As one of the nine districts in the County of Grande Prairie, the Community of Clairmont benefits from the same market strengths from a diverse set of industries, including agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, transportation, and service. Unlike many other regions in the Province of Alberta, Oil and Gas represents a relatively small portion of Clairmont’s overall employment income – about 18% of its total – making Clairmont and the County of Grande Prairie less susceptible to resource market fluctuations.
The majority of development and increased population within the County has occurred in the Clairmont area. The Town Administrative Office, Fire Hall, EMS Station, two facilities maintenance shops, and two new schools are all located here. Furthermore, the County and Clairmont present a larger and more enabled labour force, demonstrated through its populations’ median age of 33.8 years old. The median after-tax income of households for 2020 was $102,000, which is consistent with the provincial average. However, a valuable trend shows approximately 36% of the population earns over a $125,000 median after-tax household income.
Throughout North American history, the birth of “Instant Towns” or “Resource Towns” has often resulted from sizable revenues generated over a short period of time by a single source industry, such as Oil and Gas. These towns commonly struggle to survive in cases where the local industry can no longer compete with international markets, have diminishing supplies, or experience shifts in market values. Additionally, these towns typically exclude crucial social aspects such as place-making and lifestyle. This means they are generally only capable of meeting the basic needs of their residents through elemental housing, retail services, and other basic amenities.
Clairmont has seen exponential growth within the residential sector over the past decade; however, the Commercial and Retail sectors have not kept pace. As a result, there are immediate opportunities in the Commercial/Retail market for the Investor, Landlord, Retailer, Restaurateur, and Hotelier. Appropriately zoned and fully serviced lands of varying sizes are available now for development to expand these market sectors.
Because of Clairmont’s diversity of industries and employment income, politicians and the community proposed Clairmont Heights – an innovative Master Plan community that offers a wide range of housing choices, local retail shops, services, and public amenities.
Clairmont Heights is an exceptionally well-planned, ground-up, new greenfield town development – currently the only one underway in North America. Unlike “Instant Towns”, Clairmont Heights is the result of long-term planning with engagement and input from both community and industry. The importance of place-making and community spirit were focal points during the planning stages. The interactive use of roads, trails, parks, and green space were key elements necessary to create a sustainable and vibrant community. Clairmont Lake is one of the main natural assets for the area and its adjacent lands will be used efficiently to promote higher density.
The new village core will be directly connected to Highway 2 by way of a newly constructed, pedestrian-friendly Parkway and the existing Township Road 730. Both intersections are controlled. Current plans for the town core estimate that approximately 1.4 million square feet will be built out for high-density residential use and an approximate additional 550,000 square feet for commercial/retail use. Their total combined construction cost will be $396 million CAD. This number is based on the current average construction value of $237.50 per sqft for residential and $110 per sqft for commercial retail. The per sqft value for commercial/retail is only representative of the base building construction hard cost. Both products have an estimated market absorption over the next 15-20 years. Furthermore, the County of Grande Prairie and the Community of Clairmont currently do not have any Development Cost Charges.
10001 – 84 Avenue
Clairmont, AB
T8X 5B2
Phone: 780-532-9722
Fax: 780-539-9880
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