“Alberta’s little big secret,” Sundre looks to attract residents & development

“Invest and live in Sundre,” they add.

The Town is specifically looking for people under 50 with kids — even better if you’re also a current or prospective business owner — to help get development going.

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At about 2,700 people, the population has dipped slightly since 2016 — about 2.1 per cent. The residential vacancy rate, meantime, is very low at around one per cent, according to a provincial apartment vacancy survey, Allan shares.

“The municipality has been investing in placemaking so we can build out our parks and open spaces. We’ve been attracting new homes and developments, but the downside, which presents opportunity to developers, is the very low vacancy rates,” explains Allan.

“During COVID, a number of families with kids moved into the County, so they aren’t being counted now. Those families were replaced by smaller two-person families. Meantime, we have only about seven per cent vacancy — down from 10-12 per cent nine years ago — in our downtown C1 Commercial District, meaning there’s a limited supply of viable commercial spots. We require shovels in the ground to get more commercial buildings constructed.”

This would draw in larger families, Allan hopes and predicts.

“Every building, except for one, on our highway commercial area is full,” he says. “Supported by a wider trade area, we are largely tourism-based in the summer, and it’s that population which has allowed Sundre to become, for example, home to western Canada’s smallest-market McDonald’s.”

An estimated 7,000 people live in the contiguous area around the town, then add those utilizing the nearby 2,000 campsites in the summer, and many more who go camping further west but have to go through Sundre to get there.

Figures show an average of 9.5 million vehicles go through the town’s main intersection annually, mainly attributable to that summertime traffic.

Forestry, oil and gas, the public sector, tourism, construction, and agriculture; these are the things Sundre thrives on, says Allan, allowing a strong economic period through recent years despite downturns in most other parts of the province.

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“Sundre presents a major opportunity for people to live, invest and establish a life,” he says.

Recently, a film was shot in Sundre, he also notes, adding that Sundre is a co-founder of Alberta’s first rural film office.

That’s not to mention the dozens of kilometres of trails in town alone, multiple golf courses in the area, the Sundre & District Museum, the annual Winterfest and Mountain Survivalist Competition, the Sundre Pro Rodeo, the Shady Grove Bluegrass Festival, and many other events which happen every year.

“Beyond Sundre, there’s the Bergen Rocks International Sculpture Park, just 10 km away, we’ve got more restaurants per capita than many other communities, and we are the main service hub for the federally-run Ya Ha Tinda Ranch out west. There are horseback outfitters, there’s rafting, ATV and off-road trails, and nearby Schott’s Lake. We have cross-country skiing and fatbike rentals.”

There are approximately ten doctors in town, along with one elementary and one high school.

“These are all things which would normally only be found in communities five-times our size. The natural beauty, the recreation, it makes us a tourist destination, plus we have great quality of life for residents, allowing us to succeed even when we are hemmed in in terms of the shrinking number of lots and units available to move into.”

Allan also notes that less than five years ago, town council streamlined the Land Use Bylaw to reduce red tape, allowing development applicants to obtain permits without having to go through a Municipal Planning Commission.

Additionally, the cost of business licenses in the downtown was frozen several years ago.

Allan cites a 2021 business satisfaction survey which garnered favourable responses from 93 per cent of those who answered.

“Sundre is a remarkable place to build a life. I came here from Toronto 10 years ago. I lived in an old part of town, with no balcony, had gone to university and was unemployed,” Allan shares.

“We landed here in 2014 and have been able to build a life, invest in opportunities, and enjoy excellent amenities for kids, affordability, and open spaces and parks.

“We punch above our weight here. Sundre is Alberta’s little big secret.”

by Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

“Alberta’s little big secret,” Sundre looks to attract residents & development

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