New condominium project taking shape near the city river valley

By Lethbridge Herald on September 22, 2022.

Herald photo by Al Beeber A crane towers high above construction work at the 102 Scenic Drive condominium complex being developed in Lethbridge. The towering structure can be seen from a distance.

Al Beeber
Lethbridge Herald
abeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

The giant crane standing out above the High Level bridge is a visible sign of progress for a new condominium complex being developed overlooking the river valley.

Completion date for the first stage of 102 Scenic Drive is expected to be sometime in 2024.

Mobile cranes were used on the construction until recently but they were being constantly driven around the property, said Abe Wolf, project comptroller, during a tour of the site last week.

“This way with the tower crane we just have one crane and you can reach anything from anywhere that you need,” added Wolf.

And with slabs of concrete in place, a crane can’t get inside so access would be limited.

The tower crane is 80 metres long and at its highest point, it’s about 52.62 metres from the base to the top. From the ground entry level, the building itself will be 83 feet tall at its highest point.

Phase One of the project will include six stories of living space and two levels of indoor parking. Wolf said 76 of the first 131 units are already pre-sold. When both phases are complete, there will be 342 total units.

The parkade itself in the first building will have a total of 158,000 square feet, which is the biggest in the city, said Wolf.

Project manager Steven Dyck said the project itself is one of the biggest in Lethbridge.

The crane, which came from Calgary, took two days to set up. It was brought to Lethbridge carried on more than 10 semi-trailer units and took six to 10 people to set up. 

The amount of materials being used in the project is mind-boggling. To date, more than 4,600 cubic metres of concrete has been poured and 1.2 million pounds of rebar installed. When the project has been finished, 20,000 cubic metres of concrete will have been poured and about four million lbs. of rebar will be used in the project, said Dyck.

Ground was broken on the project in late April.

102 Scenic Drive will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom units and penthouses ranging in size from 870 to to 4,518 square feet. The project will also include when completed an indoor swimming pool and spa, wine bar, golf simulator and movie theatre.

The development is a joint venture of Vancouver Island-based Monterra Projects Ltd. and Ironbridge Capital Inc. whose owner/developer is Douglas Bergen. Alvin Fritz is the project architect.

Prices will start in the low $300,000 range for one-bedroom units which have between 870 and 990 sq. ft. and go into the $500,000 range for three-bedroom condos. Penthouse suites will be priced over a million dollars apiece. Follow @albeebHerald on Twitter.