Homes | Builder Profile
Vesta take a new approach to create a traditional neighbourhood
Artist’s rendering of some of the townhomes planned for Williamstown that evoke a heritage feel Image Courtesy Vesta Properties
Williamstown Discovery Centre This fall, the innovative Discovery
Centre for Williamstown, Airdrie’s newest community, will be open to the public for pre-sales and to highlight its unique features. Vesta Properties, the developer behind Williamstown, wants the Discovery Centre to be different from the showhome parades that have become the norm. Instead, it will take an interactive approach with kiosks, artist renderings, interactive screens and animations to create a fun and exciting experience for the whole family. Rather than focusing on floor plans and lots, the Discovery Centre will be“more about the neighbourhood you are purchasing into and focuses more on the community,” Judy Rohatyn, sales and marketing manager for Vesta Properties, explains. Just off of Veteran’s Boulevard and 8th Street in the northwest part of Airdrie will soon be the 160 acres of Williamstown, the community that wants to connect its homeowners with nature. Nose Creek Environmental Reserve runs right through it, which is 43 and a half acres of green space that will
never be developed. “The environmental reserve is a huge selling feature,” Rohatyn says. It will provide people living in the community with open views and kilometres of trails that connect with the City of Airdrie’s pathways as well. To embrace the friendly neighbourhood atmosphere Williamstown will have a future school site, a central clock tower, an impressive entrance feature, lots of playgrounds and a pond. For a minimal annual fee, Williamstown residents become members of a Residents Association to ensure the integrity and quality of the community remains as intended. Even though it is a new community it is “centred around preserving the heritage and culture of Airdrie, while protecting the environment,” Rohatyn says. Vesta Properties is working with the city to put up interpretive signage throughout the environmental reserve that educates people on the ecosystem and the environmental reserve itself. “The look and feel of the community is based on Arts and Crafts architecture,” Rohatyn describes, ensuring a cohesive and
By Krysta Remington
complementary look throughout the community. Architectural controls will be in place to maintain the heritage feel. With a variety of price points and home sizes, Williamstown will have something for everyone, whether it is empty nesters looking to downsize or first-time buyers. There will be townhomes and single-family homes with options for garages, walk-out basements and lots that back right onto the environmental reserve. For a better idea of the different styles and sizes, four fully furnished showhomes will be coming soon. Everyone’s first stop into the new community will be at the impressive Discovery Centre, acting as an information centre (at least until all the phases of homes are sold). “We want people to use it as a destination. People will love coming in,” Rohatyn says. Homeowners spend a lot of time purchasing a home and it is a major life decision, so “the Discovery Centre will be an exciting opportunity to allow them to experience the community,” Rohatyn adds. With all the kiosks and animations it hopes to be a fun stop LIFE for children too. Fall 2009 | AirdrieLIFE 85