Cochrane didn’t just cut the ribbon on a new pickleball court in the Greystone community on Saturday, June 7, it also cut the ribbon on one of the most extraordinary developments in the town’s history.
The 142 acre mixed development neighbourhood is built over what once operated as a gravel pit for 50 years. Who could have envisioned what it would become in 2025, asked Major Jeff Genung shortly after formally cutting the ribbon to open the newly constructed Greystone Pickleball Courts on Saturday.
“Greystone was an old gravel pit, and really a brown field, that we had really as an opportunity to be able to develop something special,” he said. “Council asked developers to raise the bar down here, and not just put in more housing. We don’t need more housing, housing, housing– we have enough of that on the go in Cochrane. So it has a little bit of housing to buffer the west from Riverview, but the rest are things like this: Twenty pickleball courts, two ball diamonds, basketball, the Jefferson Plaza, Calgary Co-op, and a future hotel. All things that are going to add to our community.”
Genung acknowledged that many were skeptical about Greystone when council first started building the infrastructure needed to lay the groundwork for what the subdivision would become.
“Look what happens when we all work together? As a council, we took criticism for having ‘traffic circles to nowhere.’ Well now, it’s somewhere.”
Developer Burnswest Properties Ltd, whose land Greystone sits on, also helped bring the 10 acre regional park at the heart of the community to fruition, creating a first class recreational amenity for all Cochranites to enjoy for many years to come. Burnswest VP of development Josh Hagen said Greystone is a prime example of the good things that can happen when developers, community groups and council all work together.
“It has been the culmination of a lot of effort for a lot of people,” he acknowledged. “One of the themes today during the speeches was partnerships and collaboration … I think this big 10 acre regional park speaks for itself. Just amazing quality and so many different activities … It’s really going to be a place for people to gather and enjoy the beautiful summers we have.”
A centrepiece of that 10 acre regional park is undoubtedly the state-of-the-art Greystone Pickleball Courts, which are now open to local recreational players. The 20-court facility was funded in partnership between Burnswest, the Town of Cochrane and a recreation grant from the Government of Alberta.
“It’s long-awaited, highly anticipated, talked about for years, and finally the day is here,” said Genung. “You could tell by the buzz in the air, and how many people are rushing onto the courts, they are going to be well-used. It’s just such an exciting day.”
Those most excited about the pickleball courts were, unsurprisingly, the Cochrane Pickleball Club which has lobbied for years to expand the available spaces for the fast-growing sport in the community.
“We have been trying to fit close to 300 people on four courts over at the Quigley (Courts) here,” said Cochrane Pickleball Club president Greg Young. “With the announcement of these 20 new courts … it’s just a world class facility, and we are proud to have the first ever wheelchair accessible courts in all of Alberta. So we are really proud and appreciative of (Burnswest) for putting it all together.”
As soon as the ribbon was cut on June 7, eager club members began streaming into the new facility to inaugurate the shining courts, and the excitement in the air was palpable. Several hundred community members came out for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and cheered wildly when the doors to courts officially opened to the public.
