Homebuilder breaks ground at Blatchford

Milestone day at Blatchford As CTV Edmonton's Dan Grummett reports, residential construction at Blatchford has started, and the community's energy centre is finished.

Two years after residents were expected to move into Blatchford, a homebuilder has finally broken ground at Edmonton's first sustainable community.

Don Iveson and other officials celebrated two major milestones for the project Friday afternoon: the start of residential construction, and the completion of the community's energy centre.

The energy centre, which cost $19.4 million, will provide environmentally-friendly cooling, heating and hot water.

“Blatchford’s first Energy Centre, combined with the community’s energy efficient buildings and geoexchange field, plays a critical role in achieving an almost 75 per cent reduction in neighbourhood greenhouse gas emissions that come from buildings and homes compared to a standard community,” said Acting Deputy City Manager Jason Meliefste.

Blatchford, a carbon neutral neighbourhood with 100 per cent renewable energy, will be home to approximately 30,000 people.

“I have long believed in the power of cities to tackle some of the great challenges of our time, including looking at how we can play a role in confronting both the causes and the impacts of climate change,” Iveson said.

Mutti Homes, the builder that started residential construction Friday, also announced it has purchased another parcel of land in Blatchford.