Spring Lake Ranch Turns 15!

March 20, 2024November 30, 2023 by Spring Lake Ranch

Drone Image of Spring Lake Ranch as seen in the summertime

Rainbow Williams and Sarah Corker holding up decorative 15th anniversary balloons at Spring Lake Ranch with clouds lit red by the sunset in the background

Picture this, the housing market in the Edmonton area is on fire, oil is over $100/ barrel, Ralph Klein has given every Albertan resident “Ralph Bucks” and the economy is booming. Seems like the perfect time to start a housing development, right?!? The response to Spring Lake Ranch was so positive with the vision of a quiet and private enclave located on a serene and idyllic lake, surrounded by nature. During the first pre-launch event, 14 presales for Phase 1 lots are secured, people are planning their “forever homes” and are excited to see this community launch. At this point, the estimated time to complete this project is 3–5 years.

Now let’s fast-forward to the autumn of 2008 at Spring Lake Ranch; utilities have been installed (gas, power, phone lines), roads have been built, and the first show home, The Horizon, is completed. Phase 1 lots have been registered and can now be released to the public. Exciting times for this new and budding community, right!?!

And then something happens that no one can predict… the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, the most severe worldwide economic crisis since the Great Depression. This fast and thunderous crash sent the world into an accelerated recession. What does this mean for Spring Lake Ranch?

Remember those 14 presales? They quickly depleted to… (take a wild a guess at how many pre-sales remained?) … 1. One family held onto their dream lot. One family stuck through the recession. One! (We are so thankful for this one.)

From here, it took years to regain the confidence in the housing market, which in turn meant it took years to fully launch this community. In the early days, we had a mantra that we often said (even on days when we did not feel it) and it was to have “unwavering faith”. Unwavering faith that the vision of this community would come to fruition. Unwavering faith that the right people would find Spring Lake Ranch, see the beauty and want to build their home and life here.

We know this is not a traditional anniversary celebration introduction, but we thought it was important to share some of the backstory to illustrate the importance of perseverance when setting a goal. It also shows that sometimes the timelines we put on things are irrelevant, as they do not take into account bigger, uncontrollable variables. As we hit this milestone of 15 years, it truly feels like an accomplishment. Spring Lake Ranch started as a vision and has become a thriving little community because of the people who have decided to make it their home, the beautiful homes they have built and the pristine natural environment that surrounds them.

History of Spring Lake Ranch

Back in the day, Spring Lake was called Edmonton Beach. It was a hub for summer time fun, and social gatherings such as dances and beach bonfires. People would come from Edmonton and surrounding areas (originally by horseback and then by train) to enjoy lake life with fishing, swimming, camping and being with family and friends at their summer cottage.

The land immediately around Spring Lake was mostly owned by one family, the Bauers, who farmed and ranched the land. Over time, they subdivided pieces of land, holding onto, in their opinion, the best piece of land. The land was inherited by a Bauer who later chose to sell it, and that’s when the idea of Spring Lake Ranch was born.

Original development map at Beachview Estate — BeachView Estate Development Map

The Village of Spring Lake was excited about this addition to their community, as it would eventually grow the population (and in turn increase property tax revenue) but also because it joined the community as one. With this final piece of the area being developed, the roads fully connected the entire village together, making it more accessible for emergency vehicles and also allowing residents to walk, drive and bike all the way around Spring Lake.

The Beginning

The Horizon: first show home at Spring Lake Ranch

The vision of SLR was to build beautiful West Coast inspired homes that encompassed the natural surroundings of Spring Lake. In the beginning, there was one show home on the hill (The Horizon) and 65 empty lots. Our team had to get very creative in painting the picture for people to see what would eventually come into fruition. Fun fact: 0.1% of the population are visionary. This means very few people can envision what they want the future to look like and strategize on how to get there. So basically this meant that when people drove out to view this budding community, all they saw was nothingness. This is where we had unwavering faith that the right people would find SLR.

Construction of Spring Lake Ranch happened in phases, four in total, and this was critical in ensuring that budgets could be managed for road work and servicing the land. In order to enhance the vision of the community, certain design elements were implemented such as: underground power lines (so that views were not obstructed & to decrease power outages during windstorms), curving roads to slow traffic, cul-de-sacs (all named after different trees) to create unique ‘moments’ for future neighbours within the community. As this was before the time of drones, there was a “viewing deck” that people could stand on to see what their future view would be. As land was still not selling, our team decided to start planting trees in order to get ahead of the saying, “one generation plants the trees for the next generation to enjoy!” Fun fact: the SLR team planted approximately 133 trees during the past 15 years!

Ground-breaking ceremony with Spring Lake Council

Over the years, SLR hosted MANY events to bring people out to the area so they could experience the natural beauty. There were BBQs, horse-drawn carriage rides, pontoon boat lake tours, a Winter Carnival on Loon Lake where Spring Lake Council was challenged to a curling match, hot air balloon rides, and we even had a helicopter here once! The statement we often hear when people first discover Spring Lake Ranch is, “we had no idea this place was even here!” The Edmonton Journal even touted us as, “Edmonton’s best kept secret”- which is great for those lucky enough to call it home, kind of tricky when you are selling land and homes!

A Re/Max hot air balloon as captured from a drone flying above Spring Lake Ranch in September 2019 — The Re/Max Hot Air Ballon in flight

A Re/Max hot air balloon being inflated at Spring Lake Ranch on a weekend in September 14, 2019 — The Re/Max Hot Air Ballon in flight

Community

Spring Lake Ranch is a very special place where you have privacy and space while also being a part of something bigger and if you run out of sugar, you are guaranteed to have people to ask! Neighbours help each other out with no expectation of reciprocity. When someone is going through a hard time, you will see flowers or food being delivered. Bottle drives for hockey teams happen on the regular, which is a win/win because let’s face it, who has time to go to the recycle depot! New babies are welcomed and sad farewells to loved ones are shared.

The many families that have chosen to make SLR home is what makes this such an amazing place. While the definition of community is: “a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.”; this does not quite sum up the vibe of Spring Lake Ranch.

We decided to ask some of the residents what this community means to them…

“The Turkey Bowl and Friendsgiving!” (an annual flag football game followed by chilli where neighbours gather over the Thanksgiving weekend.)

“Neighbours that are friends and friends that are neighbours!”

“Seeing all the neighbourhood children outside playing and exploring in the surrounding nature areas… and not sitting inside on screens! They are safe and happy. The coolest part is when it starts to get dark, you see them all heading home- it feels like a time warp to the ‘old days’!”

“Gathering together for playoff hockey around our buddy’s outdoor fire.”

“Halloween is legit at SLR! The community puts on a very spooky show with treats for the children and the adults. Neighbours usually gather at the end of the night around a fire or at the SLR Lounge, tally up the final numbers of the night and discuss all the fun costumes.” (This year our little community hit over 300!)

“Watching the Northern Lights and star-gazing while socializing with our neighbours.” (There is such little light pollution in the area which makes the skies even more magnificent at SLR.)

“Skating on Loon Lake with our friends and neighbours is the absolute best!”

Skating on Loon Lake

SLR Family Photo Shoot

A few of our residents did a family photo shoot. Thank you very much for your gorgeous smiles and sweet words!

“Our family absolutely loves living in Spring Lake. The sense of community here is fantastic, and the peaceful atmosphere makes every day enjoyable. It’s a place that truly feels like home.”
-Michelle & Shawn B.

“Spring Lake Ranch is a dream! We absolutely love living here. The lake is beautiful, and the views are unreal. Such a peaceful environment. The people here are so friendly and welcoming. It is a great place to raise a family. You literally have everything you need out here. Our experience has been very positive!”
-Jade & Cole K.

“Our family feels so lucky to have stumbled upon Spring Lake Ranch almost 8 years ago. The balance between the space and calm of country living coupled with being part of a thriving and active community has been so enjoyable for us and our growing boys.

Over the years, as the neighborhood continued to expand around us, we knew we were in our forever location and we’ve continued to invest in our property hoping our family and friends will continue to gather and enjoy SLR for years to come. We truly love where we live.”
-Meghan & Murray H.

“Our first decade in ‘SLR’ as we affectionately refer to it, has been nothing short of truly special. We see our home as a vacation spot. From the day we began planning our home right up to today, we remain excited about the home we’ve had built. It is serene and peaceful. We are surrounded by wildlife, scenic views, the sounds of nature and glowing stars at night. We relax and leave the business and stress of the workplace and city behind.

We are raising our daughter here and we are constantly reminded of the blessing this community is for us as parents and her as she enjoys her childhood. She pets horses, plays in forests and swims in lakes – all within an afternoon. As she grows, she is building relationships with our neighbours children within the safety of our community as we collectively care for them while they explore and play together. It takes a village to raise a little. In SLR, both literally and figuratively, our daughter is surrounded by ‘Village’. We are forever thankful for the unbelievably beautiful home we live in and the community that has become our family here in Spring Lake Ranch.”
-Erin & Noel C.

“We love this community because it’s peaceful, we are surrounded by nature and we have made friends that are like family.”
-Brandon & Amy

“We love everything about living and being a part of this wonderful community in Spring Lake Ranch. The scenic views and peaceful surroundings make SLR a joy to come home to every day. There’s something about it that just feels special. Our kids love exploring the trail network, paddling on the lake, and waving to neighbours as they ride their bikes up and down the quiet streets. We couldn’t be more happy to call SLR home.”
-Katie & Derrick B.

“Moving to Spring Lake Ranch has been like a gift that keeps on giving. From discovering the various community events that happened throughout the year to getting more connected with so many awesome people and enjoying life together with barbecues, parties, and hanging out at the lake, it feels like a true community!

Walking the trails, being on the lake paddleboarding, even the wild pack of coyotes that lives around here are all just a part of the character and adventure of this place. Our family loves it here!!”
-Adrienne & Myles C.

Notable

Part of the initial planning of this community included donating 10% of the land to walking trails. These walking trails border Spring Lake Ranch and link to the Village of Spring Lake. Here you will see people walking their dogs, children building forts in the forest and biking enthusiasts exploring the trails.

Other residents enjoy skating at the official-sized, outdoor community skating rink. As a way to say thank you to the community, Spring Lake Ranch donated the design and a portion of the construction of the Rink Shack. This is a heated building ideal for lacing up skates on those cold winter days. Throughout the year, there are local events held there to bring the entire Spring Lake community together.

All of those who live at Spring Lake are very fortunate to have recreation at their doorstep. From swimming, fishing, biking, paddleboarding, kayaking, walking and running in the summer; to cross-country skiing, dark sky star watching, ice fishing, skating and sledding in the winter. By enjoying the natural environment, people also become stewards to protect the area and that’s pretty cool!

As we reflect on 15 years of SLR, we want to say a genuine THANK YOU to everyone who has helped build this community and brought life to what started as a vision.

With Gratitude,

The Team at SLR

SLR Designer Sarah Corker ~ On Vision, Inspiration, and What’s Next at Spring Lake Ranch

April 27, 2017April 25, 2017 by Sarah Corker

Can you describe your role at Spring Lake Ranch? What might you be doing on a given work day?

My role with SLR is tremendously varied from sales to marketing to design and everything in between. A typical day includes: Working with our clients and suppliers, so perhaps a meeting at Robinson’s Lighting and Bath to review a lighting package for a home. Receiving an enquiry sales call to set up a tour for one of our homes or lots. Working with my amazing marketing team to develop new content for social media, newsletters, and blogs. Being in touch with our client’s mortgage broker and lawyer to organize the financing for their home. Also, I walk through our builds regularly to see the progress, ensure the proper selections are being made, check paint colours and finishing details, and take photos.

At night, after my children go to sleep, I work on design and planning. This is when my creative juices flow and I like to dive into new floor plans, colour palettes and lighting inspiration and check in with the various design blogs I follow. This is also when my husband and business partner and I get a chance to talk about the “big picture”, plan our next builds, bounce ideas for events, and actively discuss our dreams.

SLR is known for its natural beauty and gorgeous homes. What’s it like seeing people discover it for the first time?

Often, people will walk into one of our homes and be in awe with the oversized windows, high ceilings and open concept of the heart of the home (kitchen, dining, great room). After lots of questions and the “getting to know you” conversation, there will be a pause and this is when people all of a sudden realize how quiet it is at Spring Lake Ranch. They take in the sounds of the birds in the summer or just the absolute silence in the winter. It’s magic!

The TAMARACK 4 Bdrm Bungalow For Sale – $629,900

You and the SLR team started creating the community almost a decade ago. What’s the biggest lesson you have learned along the way in bringing this vision to life?

In the early stages of the project when Dad, Rainbow and I had a vision and 66 acres of wide open land, our mantra was UNWAVERING FAITH. Faith that others will find this natural gem on a lake, fall in love and want to call it home. That unique homes will be built. That a community will grow and flourish here.

I have learned that some people, like our earliest residents, can see things before they exist — I call them ‘visionaries’. The rest of us are more tactile, needing to touch, feel and walk through a house in order to understand how it can become a home to raise a family, to rejuvenate in, a home to love in. Now this community is a thriving, special place thanks to all the people who live here, who have chosen Spring Lake Ranch as their home and have seen our vision come to life.

Rainbow Williams, Sarah Corker, and Terry Williams

Let’s talk design. Wilcor Homes has always specialized in open floor plans, high ceilings, and natural elements like wood and stone. In what ways has this aesthetic shifted or evolved in the last decade? How do trends shape the way you approach a new build?

We moved here from the West coast, where you see many more two storey homes, whereas here we have the space with our half acre lots to do bungalows. Previously, in my mind bungalows were a home for retirees (my Gran had a charming one in Lloydminster!) but there has been a big shift in the design, making them more open in concept and appealing to all age demographics. We now specialize in bungalow designs and are building them for families of all ages and sizes.

The other big shift in our designs is seen in the more functional parts of the home — the mudroom and laundry room. Alberta mud is a real thing. After one full season here (and getting stuck in the mud many times) we learned the importance of making this space really functional. We now add extra square footage, a window if possible, and an oversized closet for the many jackets you need in this four season climate.

Another area of change has been in our exteriors. We love using Hardie Board siding as it requires no future maintenance, is a fire retardant, and is incredibly durable — important in this climate where a flash hail storm can occur.

We always love incorporating natural elements. Wood and stone give a home a solid, secure feeling of time-honoured design. We use real stone veneer in all of our applications both inside and outside the home and love to highlight the entrance with solid Douglas fir timbers. I would say this has become our trademark on the exterior of many of our homes.

The TIMBER HAVEN 3+ Bdrm For Sale – $849,900

You and the Wilcor Homes team have built several custom homes at SLR. There are obviously many design decisions that your clients need to make along the way. How do you help guide people through the process, while keeping true to their vision?

Building a home requires so many decisions as a family, with the building team, and with the product suppliers — all staying within an allocated budget determined by the bank. But mostly it requires vision, like the ability to see how the paint colour will work with the flooring and cabinets and then adding lights to fully showcase the work.

We allow our clients the freedom to make selections for their home, as it’s our goal to make their vision a reality. We share our expertise throughout the process, meeting regularly to provide design and finishing options, review selections, and pull all the details together.

They say that every time you build, you learn something new. This is where our experience and expertise come in — we understand every aspect of creating a beautiful quality home. Building custom is not for everyone, so we also build Wilcor Homes to completion, using exceptional materials and finishings that are contemporary while still having that timeless appeal. People love this option — it’s essentially falling in love with a showhome and then moving in and making it your own!

What room tends to be the #1 priority for people in ‘getting it right’?

The kitchen. Hands down, this is the heart of the home, where it all happens. We gather here and share food, stories, love, laughter, tears, and conversation. I love to design a kitchen that fully functions with the different work zones incorporated (prepping, cooking, cleaning, conversing) while having stunning aesthetics: cabinets that will look great today as well as in 10+ years, a solid surface countertop, oversized island, and windows — as many and as big as possible. Lighting a kitchen properly is very important. I love island lights on a dimmer, separate pot lights (also on a dimmer), a light over the sink for late night dishes, and under cabinet lights for example. With this variety, you can really change the mood in the room, from being focused on function and being able to see every detail to toning it down and creating a more intimate experience.

When designing a home, what do you look to for ideas and inspiration? How do you make each new build feel fresh and exciting?

Often my inspiration for colour palettes can come from nature. I love to be active outside all year round and I also enjoy taking photos. In doing so, I capture the natural surroundings around me and draw upon the photos to see how all of the colours and textures work together.

White is a constant colour used in the world of design. Right now there is a big trend of white cabinets in the kitchen, lighter wall colours, and even white washed hardwood floors. When I go for a walk on a snowy day, I take in all the many colours of white and grey and then think about how to integrate these colours into our homes. I just completed a home using the Benjamin Moore colour Paper White which has a slight blue tone to it. My favourite trim colour, ironically, is called Snowfall White!

Overall I love a neutral palette with layers of texture where you can add accent colours depending on the time of year through soft finishings such as pillows, flowers, tea towels. ‘Pops of colour’. By keeping your background simple and neutral, you can play with different colours and have fun with them without fully committing to a purple room.

To stay current, I also follow a number of design blogs and have a daily does on Instagram where I get tons of visual inspiration. Desire to Inspire is a Canadian and Australian team that posts endless photos of stunning homes all around the world. In the real of Instagram, I love to follow @robinsonltgbath (our lighting and plumbing supplier) showcasing their products installed in gorgeous homes; @interiordesignmag for awe inspiring photos; @dominomag for really functional style and ideas; and @styleathome, a Canadian resource for fabulous decorating, design, and entertaining ideas.

What is the most fulfilling part of your work?

It’s the moment when I get to walk our clients through their finished home. The look on their faces, the happy tears. The feeling of completion. The ‘thank you’ hugs.

I have learned something from every family we have worked with. Whether it’s been an improvement in the design (such as adding a pocket door instead of a door with a swing so you can increase the use of space), a new material selection (we recently installed shiplap in a house for the first time), or the integration of materials (stone, new hardwood flooring or mixed metal lights). I love all of of it, as the process pushes me to stay present and to be continually improving. Our relationships with our clients and trades allow us to feel proud about the quality homes we build. We have made some lifelong friends along the way and I feel truly blessed by this.

What is the highlight of SLR for you when it comes to the natural setting? What views or “nature” moments stand out?

Spring. After a long winter of snowballs, skating and bundled-up walks on the trails, hearing the Canadian geese and other birds returning home is one of my favourite sounds. Seeing the first buds on the trees and bulbs sprouting through the soil makes me do a happy dance! My kids plant handfuls of sunflower seeds in our gardens as we love watching the goldfinches they attract in the late summer days. Spring is also the start of lake activities that our whole family enjoys: fishing, paddle boarding, and canoeing.

What’s next at SLR? What projects are in the works?

This is a very exciting year, as we are releasing the final phase of the community which includes two quiet cul-de-sacs, Spruce Crescent and Juniper Lane, with lots backing onto the treed ravine. We have done the development of SLR in phases, and Phase 4 marks completion. In June, we will hold our spring 2017 Home and Lot Hop, at which people can tour Homes and Lots For Sale — including our new Phase 4 properties! We are also holding an Open House for the Tamarack Bungalow on Saturday, April 29th from 12-4 pm.

I get goosebumps thinking about driving through Spring Lake Ranch in 30 years from now, showing our grandchildren all the homes we built, tree we planted, and friends we made. It’s extremely gratifying to see that the unwavering faith we started out with has resulted in such a unique and beautiful community.

Thank you, Sarah!

*Interested in learning more about Spring Lake Ranch homes and properties? Contact Sarah Corker at 1.888.867.1055