If you think construction of your new home is taking longer than it should, walk a mile in Dave Spencer's shoes.

Spencer is one of several Calgarians behind an environmentally friendly housing initiative that has been in the planning stages for about a dozen years. The whole thing is taking a lot longer than Spencer and his fellow investors planned, but "I have no doubt it will happen," says an ever-confident Spencer, a landscape architect and planner who helped launch the Echo-Logic Land Corp. 12 years ago.

Several years ago, the corporation bought 2.5 hectares (six acres) of land in the northwest suburb of Rocky Ridge. There, company principals plan to build Echo Haven, a precedent-setting housing project they expect will set a new standard in this city's move towards ecologically sustainable housing.

The six families involved with Echo-Logic from the early days share a common goal "to purchase the land and take it through the development process," says Spencer. "The glue that holds our group together is sort of summarized by our motto, which is 'living lightly on the land.' " Under a master plan developed with the input of several engineering professionals, Echo Haven's claim to ecological sustainability will be based on everything from the energy self-sufficiency of its homes, to the choice of construction materials used on the site and a community design that reduces long-term environmental impact on the land.

Dave Olecko, Business Edge
Echo-Logic Land Corp. investors Dave Spencer, left, Carol McCullough and Kikup Koshirae check out the 2.5-hectare Echo Haven property in the suburb of Rocky Ridge.

Spencer is hopeful construction of 25 homes in the development, each ranging from 1,600 to 1,800 sq. ft., will start this fall or winter. After 12 years of hard work and patient waiting, however, he's not ready to predict a specific start date for construction.

At this point, Echo-Logic supporters are "ready to start construction. We just really have to get the administration to write the report to the Calgary Planning Commission and then we can go to a public hearing of council," explains Spencer. "As far as I know, there are no new issues coming up (but specific timelines are tough to predict)."

If all goes according to the master plan, Echo Haven will be Canada's first energy self-reliant community. Each of the homes, which will be developed and managed on a condominium'-ownership model, will feature passive solar heating "to reduce dependence on fossil fuel and so far we're 100 per cent (on being able to accomplish this goal), says Spencer. The solar panels will provide much of the home heating and produce hot water.

Electricity poses additional hurdles, but Echo-Logic is confident the community will be able to use wind power to meet the community's electricity needs, with excess electricity being sold to the larger power grid. Interestingly enough, the community of Rocky Ridge, where development began in the 1990s, already incorporates several old-fashioned prairie windmills into its ranch-style design. This makes additional windmills a potentially good fit with the existing design, notes Spencer.

To aid self-sufficiency, rainwater and melting snow will be collected from metal roofs for some domestic water use. Collected water will also be used for vegetable production and possibly for cash crops.

The homes will be equipped with composting toilets that evaporate all liquids and produce about half a cubic metre of compost per family each year.

What happens to that compost, as well as grey water from activities such as washing dishes and bodies, is still under discussion. Echo-Logic hoped the community would not be tied into the city's storm and sanitary sewer system, but that's unlikely, even though details haven't yet been finalized.

Spencer also says the actual homes will not look all that different from the neighbouring community.

"That was important because we live in a community where we have to be part of the larger community, and we want to fit in as much as possible."

To lessen the community's ecological "footprint," the homes will be arranged in a cluster. This maximizes the communal greenspace, including open spaces, tree stands and a pond.

Located just north of Crowchild Trail on Rocky Ridge Road and approximately 30 minutes from downtown Calgary, Rocky Ridge is quite suited for a development such as Echo Haven, adds Spencer.

Designed around the community's natural "knob and kettle" landscape features, the development plan incorporates much of the land's rolling topography.

The plan also conserves stands of native prairie and aspen and some permanent wetlands and several temporary ponds. The latter hold water in the spring and provide natural storage for heavy summer rains.

This all adds to the community's "country feel" and conserves much of the area's natural biodiversity.

A resident of a more established community in north-west Calgary, Nora Manz has followed news of Echo Haven's development for several years.

Once it gets the go-ahead, she'd like to buy one of the units as an investment.

Manz says the development appeals to her at several levels. She's a fan of its focus on environmental sustainability and likes the idea of building a small community of like-minded individuals and families. She's also convinced this development - and others likely to follow - offer subsequent generations an affordable alternative to ever-more expensive single- family homes.

Pat Remmers, who lives in Springbank, is also interested in buying property at Echo Haven.

She says the move offers a chance to downsize while keeping her personal commitment to the environment. "I think it's a wonderful idea and if it could set a precedent for Calgary, it would be just great."

She and Manz say they know Echo-Logic Land Corp. has had a tough row to hoe, but they're convinced the fruits of that labour will soon prove to be worth the effort.

"Just because something is difficult, you don't give up," notes Manz.

Dave Spencer says he and his partners appreciate that kind of optimism.

He says the city has been diligent in making sure the community can work and he respects the process, even if it has taken too long.

These days, he's less focused on the past - and very focused on the day the last planning hurdle falls, so the real work can begin.

(Joy Gregory can be reached at joy@businessedge.ca)