A design to encourage neighbours to interact, placing environmental features at the forefront and integrating green spaces has helped make Mattamy Homes’ Hearthstone community in Sherwood Park, Alta. an award-winning project.

Named the Best New Community in BILD Edmonton's 2025 Awards of Excellence in Housing, Hearthstone is a 320-acre development expected to have 1,750 units across single-family, duplex and townhome housing when fully built out.

A “seamless and purposeful community feel” is embedded into the design, according to Collin Campbell, president of the Alberta division of Mattamy.

Most of the homes will feature solar panels for energy generation and be ready for electric vehicle chargers to promote sustainable living. Mattamy also completed the local park and paths to a creek in the neighbourhood first, so natural amenities would be available before even the first residents arrived.

“We’re very proud that Hearthstone won best new community for the Edmonton region,” Campbell said. “The amenities that are within the community are intentioned to the vision and purposeful design, and the variety of home styles are definitely things that have made Hearthstone very, very popular with homebuyers.”

Hearthstone’s award-winning features

Toronto-based Mattamy has been building communities in Alberta since 2008. Hearthstone is in Sherwood Park, a community just east of Edmonton. Mattamy purchased the land for Hearthstone in 2013 and began developing the site in 2021. 

The first homes at Hearthstone were opened for sale in 2023, with those residents beginning to move in that December. Planned for 12 phases, the servicing for the first phase is finished, with 120 residential units occupied. Construction and sales for Phase 2 are taking place, with first move-ins expected for the summer of this year.

Mattamy’s approach to community development and home design makes Hearthstone a standout, Campbell said. The streetscape, architecture and pedestrian experience were thought out to create a sense of community. Even the front porches were designed so neighbours get to know each other.

Nature is deeply ingrained into Hearthstone. Pathways to Oldman Creek, which runs through the community, were built to encourage access. The natural wetland in the area is preserved and incorporated into the design.

Mattamy commissioned environmental experts and engineers to build a bridge across Oldman Creek with the least environmental impact.

“Re-routing the creek so that the water continues to flow during construction . . . those are learnings that we can take and apply to future communities and developments,” Campbell said.

A “parks before people” mentality resulted in the central park being finished before residents moved in. There is an outdoor skating rink, a basketball court and play structures for recreation.

As environmental sustainability is one of Mattamy’s core values, the company began installing solar panels on every home built after September 2024, with some units in Phase 1 also including the clean energy technology. This not only offsets carbon emissions, it lowers utility bills and adds value to the homes, Campbell said.

The units bought after September 2024 will also be made ready to accommodate electric vehicle charging stations.

Diverse housing for a diverse buyer base

The housing mix at Hearthstone is meant to satisfy a range of lifestyles, budgets and needs. One example is that the single-family homes and duplexes are devised to allow for basement suites to help with housing affordability.

Not only will renters have access to more housing, buyers who qualify for a mortgage can have the future income of the basement suite included in their applications. Multigenerational families are also supported.

“It is a way of increasing the density of the community without increasing the intensity,” Campbell said.

Single-family homes will range from 1,600 square feet to just under 3,000 square feet, include three to five bedrooms and the option for a basement suite. Prices start in the low $500,000s, with $675,000 as a starting point for larger homes.

Townhomes will range from the low to mid $400,000s, and from 1,340 square feet up to 1,470 square feet in size. All will have three bedrooms.

Duplexes will also be three-bedroom units with the option of a secondary suite in the basement. Units will range from 1,366 square feet to 1,637 square feet. Duplex prices will start around $500,000.

Hearthstone will be approximately 75 per cent single-family homes upon full build-out, Campbell said, with the remainder being townhomes and duplexes.

Designed to appeal to range of buyers

Just like the assortment of housing it is looking to offer, Mattamy is anticipating a diverse set of buyers. Young families, empty nesters and people seeking a low-maintenance lifestyle have shown the most interest.

Residents of Hearthstone will be a short drive from retail options, restaurants, the Strathcona Community Hospital and recreational centres.

The neighbourhood is right along Highway 21 with access to Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan and Edmonton. It is also adjacent to Yellowhead Highway, nearby employment hubs, Edmonton and local Indigenous communities, Campbell pointed out.

Mattamy is actively building in six communities across Alberta.

Anticipating a slowdown in housing starts from 2025 to 2027, Campbell said speeding approvals is "one of the most fundamental ways Canada can build more homes faster" and address high housing costs. Other than supply, the housing industry must also address how housing is financed, he said, so more Canadians can afford a home sooner.