[trtcttc]

Calgary’s University District Adding Retailers as Huge Mixed-Use Community Develops [Interview/Photos]

New article in Retail Insider, tidbit in there that they're planning to scale down the office portion of the development due to a lack of demand.

 

[CT (Chinese_T)]

Good! The one part of the original plan I didn't like was how abruptly the retail main street ended. Maybe they can extend it a few more blocks.

In the original plan, Purple = Offices with no street fronting retail

 

[Surrealplaces]

Here are a few more random pics of University District, specifically University Avenue. I have to say that every time I visit University Avenue I’m more impressed each time. The trees and landscaping is filling in really well, and Avenue canyon looks better each time, not to mention it seems busier each time I visit. The avenue actually felt busier than many of the downtown streets do!

 

[haltcatchfire]

It’s amazing to see sidewalks so busy outside of core areas.

This is what happens when you use land area effectively and not just slap up big box and parking lots. Pleasant life.

 

[BKha]

Outside of the miss on the bike lanes, University District has been an major success in my opinion.

 

[outoftheice]

Outside of the miss on the bike lanes, University District has been an major success in my opinion.

Ya, every time I see a photo of the streetlife there it still shocks me nobody thought to include them since they essentially had a blank slate to start with.

 

[adamyyc]

U/D is a 9.5/10.

 

[Atticus]

Blatchford in Edmonton has had a slower start to it’s build out and it’ll be interesting to see if the plaza and retail desired come together as well as it is in UD with the city of Edmonton as the primary developer. But one advantage of their city holding the initial design work is bike lanes being added from step 1. Saves the future disruption and ensures from day 1 there’s good biking & transit connections so it’s not just a denser car dependent area.

They definitely missed on the bike lanes. The problem also was the timing as the initial designs were done quite a while ago before cycling infrastructure became a popular staple in planning.
Word is they are looking at putting in bike lanes. It’s easily doable, but agreed, it would have been much better if they went in the beginning.

 

[zagox]

They definitely missed on the bike lanes. The problem also was the timing as the initial designs were done quite a while ago before cycling infrastructure became a popular staple in planning.
Word is they are looking at putting in bike lanes. It’s easily doable, but agreed, it would have been much better if they went in the beginning.

The bike piece seems fixable given the giant road widths, but the bigger miss to me is the lack of integration with transit. U/D could have been a showpiece for how to integrate BRT into a neighborhood- think dedicated lanes, direct routings, and level boarding with the first floor of major traffic generators like the hospital, hotel, and grocery store. But it’s not, and that’s much harder to fix.

It’s a good neighborhood for walking but that still makes it car dependent for any trips that go outside the neighborhood.

 

[MichaelS]

The reason the mainstreet is 4 lanes is because the long term plan is to have protected BRT lanes down it. This is for the existing Max Orange BRT, the planned NW HUB route, and the eventual BRT route that will run from the Sage Hill transit hub, down Shaganappi, through UD and the University, before stopping at Brentwood C-Train station.

 

[Mountain Man]

Bike lanes in U/D would be extremely frustrating, I've seen cars double park there a million times. The bike lane would become an uber / loading zone for sure. That's a huge pet peeve of mine, using bike lanes as a loading zone needs to stop.

 

[MissingMiddle]

Bike lanes in U/D would be extremely frustrating, I've seen cars double park there a million times. The bike lane would become an uber / loading zone for sure. That's a huge pet peeve of mine, using bike lanes as a loading zone needs to stop.

The protected bike lane should be between the sidewalk and the parking, not between the parking and the driving lane.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

The protected bike lane should be between the sidewalk and the parking, not between the parking and the driving lane.

I have to disagree, the bike lane should not between the parked cars and sidewalk. I have almost been hit multiple times on the 2nd St SW bike lane going south by left and right turning cars not looking for bikers. The Parked cars completely block their view. Parked cars opening doors has rarely been a problem in the riding.

 

[Mountain Man]

I have to disagree, the bike lane should not between the parked cars and sidewalk. I have almost been hit multiple times on the 2nd St SW bike lane going south by left and right turning cars not looking for bikers. The Parked cars completely block their view. Parked cars opening doors has rarely been a problem in the riding.

It should be a protected bike lane with a space between cars and the turning lane for drivers to be able to see cyclists. The City has a 3m visibility triangle for cars turning onto roads and lanes, they need to incorporate this into the bike lanes as well!

 

[Habanero]

I have to disagree, the bike lane should not between the parked cars and sidewalk. I have almost been hit multiple times on the 2nd St SW bike lane going south by left and right turning cars not looking for bikers. The Parked cars completely block their view. Parked cars opening doors has rarely been a problem in the riding.

Parked cars are an issue but the protected lane between the sidewalk and cars works well as long as there is a 15-20 foot space with no parked cars at intersections.
Given how long the blocks are at University District it shouldn’t be a problem like it is on 2nd Street.