Rocky View County will welcome another business giant to its ranks in 2021.

Home improvement giant Lowe's Canada announced today (June 10) that it will open a new bulk distribution centre in the county with an anticipated opening set for fall 2021.  Groundbreaking for the new facility is expected to take place in mid-June.

The new 1.23 million-square-foot facility has an estimated cost of $120 million.  It will consolidate four sites currently located in Calgary, and add capacity for growth in serving Lowe’s and RONA stores throughout western Canada.

Lowe’s is partnering with the Highfield Investment Group to construct the new facility in the High Plains Industrial Park in the East Balzac area.

“In the best of times, Lowe’s would be a most welcome addition to the Rocky View County business family. But with the challenges we’ve all been facing this year, building this new distribution facility is especially important and meaningful. This is a major good-news story for Rocky View County, and shows confidence in the future of the region, the province, and western Canada,” says County Reeve Greg Boehlke.

Lowes will join Amazon, Petland, PetSmart, Walmart, Sobeys, Smucker Foods, Gordon Food Service, Whirlpool, major agricultural producers, and other international brands in choosing Rocky View County as a base for distribution and storage operations.

Rocky View County uses a highly competitive tax rate, accessible commercial transportation corridors, reasonable regulatory structures, and best-in-class commercial developments to attract new businesses, with a strategic focus on logistic operations. 

The County’s success positively impacts the economies of all of its 13 municipal neighbours. Rocky View County is a net provider of employment in the Calgary region, with more jobs available than working-age residents.

This year, in recognition of the impacts of COVID-19 and the economic challenges facing Alberta, Rocky View County Council cancelled a planned two percent commercial property tax increase and implemented a further three percent reduction.

“We’re responsive to the needs of the business community, and companies such as Lowe’s see that. But our residents also received the exact same tax break,” Reeve Boehlke says. “The sound fiscal management of Rocky View County’s municipal government gives us the ability to be both an excellent place to do business and an excellent place to live.”

Rocky View County has Alberta’s fifth-largest economic base, behind only Calgary, Edmonton, and the Fort McMurray/Wood Buffalo and Strathcona/Sherwood Park regions. 

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