Construction crews are already working on a major development for West Lethbridge. The new $300-million development will occupy the empty fields next to Chinook High School and the Cavendish Farms Centre. When finished, it will feature homes, new commercial spaces, a Green Acres retirement apartment complex and even a hotel. “It’s 28 acres in total. That’s a big project. But breaking it up and working together, we’ve been able to plan out a really exciting development,” said Matthew Sherwood, president of Sherwood Developments, which will oversee construction of the new commercial spaces. Developers believe a project like this is desperately needed for the west side. With more than 40,000 people already living in West Lethbridge, residents want to access the services they need closer to home. “It’s a bunch of new construction, a lot of activity for the West Side that’s sorely needed, likely under-serviced for years. We’re really excited on our part to bring in some new housing product. Variety of different designs and something that hasn’t been seen before in Lethbridge,” said Cedar Homes president and owner, Lonny Hoy. West Lethbridge continues to be the city’s fastest-growing area. This development and others like it will help to support a rapidly growing population. “It’s a city almost on its own, population-wise, but hasn’t had some of the services that most cities have. I hear almost daily about the need for a hotel, so we’re really excited to bring that announcement that there will be a full-service hotel,” said Sherwood. The City of Lethbridge sees it as a big win. “We’ve heard loud and clear that more services are needed on the west side, and so this is going to address a lot of that, thanks to those that are going to go and be developing this area,” said Mayor Blaine Hyggen. Work has already begun on the commercial development, with other parts of the project set to begin construction in the spring. The multi-phase project is expected to be completed within three to five years.
