The Calgary Herald's David Parker explores Section23 Developments' latest projects.

Section23 Developments is a company name with a history.

In 1923, Joe and Florence Ollerenshaw settled on Section 33 south of the city. Their son, Fred, and his wife, Marjorie, expanded the family farming and ranching operations with the purchase of nearby Section 23, and their son, Robert, named his development company after the land where he grew up.

Today, the ranch that Ollerenshaw kept is in the community of Mahogany, where Section23 is developing an area paying tribute to the agricultural industry.

Within the newly opened cSPACE King Edward arts hub, Section23 recently held a groundbreaking ceremony to announce a flagship residential project named The Edward, which will bring to market a product not yet available in Calgary.

The Edward has been designed by McKinley Burkart Architects as a community for independent seniors, bringing together residents who share a healthy, active and engaging lifestyle while offering personal value-added services.

Centron Construction will commence work on the 90,000-square-foot, five-level structure this fall, with occupancy planned for 2020 and pre-leasing to begin in late 2019.

The Edward is on the east side of the sandstone cSPACE separated by an outdoor art park area, a convenient space through which residents can cross into the arts hub to its coffee shop or integrate with tenants and visitors there.

The Edward will also welcome people into its own facilities, including a piano bar, to encourage integration of the two families. Residents will be offered an exceptional culinary experience with a choice of dining locations, including an upscale restaurant, private dining and casual bistro/pub. Add an elegant lobby lounge, creative arts centre, fitness and wellness space, spa and theatre, and The Edward will become a boutique, upscale active living residence.

The new building will feature 95 residential suites varying in size from 390 to 940 square feet; each one- and two-bedroom unit includes a full compact European-style kitchen, and many offer private balconies or patios. cSPACE is on a high knoll, allowing for spectacular views of downtown or the mountains from top-floor suites and the rooftop garden.

The Edward will be professionally managed on behalf of Section23 by Vancouver-based New Coast Lifestyles, a leading provider of progressive, resort-style retirement communities with several decades of experience in seniors living property management.

A graduate in architecture and supporter of the arts, Ollerenshaw has been very involved in the style and taste of The Edward, and has shown the same passion for quality and preservation of his family’s rich history in the planning of Rangeview.

It embraces planning principles known as Agricultural Urbanism, which is the practise of integrating local food systems in the design and programming of communities; an idea driven by demand that is aligned with the City of Calgary’s policies and objectives.

Rangeview covers 320 acres south of Mahogany, offering 2,950 homes representing a population of more than 8,000 residents, while Section23's original homstead is on the north side of 196th Avenue S.E.

Planning is still underway, but senior vice-president Marion Murray says the seven-acre parcel on the site of the Ollerenshaw Heritage Ranch will be a recreation area where neighbourhood residents will be able to enjoy a community garden, playground, seasonal farmers’ market and a retail component.

Public art will honour the Ollerenshaw legacy and Section23 is also planning to include educational opportunities for students to learn about the history of southern Alberta agriculture.

From its office space just off 17th Avenue S.W., Section23 is also busy with a number of other projects in the city, including a partnership with Baywest Homes in building executive paired homes in Mahogany — a street of 30 residences under construction of which 24 are already sold — and an investment in the Ezra condominium development on Riley Park in Hillhurst.

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