9 Best Master-Planned Neighbourhoods in Calgary: Amenities & Accessibility Abound

Calgary, Alberta, has experienced a boom in the development of master-planned communities. These neighbourhoods seek to provide residents with Calgary's best outdoor recreation and amenities, including extensive trail and park systems while providing easy access to the city.

With the growing population, new communities in Calgary play an integral role in ensuring the city can continue to deliver a high quality of life and a range of housing options for its residents. Let's explore the top master-planned neighbourhoods in Calgary, helping to determine which one may be the right fit for you.

Keys to Calgary's Master-Planned Neighbourhoods

• Rockland Park is a hotspot for new-construction homes and plentiful amenities in Northwest Calgary.
• Cranston's Riverstone and Seton are two of the best neighbourhoods in Southeast Calgary. They offer a wide range of home options and city-wide accessibility.
• Livingston and Redstone are located on Calgary's north side. They boast a blend of wide-open spaces and convenience to the airport and downtown.
• The Rise at West Grove Estates is a top option for master-planned communities in West Calgary.
• Artesia at Heritage Pointe and The Lake at Heritage Pointe are located just outside of Calgary, offering slightly lower real estate prices than many city neighbourhoods.
• Chinook Gate is one of Airdrie's best master-planned communities. It offers single-family homes at significantly lower price points than many other Calgary-area communities.

Rockland Park

Rockland Park is one of the newest master-planned communities in Northwest Calgary. The neighbourhood was created with nature in mind, providing easy access to the nearby Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park and the Bow River, mountain views, and plenty of parks.

The community has parks and an extensive system of multi-use pavements, paths, and trails. Built on the site of a former quarry, it is dedicated to connecting with its natural surroundings, taking advantage of the waterways and terrain to provide year-round recreational opportunities. It's this connection with nature that makes living in Northwest Calgary so special. Rockland Park also emphasizes sustainability through its development design and the use of existing vegetation to enhance the community.

Rockland Park's focal point is a 6,500-square-foot community facility set on a four-acre park. This facility serves as the central hub for community events, programs, and services, with an emphasis on health and wellness.

Homes in the community are primarily detached dwellings priced from the $700s to nearly $2 million. However, its share of the condos in Northwest Calgary typically list from the high $200s. In addition to its residential area, Rockland Park features a commercial space comprising 85,000 square feet of retail, services, dining, and a spacious outdoor plaza.

Cranston's Riverstone

Cranston's Riverstone is aptly named, given its location on the edge of the Bow River in Southeast Calgary. The community borders the southernmost stretch of Fish Creek Provincial Park, one of the best parks in Calgary. Residents can enjoy trails that provide access to the park, leading to stunning views.

But Riverstone has even more to offer residents beyond the natural landscape. The community offers easy access to shops and services. In addition to two nearby shopping centres and its own market, the community is adjacent to the Seton Urban District, offering a wealth of shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. Typical homes in Cranston's Riverstone list from $300,000 to $1.5 million.

The Cranston's Residents' Association maintains a 22,000-square-foot lifestyle centre that serves as a gathering place for the community's residents, whether for events and celebrations or taking part in community-based health and wellness programs. The grounds include a seven-acre private park featuring a splash pad, playground, a popular toboggan hill, skating rink, and tennis and basketball courts. Cranston's Riverstone also features its own community school and is near four of Calgary's great golf courses.

Livingston

Located in North Calgary, the Livingston community makes use of a network of trails, interconnected parks, and walkable streets to promote a healthy, active lifestyle. In addition to its parks, the community offers direct access to the city's Rotary Greenway. Livingston is located just 20 kilometres north of Downtown Calgary, but the open spaces and amenities make it feel a world away.

Livingston is home to Alberta's largest homeowners association facility. At over 35,000 square feet, the centre serves as the community's primary gathering place and event facility. The facility houses three skating rinks, a gymnasium, tennis and basketball courts, a playground, an outdoor amphitheatre, a splash park, and meeting rooms, among other amenities.

Livingston is home to some of the newest condos and townhomes in Calgary, with prices starting in the low $200s and topping out around $700,000. Detached homes in Livingston are usually priced from the $600s to $1.5 million.

Those needing to travel to other areas of the metro and beyond will find easy access to major arteries and public transit, and Calgary International Airport is just over 10 km away.

Seton

Seton is a popular master-planned community in Southeast Calgary. The residential portion of the community includes about 577 acres of homes and open spaces, walkable streets, a system of trails, and other amenities.

Seton is probably best known for the Seton Urban District, recognized for mixed-use development, covering about 365 acres that continues to grow with retail, restaurants, markets, lodging, and public buildings. The world's largest YMCA is located in the Seton Urban District, as is the Cineplex, Calgary's first VIP Cineplex, with seating for 1,900. The district is also home to the South Health Campus and hospital.

The Seton community has made education a priority, with Joane Cardinal-Schubert High School opening in 2018 and another four schools in the works.

Homes in Seton are exclusively multi-family, with some of the most affordable and sought-after condos in Southeast Calgary. Prices usually range from the high $200s to $600,000.

The Rise at West Grove Estates

The Rise at West Grove Estates is a master-planned community located in the larger West Springs neighbourhood. It is a top pick for homes in West Calgary, offering its residents a number of modern amenities and a location just 10 km west of downtown. Additionally, the community provides a quick route out of the city for weekend mountain getaways: residents can usually make the drive to the stunning Canmore community in less than an hour.

The community of West Spring offers residents of The Rise at West Grove Estates the opportunity to enjoy several parks and greenspaces, as well as local schools, public transit, and numerous recreational activities. The concept behind The Rise at West Grove Estates is to offer families and individuals the chance to live, work, and relax in an area that provides ready access to walking trails, parks, and the beauty of the area's natural surroundings.

The neighbourhood has positioned homes so that residents are always within convenient walking distance of one of its eight parks. Additional outdoor amenities include a playground, a recreational soccer pitch, and a pathway system for hiking or biking.

Homes in the community are usually priced from the low $400s to $1.5 million.

Chinook Gate

Chinook Gate is a master-planned community in Airdrie, less than 40 km north of City Centre Calgary. The development aims to create a community where residents feel connected and have ready access to a host of amenities, as well as outdoor activities.

Pathways link the neighbourhood's residential areas to its green space. Additionally, Chinook Gate boasts eight baseball diamonds and a skate park.

Chinook Gate is known for its innovative architecture. The community is being developed by four of the most popular home builders in Calgary: Avalon, Brookfield Residential, Excel Homes, and McKee Homes. The community offers detached homes and townhomes in Airdrie. Prices typically range from the $500s to $900,000.

Redstone

Redstone is a dynamic neighbourhood in Northeast Calgary. The community stretches along Stoney Trail Northeast and continues south to 128 Ave Northeast. Commercial lots and parklands are set between the residential areas for the ultimate convenience of all residents.

In this master-planned community, prospective residents have many detached two-storey homes to consider alongside a wide range of Northeast Calgary townhomes. Most of the homes are between 1,000 and 2,500 square feet and have relatively open floorplans. The dwellings come with front-attached garages and all the amenities residents could want in a home.

Executive kitchen layouts are standard, complete with gas ranges, built-in wall ovens, and luxury finishes like stainless steel and quartz. Many homes also have a separate spice kitchen, electric fireplaces, and vaulted ceilings. Homes for sale in Redstone are typically priced from the high $300s to $800,000.

Upon moving to this community, residents always have a great place to walk, thanks to the 2.3-kilometre path running through the neighbourhood. Ample green spaces give people of all ages a place to stay active, play sports, and simply enjoy the great outdoors. As residents travel through the community space, they can easily find a great place to eat, like Cal City Pizza.

Redstone HotSpots

• Not Just Curry Ltd.
• Ekam Tiffin Service
• YYC Burgers and More
• Redstone Plaza Park
• Redstone Soccer Field

Artesia at Heritage Pointe

This master-planned community was recognized as Calgary's 2018 "Community of the Year". Many of the homesites overlook the community's scenic waterways and rolling green terrain.

Located just outside of South Calgary, Artesia at Heritage Pointe consists of about 150 housing units built by three award-winning luxury home builders: August Fine Homes, Brookfield Residential, and Homes by Avi.

Residents shopping for luxury homes in Calgary are sure to appreciate that the community's skilfully designed homes offer them a level of privacy that can be difficult to find in many upscale neighbourhoods. Artesia also built sustainability into the development with its own solar energy initiatives and innovative irrigation and rainwater harvesting systems.

Another draw is the proximity to the growing Seton Urban District, less than 10 km away. Due to its array of retail and entertainment options, the Seton Urban District has been characterized as an urban core outside the urban core.

The Lake at Heritage Pointe

The Lake at Heritage Pointe is a sophisticated community with exceptional home designs and quick access to many local greenspaces. Located just south of the city and 15 km north of Okotoks—one of the best towns near Calgary—this desirable neighbourhood has over 490 single-family homes in various styles. The 28-acre manmade lake sits in the middle of the community, allowing many residents to live right on the lakeside.

Many of the homes were originally built in the 1990s and feature a single-story layout. Since then, local builders have planned around those properties to improve the space with multi-storey modern homes.

Residents can enjoy a quiet outdoor day at the Heritage Pointe Golf Club. This 18-hole public golf course has well-maintained fairways and plenty of challenges for visitors to conquer. Between games, they can stop by the onsite restaurant for tasty drinks and a memorable meal.

Residents are never far from even more fun and excitement at all the shopping, dining, and entertainment establishments in the heart of Calgary. There are boutique shops, museums, art galleries, and many top-notch eateries in the downtown area alone, like Caesar's Steak House & Lounge.

The Lake at Heritage Pointe HotSpots

• Willows Spa & Coffee Bar
• Stockman's Restaurant & Lounge
• Oasis Greens Golf Centre
• MyWalkies Dog Park
• House of Blooms

Make Your Home in Calgary

Like many large metro areas, Calgary is focused on the impact of growth and the need for further development. The city's master-planned communities seek to provide residents with the best of both worlds. These popular Calgary neighbourhoods encourage connectivity among those who live there, in addition to offering many of the most essential and sought-after amenities without the need to drive into the city's hub.

Many of these communities tap into the area's natural surroundings, providing residents with extensive systems of walkways, trails and parks. At the same time, these communities are being developed with commercial and retail districts within or very close to residential developments, making them some of Calgary's most walkable neighbourhoods. Whether looking for an upscale living experience or a more affordable area, the master-planned communities in Calgary provide homebuyers with just what they're looking for.