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Lake Summerside: 'The lake was a huge draw for us just because we are lake people'

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It’s your last chance to build in Lake Summerside.

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There are just some 22 lots left in Edmonton’s unique beach community as Lake Summerside, launched in June 2001, is coming to the end of its development life cycle.

“We quietly celebrate the completion of a community,” said Richard Westren, senior vice-president Edmonton Communities at Brookfield Residential, the developer behind this master planned community. “Today, Lake Summerside remains the first and only community freshwater recreational lake in Edmonton.”

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When servicing began, the area was just a blip as you headed south out of Edmonton. Neighbouring Ellerslie Road had very little development.

“When designing the Summerside community back in 2000 we were truly pioneering in, what was then, the very south boundary of Edmonton,” said Westren. “It was very important to find a way to differentiate from current established communities. A freshwater lake amenity was chosen as a unique feature to accomplish this.”

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Now a vibrant neighbourhood, it sits on 750 acres with some 4,400 homes including a wide variety of housing choices and a beach club. The community is a finalist in the recently announced 2020 BILD Alberta Awards in the category of Existing Community; the winners will be announced this fall in a special online event.

“Summerside is a community for just about everybody at every stage of life,” said Westren.

“We see a lot of repeat buyers,” he added, pointing out it’s not uncommon for homeowners to sell their original home there and move into another Summerside home that better meets their needs.

Even with a limited lot supply, buyers are still looking to buy in the community described as a vacation without the check-out date.

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Five Star Homes — one of two remaining builders, the other is Canyon Spring Master Builder — had an amazing spring. They started 2020 with a number of spec homes in Summerside but as of mid-July they all sold.

One of Five Star’s buyers, though not of a spec home, said Summerside was at the top of their list for communities to build in.

Kelly Webber and her husband Nathan Stasiewich heard great things about the neighbourhood, were in the market for their own single-family home — they were living in a condo — and it would put them close to Stasiewich’s work.

“The lake was a huge draw for us just because we are lake people,” said Webber. “We like being in the water; we like being outside all the time.”

The fact that the community is maturing also factored into their decision.

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“What I like about Summerside is the majority of the neighbourhood is about 15 to 20 years old so trees are developed, there’s not mud everywhere, and the rest of the community is grown and established,” said Webber, whose two-storey, 2,500-square-foot, three-bedroom home is on the last little leg of the development.

Taking the time to fully settle in, the young married couple is getting comfortable and will then decide how best to finish the home, some of which was purposely left as a blank canvas.

“The more we spend time in the house the more we will have a better idea of what we want,” said Webber.

But during the early stages of building, they weren’t as laid back.

“We were so excited,” said Webber, adding that they chose Five Star as their show home fit their style. “After we broke ground we drove to Summerside four to five times a week to see the progress.”

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Five Star has been building in Lake Summerside for 10 years and has 15 of the remaining lots. Company president Amit Sharma loves the community so much he lives there, too.

Its new show home, at more than 3,000 square feet, has four bedrooms and four bathrooms, includes a three-car garage and has an option for a legal basement suite. Prices starts at $799,000.

Life’s A Beach

Lake Summerside is one of the few beach communities in greater Edmonton. While Summerside is almost fully developed, Jensen Lakes in St. Albert is still a young community with room for growth — this neighbourhood from Melcor is in its earlier stages; both the beach and beach club will be built soon. Not quite a beach community is Anthem United’s Trumpeter by Big Lake, just south of St. Albert. It has more than 300 acres of rolling hills, woodlands and natural wetlands.

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