Red Deer will soon have a new family oriented neighbourhood. “Evergreen” is located north of the new St. Joseph High School, on the east side of 30th Avenue before the turn off to Riverbend Golf and Recreation Area.There are two significant offerings in Evergreen that set it apart from other newer Red Deer neighbourhoods: lots that are very well priced, and a significant upgrade to landscape features.

Abbey Platinum Master Built is one of the builders selling lots in the community, and the company is excited about what Evergreen has to offer families.

“This new approach to development will allow people to get into the market in a very desirable community,” says Mindy Smythe, Sales Manager of Abbey Platinum.

Affordable lots are possible due to a shift in lot size. Traditional lot sizes in Red Deer have been about 40 feet wide by 120 feet long. Lot sizes in Evergreen will be wider, at an average of 50 feet. They are also shorter, at an average of 90 feet. This means lower lot prices. It also means more two storey homes, and a different look to front facades.

“The theme of the community is ‘Naturally Exquisite’”, says Smythe.

“We will be reflecting that in our home which will see less vinyl siding and more natural elements like wood and rock.” Also, according to Smythe, with the shift in lot size Evergreen will accommodate garages that are flush with the front of the house, instead of the traditional design where a garage extends forward beyond the home. Another change will be in the landscaping of the community. Smythe says Evergreen has more to offer.

Instead of having the City maintain the parks and pathways, the community will take on that responsibility through an association that every home owner will belong to. A fee of about $100 per year depending on the home, will provide resources necessary to do a high level of maintenance. For instance, home owners will experience a bridge and waterfall around a natural water feature, streams, community gateway lighting, entrance plaza lighting and a green area between sidewalks and the road. The City will still provide services such as garbage, water, sewer, and snow removal.

The drive behind what new families will experience in Evergreen, or anything else Abbey Platinum builds, centers in its two owners: Art Anastasi, the founder of Abbey Master Builder, and Terry Loewen, the founder of Platinum Homes & Developments. Abbey and Platinum merged in May 2017 because of what it could offer clients. “Art and Terry had been friends for a long time,” says Smythe, “and they recognized by coming together they could increase value to their customers.”

“I think we complement each other well,” says Loewen. “We provide clients with a much broader experience because we both have our areas of expertise.” Prior to the merge Abbey Master Builder, which began in 1981, was known for constructing quality single- family, multi-family and estate homes. Platinum, which began in 2008, was known for custom home and estate home construction, as well as renovations and commercial work including tenant improvements and construction. “The merge rounded out what we are able to offer,” says Smythe. The company’s offerings now include single and multi-family homes, apartments, duplexes, estate homes, and home renovations, commercial tenant improvements, and commercial and residential insurance claims / renovations.

The typical company volume is 100 to 150 homes a year, and about a dozen commercial projects in Central Alberta annually. Both owners have long and respected histories in Red Deer. Art Anastasi built his first three homes almost 40 years ago, at the same time as building his family a home on a farm. Since then he has overseen the construction of hundreds of homes in Central Alberta, and built an award winning business that has received multiple awards including many Canadian Home Builders’ Association Awards (CHBA) including three Best New Home awards in 2017.

Terry Loewen had been working in the industry for 20+ years when his company merged with Anastasi’s. The first home he built under the Plantinum name was in Vanier Woods. Before merging, Platinum had received many awards including the Builder of the Year Award in 2017 (for small volume) most recently. Also of note, Loewen was named Citizen of the Year for Red Deer in 2018. A combined list of Abbey and Platinum awards include 34 CHBA awards for “Excellence in Housing” between 2009 and 2017, and five CHBA “Builder of the Year” awards during the same period.

Having been together for more than a year, the owners are optimistic about the future. “We are well equipped to meet the demands of the market,” says Anastasi. “Together, our clients will receive even higher quality, service and value.”

This article originally appeared in Central Alberta Homes & Lifestyles

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