Sky Ranch 'Pioneers' New Community in Cochrane Lakes

 

The Cochrane Lakes area is about to get its first new community in more than a decade.

Sky Ranch, located just under 2.5 kilometres north of the Town of Cochrane, in the Cochrane Lake Hamlet of Rocky View County, will add hundreds of residential homes as the general region continues to grow.

Nestled in the rolling grasslands overlooking the foothills and Rocky Mountains, Sky Ranch will bring a total of 646 residential homes when it’s completed.

However, its first phase of development, which just began this month, will see the construction work for 254 residential lots. These homes will reflect the character, spaciousness and rural charm of the area while maintaining proximity to the growing urban amenities of Cochrane, according to the project’s developer.

“With more space between homes and lower property taxes as compared Town of Cochrane, Sky Ranch will provide rural charm with urban reach as our residents will benefit from a seven- to 10-minute drive to downtown Cochrane and 35 minutes to downtown Calgary,” said Jesse LaFrance, president of Edmonton-based JL Developments, and the project developer. “Sky Ranch offers a unique blend of rural tranquility and urban convenience.”

Housing options will include duplexes, row housing, single family and semi-estate product, and be available in three styles designed to reflect the history of Cochrane Lake and its former brickyards in Cochrane but with a modern twist. Those styles are Rocky View Farmhouse, Rocky View Prairie and Sky Ranch Modern.

Builders include Akash Homes, Artisique Homes, Bedrock Homes, Fifth Avenue Homes, Luxuria Homes, Tamson Homes and Victory Homes.

“Long before Cochrane and Rocky View County became known for its mountain views and western charm, it was a hub to several famous brickyards in the Town of Cochrane, which began operations in the late 1800s,” said LaFrance. “These brickyards helped build schools, churches, and homes across Alberta. Sky Ranch will honour the craftsmanship and character of the region’s past brickyards by requiring the use of bricks as integral features within each home in Sky Ranch, adding to the rural charm of the Cochrane Lake Hamlet.”

Akash will build lane townhomes and front-drive duplexes, Artisique will build semi-estate homes, Bedrock will build lane townhomes and lane single-family homes, Fifth Avenue will build front-drive townhomes and semi-estate homes, Luxuria will build front-drive duplexes and front-drive single-family homes, and Tamson will build lane duplexes and lane single-family homes.

Home construction is expected to start in the first quarter of 2026 with pricing starting in the $500,000 range.

Commuters can utilize Highway 22 and Highway 1A to access downtown Calgary in 35 minutes. In the summer, boat and beach access at Ghost Lake is less than a 25-minute drive away. About three kilometres to the south along Township Road 262 is a future kindergarten to Grade 8 school site planned within the West Hawk neighbourhood (also being developed by JL Developments). The future Horse Creek Sports Park, meanwhile, will include a new high school.

“Sky Ranch is pioneering a vibrant, full-service new community supported by the Cochrane Lake Hamlet area structure plan and will act as a catalyst for future growth in the Cochrane Lakes adding both housing, commercial and retail opportunities in the greater community,” said LaFrance. “Integral to Sky Ranch and its park spaces is the inclusion of nature-inspired passive recreational opportunities along its extended linear walkways — such as natural play elements, discovery zones, and interactive landscapes — enhancing families’ curiosity and overall enjoyment in Sky Ranch.”

Sky Ranch will comply with the International Dark Sky Initiative and its guidelines in order to protect the night skies from light pollution and preserve the natural patterns of nocturnal birds, mammals and insects.

“To us, Cochrane Lakes is one of Alberta’s most accessible mountain hamlets — close enough for convenience but far enough from the bustle,” added LaFrance. “It offered the rare opportunity to create a pioneering community with legacy, landscape and livability with strong long-term economics which we have not been able to find elsewhere.”

The community will feature walkable greenspaces, regional play parks and design guidelines that honour the area’s foothills heritage and agricultural roots.

JL Developments started its early community building in Edmonton, but its roots have always been in the Calgary region as its owner, Jesse LaFrance, was born and raised in northwest Calgary. LaFrance said it has been a natural progression to enter into the Calgary region through its West Hawk and Sky Ranch developments.