspace: Construction of a new linear park is set to kick off this year. The new park space will bring even more green space and amenities to the community.

Homes (Responsibility - Homebuilders):

• A new home type is coming: Get set for townhome bungalows by StreetSide. Adding different product types gives homebuyers more options for homes and price points. Did you know? Adding bungalow townhomes to the community won’t impact Blatchford’s land use density goals. That’s because the number of housing units on this land parcel stays the same as what was originally planned for.
• More homes!: Homebuilders are currently planning for hundreds more homes on land that has been purchased from the City/Blatchford Office, is pending sale or has active builder interest.
• Six storey apartments are on the way: Land has been sold to homebuilders for several six storey apartment buildings in the community. Stay tuned for updates as the homebuilders confirm their construction timelines.

Half a million for a townhome is a bit steep, but they do look very nice.