The Rural Alberta Development Fund (RADF) has wound down its operations, but a local project it has funded has been generating province wide interest.
Based in Rocky View County, the Aging in Rural Communities project has been designed by seniors for seniors. The initiative has resulted in the development of the Rural Way Model — a creation that aims to keep the aging rural population in their community.
“Seniors shouldn’t have to move away to urban centres to access housing,” said Lori Kovacs, executive director of the Western Rocky View Communities Development Society. “This vulnerable population needs their friends, family and familiarity.”
The rural planning model is slowly coming to life, said Kovacs. Forty-five acres of land — located between Cochrane and Airdrie — has been donated to the society and will be the site of Hunt Coulee Village, an innovative housing community for rural seniors.
She said the society has been fielding inquiries and requests from communities throughout Alberta who are interested in implementing a similar model.
“The whole eight years have been about perfecting the rural planning model,” said Kovacs. “It incorporates rural values and lifestyles into a housing community.”
The project received $720,000 from the RADF.
The design for the village includes single-family cottages situated on large lots, amidst an open natural environment. Residents will have access to trails, along with flower and vegetable gardens.
A community centre, in the form of a big, red barn with an attached greenhouse, is to be constructed in the middle of the cottages.
Kovacs said construction is expected to begin in 2015.
The Aging in Rural Communities project is one of 85 projects supported by the RADF in its eight years of service. According to a news release from the RADF, the $100 million fund has helped 146 communities and 396 organizations across the province. The project ended March 31.
“We have worked closely with our project partners and stakeholders in developing a solid legacy of growth and prosperity which will continue to shape future rural development initiatives in Alberta,” said Marie Logan, RADF board chair.
