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Orchard on Twelfth Planned for City Core


Blog by Julie Dempsey | August 23rd, 2014


“People will walk down the street and see the orchard between the two towers, which will garner some excitement and actually provide a food source.”

BY MYKE THOMAS, CALGARY SUN
FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2014 02:01 AM MDT

orchard.jpgThe latest condominium project from Lamb Development Corp. is located in Calgary’s core, which is appropriate, because the feature amenity is truly unique.

The Orchard on Twelfth, Lamb Development’s second venture into the Calgary condo market, will feature an apple orchard that will produce up to 100,000 apples, says company CEO Brad Lamb.

“About a year ago, an architect I worked with told me he bought some land with an old apple orchard and it was great and beautiful,” says Lamb. “I thought about that and wondered if we could put an actual, operating food orchard in the city, so I thought we’d try it in Calgary.

“I like the idea of offering the residents and the city something different. People will walk down the street and see the orchard between the two towers, which will garner some excitement and actually provide a food source.”

Two 31-storey towers, each with about 217 condos, will frame the orchard.

“The units will all have nine-foot ceilings and range in size from 500 square feet up to about 2,000 square feet,” says Lamb. “What we learned from our first project in Calgary, 6th and Tenth, is the demand for larger units here is high.

“At 6th and Tenth, we were combining two units to make one larger one, so this time we’re doing 24 floors with units between 500 and 1,000 square feet, then five floors with four units per floor rang- ing from 1,100 square feet to 1,700 square feet and then amazing penthouses around 2,000 square feet that will take up half of the top floors.”

The towers will be 200 feet apart, providing excel- lent views for residents, says Lamb.  “The narrow end of each tower faces the wide end of the other, so there’s not a sense of crowding like there is in other projects, which is extraordinary,” he says.

Located in the Victoria Park area of the Beltline, The Orchard’s floor plans include one-bedroom, one bedroom-plus-den and two-bedroom units, with three bedrooms in the penthouses.  Prices will range from $249,900 to $1.2 million.  The apple orchard will not be the only amenity, says Lamb.

“Between the two buildings, we’ll build a glass building that joins the towers together,” he says. “It will be a slender building, 30 feet wide and 200 feet long, and on top will be a swimming pool, as well as outdoor seating, a barbecue area and more, in an urban park overlooking the orchard.

“Inside the building will be a lounge-type area, the Orchard Club, and next to that will be a fitness facility, all for the exclusive use of residents.”

The project received a density bonus from the City of Calgary. “By building the orchard and park, we got extra density, which is a great program in Calgary,” says Lamb. “It’s a great way for developers to contribute because it means you’re going to have better public art and the city is better because of it.”

The apples will be well used, says Lamb. “Call it an urban experiment, providing a food source,” he says. “We can deliver between 55,000 and 100,000 apples for local social use. “Planting trees is the single best thing people can do if they want to do something for the planet that is easy.”

FAST FACTS

BUILDER/DEVELOPER: Lamb Development Corp.
COMMUNITY: Victoria Park in the Beltline.
PRICE: $249,900 to $1.2 million
DIRECTIONS: A sales centre will open on site in mid-October.
CONTACT: To pre-register, go to www.theorchardcalgary.com

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