New Homes Under Construction in Timberstone Park

• Some homes could be ready to occupy this fall,
• The public showed lots of interest when sales started in the spring,
• The phase that is currently under construction is actually "Phase 2",
• The "Timbers" which was originally envisioned to be Phase 1 will actually be completed when services are extended from the north.  The Timbers will be a condominium community, and 
• Timberstone Park is expected to be developed in five or six phases.

An area just to the north of 67^th Street, and west of 30^th Avenue , where the Red Deer community garden program is currently being operated, will become a new subdivision.  The name of the subdivision will be Garden Heights which derives from it's prominent position on top of the Red Deer river escarpment and it's recent community garden history.  All streets in the area will start with the letter "G".

An Area Structure Plan was adopted by the City on February 23, 2009 for Garden Heights.  In summary it provides for the following elements.

• Protection of the natural beauty of this unique area is a priority. Garden Heights will be directly linked to the Waskasoo Park system and will seek to preserve the McKenzie ravine and surrounding natural areas.
• Three possible residential scenarios with different mixes and densities of housing have been proposed. The scenarios will provide between 417 and 466 dwelling units.
• A community garden area is expected to be part of the plan.

News reports have indicated that Melcor vice president and regional manager has said that it could take 3 to 5 years for the development to "build out".  However, work is proceeding on site preparation.  The City of Red Deer has issued tenders for the grading of the site, to be completed July 31, 2009.  Stripping of the topsoil was done last year.  This is another example of the large developments underway to the north and west of Balmoral.

Earth moving equipment can be seen operating to the north of the Chapel. The photo above is what will become a new subdivision called Timberlands. This is the beginning of a huge development involving three, one quarter sections. In a few years, a large commercial district and some 2685 dwellings will be built, according to plans by three developers.

Balmoral is about to become part of a much larger community. About 700 homes will be built starting late in 2010 in a new subdivision called Timberstone Park just to the north and west of the Chapel. The overall plan calls for 236 detached homes, 262 multifamily units, 116 narrow lot homes, as well as a playground, trails, and an outdoor skating rink. One phase of this development, by Laebon Homes, is a complex just to the west of the Chapel, called the Timbers. Earth moving equipment started site grading operations for the Timbers complex in the week of October 20, 2008. Although the Timbers was viewed initially to be the first of several phases in Timberstone Park, construction on it will depend on when services become available from the north.  This is an exciting development for us, and for this community. You can read more in some recent Red Deer Advocate articles and the City of Red Deer website.