Heartland Cochrane architectural guidelines: Phase 15 rules

Heartland's Phase 15 design guidelines, dated July 2025, set a minimum of 1,000 sq ft for a bungalow and 1,200 sq ft for a two storey, and tie the minimum width of a front-garage home to the size of its pocket: a 26 ft home, for example, can have a garage up to 22 ft wide and needs a 4 ft entry (Rohit Communities, Heartland Phase 15, July 2025, p. 4). Heartland is Rohit Communities' neighbourhood on the west side of Cochrane, and it publishes a separate guideline document for each phase.

How wide does a Heartland Phase 15 home have to be?

As wide as the pocket allows, give or take 2 ft. Rohit sets the minimum exposed house frontage by pocket size, and the garage can't take up all of it. Here's the table from page 4, as printed:

Note: Rohit's table is headed "Minimum Home Size" but the values are widths in feet. The 24 ft row's garage width is printed as 20 inches, almost certainly meaning 20 ft; confirm it with the design consultant. The 22 ft width appears in two rows, as printed.

The footnote matters: frontage is based on the home's width, not the pocket's, so a 22 ft home with the right numbers can go on a 24 ft pocket. And the rear elevation has to be as wide as the front, or 2 ft narrower with a 2 ft garage offset. Rohit will consider a double garage with an offset of up to 2 ft as meeting the setback requirements.

What sizes and setbacks apply in Heartland Phase 15?

Only the floor area is Rohit's own number. The rest comes from the Town (Rohit, July 2025, pp. 3 to 4):

Note: the July 2025 Phase 15 document; metric areas are our conversion. Rohit says homes may exceed these minimums, and widths and sizes should relate to the lot and the neighbours.

Grading limits sit beside them: a 3:1 (33%) slope between adjoining lots before a retaining wall is needed, 5:1 (20%) in front and rear yards, 10:1 (10%) on driveways. A forced walkout is reviewed lot by lot and needs the Town's acceptance.

What does the front of a Heartland home need?

Rohit is specific about the front elevation, and several rules come with measurements (Rohit, July 2025, p. 5):

• Porch and garage. The porch column can sit no more than 10 ft ahead of the garage wall face. Rohit may grant an exception if the garage side gets more masonry or a window.
• Second floor. On a front attached home, the second floor is at most 9 ft back from the garage face.
• Steps. Rohit prefers five front porch risers; six is the maximum it will review. Extra steps go on the walkway with a landing.
• Covered entry. Required, with aluminium railings (no wood) and pre-cast stairs on front drive homes.
• Battens. All windows and doors get oversized battens, for example 4 in sides with 6 in top and bottom.
• Garage doors. Carriage style with two pieces of faux hardware, 18 in of masonry on each side with 2 ft returns, and the colour of the main wall (51% or more of the front). An 8 ft door needs glass inserts.

Rear drive homes may use composite, cedar or pressure treated stairs only with a veranda three quarters to the full width of the front and at least 4 ft 6 in (1.4 m) deep.

The four styles carry roof pitches too (pp. 6 to 7). Craftsman runs about 5/12 to 7/12 with 18 to 24 in eaves; Prairie needs hip roofs around 4/12 to 5/12 with eaves of at least 24 in where possible; Homestead uses 7/12 to 9/12 gables with 18 in eaves. Arts & Crafts has no number.

Which Heartland Phase 15 lots need more?

Lots on corners, parks, lanes and walkways get upgraded side elevations, and the lots in Block 48 that face open space get a high profile rear (Rohit, July 2025, pp. 9 to 11):

• Side upgrades: Block 48, Lots 2, 6, 7 and 29, and Block 49, Lots 1, 6, 7 and 13. Side elevations get front-level treatment and at least 6 in battens on every window and door.
• High profile rear: Block 48, Lots 2 to 18. No three storey clear elevations, a second wall material in a different colour, and deck columns at least 12 by 12 in where the deck is over 4 ft high.
• Landscaping: those same high visibility lots need one tree and eight shrubs in front plus two trees and six shrubs at the back; other front drive lots need one tree and six shrubs in front and one tree at the rear.

All rear drive corner lots must build the rear garage, with an upgraded flanking side. Retaining walls over 24 in need Rohit's approval of the material before construction.

How does the Heartland review work?

Builders submit through LotWorks, and E2 & Associates reviews the exterior design for Rohit (Rohit, July 2025, p. 18). There are four routes: a portfolio review of a model range, a pre-approval for a lot, a final approval after pre-approval, or a final approval without one. A design package needs a 1:200 metric plot plan and drawings at 3/16 in to 1 ft or the metric equivalent. Once the package is accepted, the grade slip is released and the builder applies to the Town of Cochrane for the building permit (Rohit, July 2025, p. 15).

Two items to plan for: footing checks aren't carried out in Heartland, so the builder owns the footing elevation, and a survey over a grade conflict is at the builder's cost if the footing is 0.1 m or more off. Work done by Rohit to fix non-compliance is invoiced at cost plus 10% (p. 17).

Seeing a Heartland plan at full size

Heartland's rules are frontage rules: a 4 ft entry beside a garage that can't exceed a set width, a porch no more than 10 ft proud of the garage and a second floor no more than 9 ft behind it. At 1to1 Plans Calgary, the plan is lit at full size on a walkable LED floor with dimension lines, so a buyer can stand in a 4 ft entry and see whether a coat closet still fits. The elevations sit on a wall-size screen behind the floor while you walk, which is where the porch and second floor offsets show up.

Builders walk a model before the LotWorks portfolio review and change it on the spot, with the session recorded (for builders). Quotes are free and depend on the plan's size and type (pricing). Send the plan as a PDF or DWG three days ahead and book a session. For garage depth, compare the City of Calgary stall sizes in our garage size guide; Cochrane's bylaw has its own numbers.