Single-family homes soon won’t be a buyer’s only choice in the University Heights Development.
District council approved 13 townhouses for the University Heights development in the Quest University area, following a promise from the developer for more environmentally-friendly measures.
At their Feb. 4 meeting, council voted unanimously in favour of granting a development permit to University Heights Development Corp., a subsidiary of Holborn.
The townhouses will be located at 40809 The Crescent, and represent the first multifamily units that will be built in University Heights.
“Geothermal heating is a requirement in that entire subdivision, so they were already going ahead with that,” said Bryan Daly, municipal development and subdivision co-ordinator.
“But we were seeing if they were open to using a renewable energy source for the heating and hot water systems, and they agreed to that.”
The electricity supply for items like geothermal heat pumps can have a carbon footprint unless the owner has opted for a 100% renewable energy source.
Only barbecues or stoves would be allowed to use gas, and this promise would likely be secured by a covenant, said Daly.
“It’s...really interesting to see the developers responding to the climate emergency and seeing how they’re willing to step up,” said Coun. Jenna Stoner.
Each unit provides three bedrooms, roughly 140 square metres, or 1,500 square feet, in size. The buildings will be clustered into three blocks — two clusters of four and one cluster of five.
The development also promises 600 square metres of shared open space, and sloped access paths connect with a sidewalk on The Crescent which leads to University Boulevard.
“I like to say it is nice to see multi-family up here, if there’s one thing I regret from last term it’s not fixing this area sooner in terms of zoning,” said Mayor Karen Elliott, referring to the fact that it’s generally single-family homes that get built in that area.
