Surrealplaces said:
I really like the looks of this, we could use dozens of developments like this around the city. It's a bit large for the context, bit I think the neighborhood can survive it, as the main portion of the height is not a broad continuous wall, and the very top floor is set back a ways and not noticeable from the street, only from the back which is a higher elevation. The properties on the other side of the alley are a fair ways away and won't be affected by the height.
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Agreed.

Keeping the momentum moving on South Calgary and Altadore with these low-rises helps build in density and diversity before any monolithic anti-development movement can form as the result of community stagnation. Off main street density is a huge lever to pump up the activity and population into the retail market area, despite it's current not-in vogue status in Canadian city planning (e.g. lots of nods to "gentle" density, secondary suites and minor changes that all pander to minimize change off-main street as possible). I totally support main street and TOD focused redevelopment, but overall density and design is the goal that support the pedestrian and retail environment so many places want. Density along the corridors won't be enough to create a vibrant and sustainable neighbourhood due to how low density most of Calgary's off-streets are.

This RNDSQR project and others like it are modern attempts to try to get back to this:
https://goo.gl/maps/r7GcM3ZWVBarTa7D9
(Montreal: these census dissemination areas bordering this street have 150 and 200 people per hectare.)

From this (this is actually one of our denser, non-city centre streets if you can believe it):
https://goo.gl/maps/dwDvtdn3t4W7dDsp7
(Calgary: these census dissemination areas bordering this street have 40 and 55 people per hectare.)

The Montreal street has no buildings over 3 or 4 stories yet 4 times the density (3.5X the density after this building is approved). Historic economics, land development and differences in costs between the city and the centuries all play a role here, but of the things that are wildly different from the Montreal example to the Calgary example, here are three we could change if we wanted to that would add sustainable density without excessive height.
  • Zero/minimal setbacks on all sides
  • Almost exclusively street parking (no minimums, use supply management on the street's supply of parking instead)
  • 1 and 2 storey structures vs. 3 and 4 stores structures
 
Not having front yards, and minimal setbacks on all sides also minimal alleyways, goes a long ways for sure.

You hit it on the nail with the comment about having density built up around the corridors. It's nice having corridors with some density, but in my experience the best corridors in cities usually are low rise retail buildings with a few medium height buildings here and there, allowing for plenty of sunlight on the corridor itself, and giving good context for patios, etc.. and at the same time having good solid density (including the odd highrise) nearby in the area. That's why I like projects like Drake and Redstone, etc.. They aren't going to transform their own street, but they'll help support the nearby high streets.
 
I think we've seen these renderings before and figured I'd start a thread. RNDSQR LIFE located in Marda Loop. 5 floors, and 83 rental units.

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I almost shit. Don't do that to us.
 
Seems like RNDSQR might have had some financial issues last year. Looks like they've cancelled all their medium/higher density apartment buildings as they no longer appear on their website and are going back to their roots building more town/row homes with secondary suites.
 
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