Calgary’s flood infrastructure is paying off, with six riverfront property lots in Roxboro going back on the market for the first time since the city’s historic flood.

Plintz Real Estate with Century 21 Masters listed these lots today, with prices ranging between $1.75 million and $3 million. The lots are zoned for single-family homes only, with restrictive covenants in place to ensure consistency with the surrounding community.

Associate Broker Jeff Jackson said in a press release that today’s listings are monumental for them as real estate agents, but also as Calgarians.

“As a former resident and real estate broker in the Roxboro community, it is especially meaningful to see these lots, long observed by the community, now being released to the public,” he said.

Located right on the Elbow River, these lots have been provincially owned since 2013. The province acquired 17 homes in Roxboro, Rideau Park and Elbow Park for an estimated $51 million after the flood, with the Roxboro lots being the first to return to the market. The remaining lots are expected to hit the market by June 2026.

The lots have remained vacant since 2016, when houses damaged in the flood were demolished. Since then, the lots have become unofficial green spaces in the community, which has kept them well-maintained, but residents have expressed safety concerns over fear of vagrancy and trespassing.

These sites are able to be listed today thanks to Calgary’s Flood Resilience Plan, which upgraded the Glenmore Dam in 2020 and completed the provincial Springbank Reservoir in 2025.

Dennis Plintz, owner and associate broker of Plintz Real Estate, said these flood barriers can put Calgarians at ease.

“It’s been a long-anticipated and exciting journey, a lot of nervousness around it,” he said.

“But with flood mitigation in place, confidence has been restored to the community and to us as real estate professionals.”

Re-building hasn’t previously been an option, with the neighbourhood falling directly in Calgary’s Flood Hazard zone, or Floodway area. This designation is for areas of Calgary most at risk of flooding due to proximity to the rivers, where water is at its fastest and deepest.

Because of Calgary’s newly developed flood infrastructure, Roxboro has been re-designated in the Flood Fringe, where water is shallower, slower and less destructive.

For Plintz, that shift is key.

“Risk is a question,” he said.

“But with the mitigation in place, the risk that’s relevant here in the communities is substantially diminished.”

According to Alberta’s Flood Likelihood Map, Roxboro has an 8.2 per cent chance of flooding in the next 30 years.

Calgarians will jump at the opportunity, but may have questions

The properties will likely draw significant interest. Waterfront land in Calgary is scarce, and Plintz said the timing couldn’t be better for the real estate market.

“Calgary’s in a really good spot right now, relatively speaking,” he said.

“The timing by the province and the timing for us to bring these to market is exceptional. The market here has a lot of desirability.”

The six lots are being listed through a multiple listing service (MLS), with a two-week mandatory advertising period before offers are reviewed. The process is designed to give all interested buyers a fair opportunity to bid, but high demand could push the prices higher, according to Jackson.

“In essence, there could still be a bidding war,” he said,

“We’ve priced these at what we feel is fair market value, but the list prices are just a framework, and they could potentially go for more than the listing prices.”

Development on these lots may be impacted by proposed Land Use Bylaw Updates for both the Floodway and Flood Fringe, which were brought forth by the public. The Infrastructure and Planning Committee will be presented the regulations on April 15, with a Public Hearing Meeting of Council planned for June 23.

According to a memo sent to council from Nicole Newton, the director of climate and environment for the City of Calgary, these regulations won’t limit land use or prohibit development.

“With the completion of the provincial Springbank Reservoir in 2025 and upgrades to the Glenmore Dam in 2020, the Elbow properties are now protected from overland river flooding to a 1:200 flood level and are no longer within provincially-mapped 1:100 Flood Hazard or Floodway areas,” read Newton’s memo.

Despite the previous damage seen in this community, Plintz emphasized that buyers shouldn’t worry about insurance. In his experience, it hasn’t been an issue for years.

“Insurance is not a challenge these days,” he said

“I live on the river, and I’ve purchased here after that. We’ve bought and sold a lot of properties on the river. There are different policies and riders that you can get.”

Plintz and Jackson said the memory of the 2013 flood still lingers in Roxboro, but they hope these properties can help the community finally look ahead to the future.

“With thirteen years behind us since the flood, I don’t think people have forgotten by any means about the flood,” Plintz said.

“But there’s a lot of optimism today and a lot more confidence, which is good for everybody.”