YourBoy007
Active Member
Everyone just wait until the renderings are released
- Thread starter MichaelS
- Start date
JoeUrban
Active Member
I think 7th avenue is negotiable, Stephen Avenue less so.
Roaring Flames
Senior Member
I'd like for that podium to be dropped down to a single floor taller than the tallest on Stephen Ave and for the podium to get retail similar to what's at Arris 5th and 3rd. The current podium design has WAY to much office space that should be limited to the office tower. Also there's too much parking (5 levels) in the design for a project that is adjacent to 7th Ave
FCC1982
Active Member
I think White is just pulling stuff out of his butt.Richard White has already posted a bit of a project booster article on his blog...
Stephen Avenue Quarter: Massive New Downtown Project Proposed — Every Day Tourist
A look at a mega new project that will add 125+ floors of development on Calgary's historic Main Street - Stephen Avenue and 7th Ave transit corridor.everydaytourist.ca
I think this is the most important tidbit from his article:
"Stephen Avenue Quarter will be a phased project, likely taking 15+ years to complete"
So we lose historic parts of Stephen Avenue today all on the promise of a phased project that might last over 2 decades of changes in economic realities?? Has any phased project in Calgary actually built out as originally planned? The heart of downtown is about to be destroyed on a promise of a better tomorrow from a company that already promised a better tomorrow for the historic buildings along 7th Avenue and failed to deliver. I honestly think this thread is the most depressing one I've come across on this forum because we are about to destroy the only vibrant part of downtown Calgary for a shit project and everyone is pretty resigned to the fact that this Council will sign off on it happening.
Everything I’ve heard is they plan to complete all phases by 2028.
And what’s this nonsense he mentions about the hotel lobby in the Hudsons Bay Building - that’s not even on the same block.
adamyyc
Active Member
The Hudson Block is the building in the SE corner of the project site. It’s the building with ATB inside.
outoftheice
Active Member
Two points to make:
For those saying that they're fine in seeing the buildings torn down along 7th Ave because they are run down and the area is sketchy, remember this was a conscious choice by the developer in order to make a proposal like this more palatable to Calgarians. Had Triovest actually gone through with creating a "hip enclave" downtown like they promised in the 2016 Herald article when they bought the properties, you can bet Calgarians would be out in larger numbers protesting this development. Instead Triovest spent the last 6 years neglecting those properties and keeping them empty of tenants and looking worn down only to turn around and say 'we want to tear down these empty, worn buildings'. This is a purposeful attempt to manipulate public sentiment by this developer. They should not be rewarded for it.
I also agree with the other posters here about writing everyone possible with your objections to this project. Too often I have seen projects that were controversial on social media get to Council and the package presented only includes one or two official letters of objection from the public. It allows Council to pretend like the public is fine with it, even though social media might suggest otherwise.
Speaking of social media, I've seen a few tweets out there about this project using the hashtag #SaveStephenAve. If you are active on social media, I would encourage you to use this hashtag in your posts. It allows people with concerns to easily connect and build a united opposition and if by some miracle the hashtag starts to trend the media takes notice and the story becomes about the opposition movement and makes it harder for Council to ignore.
For those saying that they're fine in seeing the buildings torn down along 7th Ave because they are run down and the area is sketchy, remember this was a conscious choice by the developer in order to make a proposal like this more palatable to Calgarians. Had Triovest actually gone through with creating a "hip enclave" downtown like they promised in the 2016 Herald article when they bought the properties, you can bet Calgarians would be out in larger numbers protesting this development. Instead Triovest spent the last 6 years neglecting those properties and keeping them empty of tenants and looking worn down only to turn around and say 'we want to tear down these empty, worn buildings'. This is a purposeful attempt to manipulate public sentiment by this developer. They should not be rewarded for it.
I also agree with the other posters here about writing everyone possible with your objections to this project. Too often I have seen projects that were controversial on social media get to Council and the package presented only includes one or two official letters of objection from the public. It allows Council to pretend like the public is fine with it, even though social media might suggest otherwise.
Speaking of social media, I've seen a few tweets out there about this project using the hashtag #SaveStephenAve. If you are active on social media, I would encourage you to use this hashtag in your posts. It allows people with concerns to easily connect and build a united opposition and if by some miracle the hashtag starts to trend the media takes notice and the story becomes about the opposition movement and makes it harder for Council to ignore.
JoeUrban
Active Member
UrbanRED
Active Member
Tallest tower in Western Canada proposed for Stephen Avenue
A local firm could make Calgary home to the tallest building in Western Canada once again, as part of a massive downtown project.
calgaryherald.com
Now the media's got a hold of it
Coun. Terry Wong, whose Ward 7 includes the area, said it is important that whatever is developed, the history and heritage of Stephen Avenue Walk is maintained.
“This is something I take pride in, is our history and heritage, and we don’t want to lose that,” he said. “We’ve seen a number of implementations where that has been done very effectively, but at the same time building very modern contemporary sort of buildings.”
ahuch
Active Member
If this ever does go ahead, I'm hopeful they preserve some of the character of the stephen ave side.... However, the 7 ave side can go straight to the dump as far as I'm concerned. Worst block in the entire city IMO.
Disraeli
Active Member
I've long accepted that the 7th Ave strip will get demolished. What I find sad is that there is no attempt to save the facades. The last thing we need is a bland, block long podium like what happened with Eighth Ave Place and the historic facades would help with that.
The Stephan Ave side is amazingly heavy handed. I'm not sure what the site is currently zoned for but heritage preservation (keeping a facade is not preservation) should be a precondition for the amount of density they are seeking. Instead, they seem to be proceeding in spite of heritage preservation. It's kind of a cake and eat it too situation
For those that think a building's condition justifies tearing it down and replacing it with something new and better here are some hard lessons from the past:
9th ave in the 60's. A nice character retail street but those hotels became derelict and unsavoury. Every building in this image apart from the Palliser and the Grain Exchange building has since been demolished and replaced with this beautiful character streetscape we have come to love:
The Penney Lane mall made way for this lively modern space:
And hey, we also got a big tall tower out of it to boot!
Calgary's downtown core is generic and stale because of our tendency towards massive "redevelopments" or "revitalization efforts" that have torn down en masse, blocks of discrete, historic, human scale buildings and replaced them with massive block sized buildings with sterile, harsh podiums. Stephan Ave is no exception (i will pull up some photos of what the area around the Municipal Building looked like prior to the last big downtown "revitalization" effort). This development is yet another example of our inability to recognize that a developer who is trying to "maximize the site's potential" is another way of saying "maximize the site's profit for ourselves, while leaving nothing of substance for future generations".
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JonnyCanuck
Senior Member
There is going to be plenty of opportunity for public engagement. The city of Calgary will make sure of that. If I was Triovest, I would not want to comment prematurely either. This is far from a finished design or concept.
JonnyCanuck
Senior Member
The entire length of 7 Ave along the LRT is bland with the exception of the Hudson Bay building. Unlike a few blocks of 8th Ave, there is no continuity whatsoever on 7th Ave. Almost all of it has been redeveloped over the last 20 years.
I don't think the majority of Calgarians will care about preserving one block of inconsequential buildings. Everyone talks about how the buildings were let go when Triovest purchased them. They were dumps when they were occupied. It is fine to say, they should be kept 'because' but someone(s) has to spend tens of millions of dollars on their current state to make them functional again. That to me is not a wise investment.
Now ...8th Ave is another matter. That is where the fight will be.
wolvie
New Member
Went to Triovest's site and came across these pages that have virtual tours of a couple of the interiors of some affected buildings,
Clarence Block
Ashdown Hardware
And for anyone interested here's a link for the walking tour brochure: YYC Downtown Walking Tour
Clarence Block
Ashdown Hardware
And for anyone interested here's a link for the walking tour brochure: YYC Downtown Walking Tour
O-tac
Active Member
Absolutely awful! The 7th Ave side is an oppressive bunker. No justification for disrupting the historic streetwall on Stephen Ave either. This entire proposal pisses me off as we still have empty parking lots that could better be developed! Why does Calgary always destroy what little heritage remains to build bland block long podiums?! I started out excited when I saw the story on Global mentioning a new tallest. This is my worst fear though. And to add insult to injury this will completely block Telus Sky from the south. Argh!!!!!
Disraeli
Active Member
How can it possibly be inconsequential when they are a few of the last remaining buildings on what was once the major commercial avenue of the city? How can you possibly rationalize demoing historic buildings by using our past approach to heritage preservation (which has gutted our core and replaced it with dog shit buildings) as justification for continuing to demolish our heritage? 7th ave is bland because of bland developers and planners. And we have enough continuity of bland, sterile buildings in this city to last a life time.