Macdonald Development Corporation has grown into a group of companies with two primary divisions. Macdonald Development (U.S.A.) Corporation conducts the Group’s business in the United States with its focus currently being in Arizona and Washington. Macdonald Communities Limited conducts all Canadian development activities with its focus in British Columbia and Alberta. The name Macdonald Communities was chosen to emphasize our ongoing commitment to envision and construct great communities where people will build their lives and raise their families. What makes a home, or a neighborhood is the people within it, and it is our goal to create places to encourage people to live and grow together.
Founder Robert Macdonald has led the company since 1985, creating a legacy of commercial and residential properties across North America. Since 1999, the company has focused mainly on the development of single-family communities and multi-family condominium projects, creating over 4,000 high quality homes and properties. In September 2018, Robert’s son John Macdonald officially took over running the day to day operations of the Canadian development division as Chief Operating Officer. Robert Macdonald remains the Group CEO and operates the day to day operations of the company’s US division.
Our core values
:The creation of value for a developer is done through the complex coordination of different professionals from within the fields of design, engineering, government, construction, sales, marketing and finance.
To measure the value provided by a land development we look at not just the financial gain but also the social value provided. How both our customers and our neighbours interact with a built environment, and interact with each other within it, is what determines the value added to the places we develop.
1998
Kamloops, BC | Stump Lake Ranch
In Macdonald’s acreage development at Stump Lake Ranch a “cattle corridor” is registered over all acreage properties it created, thereby securing the ability of the ranch and neighbouring ranches, to move and manage cattle in perpetuity.
1999
Qualicum Beach, BC
Macdonald donates 300 acres of parkland to the Government of British Columbia for the creation of a campground adjacent to the Horne Lake Caves north of Qualicum Beach, BC.
Parksville, BC | River’s Edge
Approximately 100 acres of the Englishman River’s south bank on Vancouver Island donated by Macdonald to The Nature Trust in order to protect precious salmon spawning grounds.
2004
Britannia Beach, BC | Britannia Beach
9,500 acres of land in Britannia Beach acquired by Macdonald is subsequently donated to the Province to allow for the clean-up of the Britannia mine site. Working with government-appointed environmental engineers, a sophisticated water treatment plant was constructed to filter all the copper out of the contaminated water. As part of this work, Macdonald constructed roads and bridges and donated to the cost of filtration plant construction.
2006
Vancouver, BC | The Hudson
The expansion to the Granville Street Skytrain station opens underneath Macdonald’s Hudson building. This station, built in partnership with Wall Financial, provides universal access at the last inaccessible station on the network.
2009
Gulf Islands, BC
400 acres of very rare Garry Oak meadows located on Salt Spring, Island BC substantially donated to The Nature Trust, and an additional 700 acres of watershed donated to the Salt Spring Waterworks District.
2010
Calgary, AB | Watermark
Watermark masterplan is approved, with Macdonald committing to create an expansive cascading pond system and multi-use trail network, providing recreational opportunities for the region’s residents and facilitating ongoing wildlife movement through the area.
2011
Britannia Beach, BC | Britannia Beach
Through the collective environmental clean-up efforts of Macdonald and the Province of BC, salmon return to Britannia Creek for the first time in 100 years.
2012
Vancouver, BC | Capitol Residences
Macdonald Development Group and Wall Financial complete construction of the Orpheum Theatre expansion and the VSO School of Music occupying the first 4 storeys of their new highrise tower, the Capitol Residences, in downtown Vancouver.
Calgary, AB | Watermark
The Central Plaza amenity is opened to the public; including covered pavilion, outdoor kitchen, fire pit, BBQ’s, and sports courts, built by Macdonald.
Lake Country, BC | Lakestone
The masterplan for the Macdonald Group’s new community in the Okanagan is agreed upon with the District of Lake Country, setting aside over 250 acres of land for preservation.
2015
Calgary, AB | Watermark
Macdonald builds and begins operating the area’s first modern potable and waste water treatment plants servicing Watermark and neighbouring communities many of which were not serviced by the municipality and were on boil water advisories.
Lake Country, BC | Lakestone
Lakestone beach improvements and park opened to the general public. The beach area features a pavilion and picnic area, and retains the natural lake bed and vegetation to protect this significant Kokanee spawning ground.
2016
Lake Country, BC | Lakestone
The first leg of the 25km Lakestone public trail network is completed connecting the Lakestone beach to the Benchlands neighbourhood. Along with development of the trail, a significant garbage clean-up was undertaken and wildfire prevention measures were put in place.
2018
Britannia Beach, BC | Britannia Beach
Macdonald purchases and installs a flood debris control net along the course of Britannia Creek providing protection to all Britannia Beach residents, community infrastructure, the mining museum, the firehall, the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and the CN Rail line.
Macdonald Development Corporation has been a valued customer of our bank for over 30 years. They have always lived up to their commitments and we consider them to be one of our core developer clients. They are financially sound and professionally capable.
KELLY MCKNIGHT VICE PRESIDENT, THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA