The latest project is the development of Key Ranch, on the west side of Airdrie
The transition to a new executive committee began at Lamont Land at the beginning of 2023, when founders Roy Moore and Gerry Lamont stepped back to let their sons, Phil Moore and Scott Lamont, take the reins of the company that launched here in 1991.
Both civil engineers, president Phil and vice-president Scott have stuck to the firm’s reputation, committed to innovative planning solutions, responsible land development and creating the best new communities for homebuyers of varying lifestyles and budgets.
They have a lot on their plate, but driven by their unique skills and passions are guiding Lamont Land into an exciting new chapter of growth.
The latest project is the development of Key Ranch, on the west side of Airdrie. Now with a population of around 80,000, Airdrie has seen an incredible transformation over the past decade to become one of the fastest growing communities in the province.
One of the big advantages of Airdrie is its location on the QEII Highway — just 15 minutes into Calgary, but with a growing number of employment opportunities within and close by in Balzac.
Sustainable land development is intrinsically tied to Lamont’s core values. Moore says the company believes in doing the right thing — its inherent respect for the land it transforms responsibly, whether preserving green spaces for homeowners to enjoy or building homes around a wetland habitat.
Key Ranch is Lamont’s biggest development in Airdrie, covering 120 acres. Twenty-three acres have been preserved as green spaces (including a nine-acre Environmental Protection Area), including a central Key Ranch Pond, and there are more than four kilometres of recreational paths and trails. In the first phase there will be 102 single-family residences and 30 duplexes, plus a multi-family site.
Four homebuilders — Sterling, Prominent, Bedrock and Akash Homes — have opened show homes, and others are in various stages of construction, with some homeowners having already moved in.
Expectations are for both an elementary and a high school to be built on Key Ranch.
Lamont Land has come a long way since the company’s first project developing the Calgary community of Millrise. It is currently actively developing in 12 municipalities.
Calgary and area, Red Deer and Edmonton are its main focus. A 226-acre development in Spruce Grove on the west side of Edmonton is in the last stages of providing more than 1,000 homes. Liberty Landing is still under construction in Red Deer, as is Crestview Sylvan Lake and two new communities in Okotoks — Rancher’s Rise by the Okotoks Air Ranch and Ridgemont, nestled along the Sheep River Valley north of the Crystal Ridge golf course.
Another area of interest in Alberta is Morinville, where Lamont is developing 150 lots in a new community called Edgewood.
Entrepreneurial founders Moore and Lamont launched an exciting recreational project called Ghost Lake Cottage Club, 30 minutes west of the city and 30 minutes to Canmore. Built in five phases, of the 350 lots only 20 are left for sale in the final phase.
Water also comes into play on Lamont’s B.C. properties. There are three on Vancouver Island at Ladysmith and two in Nanaimo, and in the Okanagan, plans are for development in Peachland and two mid-rise condominium projects in Kelowna. Randy Sieben relocated to Kelowna from Calgary and, using his more than 30 years of experience in land development, is Lamont’s manager for the B.C. interior.
Lamont Land has been successful over its 30-plus year history in finding and buying choice lands, developing them and orienting them in a way so that homeowners have a view, sunlight on their patio or back onto a green space.
Key Ranch is a fine example of what can be done to convert a large piece of bare land into a community that will offer a vibrant lifestyle where families will thrive in harmony with nature.
Notes:
If you spot people walking around town next Thursday wearing big, white, heart-shaped glasses, they are spreading the word about eye health. Oct. 10 is World Sight Day and Calgary-based Operation Eyesight is offering the cardboard glasses for people to wear as eye health ambassadors, who make a pledge to get their eyes examined this year. Many in our world don’t have that privilege.
David Parker appears regularly in the Herald. Read his columns online at calgaryherald.com/business. He can be reached at 403-830-4622.