Construction finally underway for Whitecourt Downtown South development project

Whitecourt, AB, Canada / XM 105

Feb 8, 2021

Erika Chorostil

After a more than five-year wait, construction has finally started on the Whitecourt Downtown South urban village. Shovels were in the ground on February 2 at the site, which is located at 47 Avenue and 49 Street, behind the Holiday Inn and Suites and the Microtel Inn.

A construction kickoff event took place at the Holiday Inn on Friday. In attendance were Whitecourt Mayor Maryann Chichak, Woodlands County Mayor John Burrows, West Yellowhead MLA Martin Long, representatives from the Lac Ste. Anne Foundation and the Whitecourt and District Chamber of Commerce, and the Christenson Development team.

The first building to be put up will be the Manor at Downtown South, a three-story, 71-unit apartment building for seniors. 50 units on the first two floors will be Alberta Health Services-funded care units for designated supportive living. The top floor will feature independent living units consisting of 1 bedroom + den, and 2 bedroom + den suites.

The timeline for construction to be finished on the Manor is approximately 16 months, putting the opening date at late spring or early summer of 2022.

The second phase of development of the Downtown South project will be active adult, independent living condo buildings, designed for younger and middle-aged residents, called the Mews. The Mews will be suitable for retirement and aging in place with supportive care services available from the Manor.

Another future phase will be Park Villas, adult living bungalow-style rental modular homes. Other future development also includes luxury rental housing for 18 years of age and over. Also planned is affordable worker town housing suitable for families, as a way to provide convenient housing for service and care workers needed for the Manor that is within walking distance.

Christenson Developments says that once completed, Whitecourt Downtown South will be an inter-generational, supportive, sustainable, health community.

The Downtown South project has been years in the making, with many Whitecourt residents wondering if they would ever see the project come to fruition.

The first development permit for the project was signed back in February 2015 by then-MLA George VanderBurg, with construction anticipated to begin in 2016. Then following years of delays, and the province seeing three changes in government, the project seemed to be shelved.

CEO of Christenson Group of Companies, Greg Christenson, says that while the project had its delays, it was still always a go because of its need in the community.

“People put so much effort into this. This has been a persistent effort, we said we’re not giving up, we’re going to get that one over the goal line because we know it’s important to Whitecourt. We’d like to think that there will be a housing alternative for couples and singles, and we look forward to interacting with that for continued delivery.”

Christenson said in terms of the long wait for development to start, projects of this magnitude often see a number of delays with permits, building codes, and government approvals, adding that all three provincial governments supported the project. The delays were actually a blessing in disguise, as Christenson says it allowed them to tweak some of the designs. It was only a year ago that they got approval to add a third floor onto the Manor, opening up the possibility for independent living spaces for couples.

The main goal for the development project is to give the Whitecourt community an opportunity to keep families together and allow seniors the chance to retire close to home and not have to move to another municipality.

“I don’t think there’s really been an appropriate retirement aging-in-place type of village concept in the Whitecourt area,” explains Christenson. “So that’s why we think there’s a pent-up demand.”

Christenson added that they often find there’s a shortage of housing for couples, particularly if one starts to need care. It is one of the main reasons they are happy the third floor was added to the Manor because it will allow for part-time or full-time care to be administered for couples in the building.

The team hopes that once completed, the Manor will act as an attraction to people planning their future retirement, ahead of the completion of the other phases.

“Many times people don’t want to move if they’re going to have to move again, and we find that people want to stay in the community they grew up in and where their grandchildren are, and that’s why it’s so important to have those alternatives,” says Christenson. “Otherwise, you have to start planning to go to Edmonton, or Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, or St. Albert. I think that this will be valuable and I think that the Mayor and council understood not just the need but the positive impact that could have on Whitecourt as an attractive place to permanently relocate to.”

Christenson added that Whitecourt has always been a good family community, but says there’s always been a “missing link.” “This is pretty fundamental, the ability to keep people in their community as they move into retirement age groups.”

For more details on the urban village, including concepts, floor plans, sizing, and prices, visit https://www.cdlhomes.com/communities/whitecourtdowntownsouth.

-Erika Chorostil.