New communities of Hollins and Halstead break ground

A stretch of east Calgary is poised for a major transformation as construction begins on two new neighbourhoods expected to bring about 1,500 homes and more than 4,000 residents to the area.

Truman Homes and RYCO Properties have broken ground on Hollins and Halstead, a 133-acre master-planned development located between Stoney Trail and 84th Street N.E. along the future Memorial Drive extension.

“This is a moment that we have been building towards,” says Ryan Sidorsky, president of RYCO Properties, who owns the land. Both RYCO Properties and Truman are working together to develop the site.

The project was approved in June 2025 as part of the Belvedere Area Structure Plan.

For Sidorsky, the project is about more than putting another community on the city map.

“Working with Truman has allowed us to bring the vision to life with a partner who cares as much about the details as we do,” says Sidorsky.

Hollins and Halstead have been carefully designed to complement surrounding neighbourhoods while establishing their own identity rooted in nature, connectivity and community.

The two communities will be distinct, separated by the Memorial Drive extension, but connected by roads and pathways for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. A shared 11.8-acre public park along with a series of natural open spaces that will include naturalized landscapes, reconstructed wetlands and new tree plantings will be at the heart of Hollins and Halstead, while a regulation-sized cricket pitch is also planned as part of the broader recreation network. Together these spaces will provide opportunities for recreation, environmental stewardship and everyday connection, all part of the development mandate.

The community names are tied to their planned character: Hollins comes from the Old English “holin,” associated with wooded areas or shelterbelts, synchronous with the ample green spaces and prairie shelterbelt character envisioned, while Halstead has Old English roots associated with the concept of a place or dwelling and the idea of refuge, reflecting the community’s natural open spaces, gathering areas and wetlands.

The timing of the development is closely tied to the Memorial Drive extension, which developers say will improve regional transportation links and access to the new neighbourhoods.

Certainly, location and connectivity make these communities stand out. The location puts future residents close to the 800,000-sq.-ft. commercial development brimming with retail and services at East Hills Crossing, which is taking shape nearby, immediately south of Halstead in Belvedere. Future plans within Halstead also allow for additional local commercial amenities near Memorial Drive. And, having direct access to Memorial Drive allows residents to travel quickly across the city, into the downtown core and to all of the north/south connector routes.

Housing is expected to run the gamut: single-family, duplexes, townhomes and multifamily, although the final mix has not yet been fully refined. Potentially rental housing could also emerge across more than one housing type, depending on market demand. The developers have not yet defined the community’s architectural theme, but say that the housing mix is intended to accommodate buyers at different stages of life and price points, from entry-level homes to larger detached houses.

“Hollins and Halstead are designed with real families in mind — how they live, where they gather, what they need close to home,” says Sidorsky.

For RYCO, the project continues a Calgary business story that dates back to 1965 when company founder, Brian Sidorsky, established a furniture business. That furniture business has since grown into a real estate investment and development company with commercial and development holdings across Calgary and southern Alberta.

Similarly, Truman is a family-owned, fully integrated developer, builder, marketing, construction, sales and property management company that has delivered on residential and commercial projects in and around Calgary for more than five decades.

Sales are currently expected to begin in early 2027 with a sales centre and show homes expected to follow shortly thereafter.