What do you think of this project?

  • Total voters
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Kensington Lost its character years ago. I believe the east Village is the better area now. ( I have not been in a couple of years though).
 
Romanov said:
Thanks for these examples. Some areas I will need to check out when I am in Toronto this summer.

I have been to Vancouver and Calgary plenty in the past few years. To say Oliver/Westmount is light years away from some of those examples seems off. West Oliver and Westmount has high potential and is already a dense and walkable area of the City and province. There are already community hubs like Paul Kane Park and Oliver exchange and the peace garden. There is also an interesting mix of architectural style and scale. A few key investments and time will do the area wonders - wider sidewalks, bike lane connections, new LRT station, new street oriented CRU's, residential units - it all seems to be coming down the line. Look at what developments such as substation, Oliver exchange or the Grand on 124 can do for vibrancy. I could easily see it surpassing Kensington in Calgary in terms of vibrancy (which isn't that great to begin with).

The tough part is that Oliver/Westmount has to contend with Unity square, Brewery District and Springwood. These CRUs have street facing parking lots and are a blight - but they are supported by the market. However I am hopeful that some of the smaller strip malls in the area can be redeveloped - such as with the MODA proposal for 107 Ave.
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Exactly!

West Oliver/Westmount has a lot of potential, if we play our cards right. With the added bonus that there's a good chance that it can maintain some degree of affordability, making it not only trendy and a great urban experience, but also within reach for more people (I'm looking at you, walkups)

I think some big developments, especially on some key lots, will make or break this area as a vibrant urban node: the Jasper House new tower (and anything the goes on Jasper Ave, tbh), the Aldritt lot on Stony Plain rd/124st. If we nail these, plus what you added, and bring in some good density (especially with more family oriented developments) in the area, I think we'll surpass Kensington by A LOT.
 
The Cantiro project - 11 townhomes ranging from $850k to $1M+ - in Wadhurst (approved last winter) are not moving. They will provide some family friendly density, but I'm thinking they are priced too high. Apparently one sold early on but not sure that's a real sale or maybe a show suite similar to what was done with the townhome project in Rossdale that is nearly sold out now.
 
TAS said:
The Cantiro project - 11 townhomes ranging from $850k to $1M+ - in Wadhurst (approved last winter) are not moving. They will provide some family friendly density, but I'm thinking they are priced too high. Apparently one sold early on but not sure that's a real sale or maybe a show suite similar to what was done with the townhome project in Rossdale that is nearly sold out now.
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They're still trying to sell some more units before putting shovels on the ground, I hear.

I agree that they're priced high, especially considering the price point of other houses in Wadhurst/125 st. That corner house (that occupies two lots) is selling for just over $1.5M, for a behemoth of a house. Paying $800k+ for a less than 1600sqft townhome is a tough sell.

I'd say if they were in the mid to upper 600s they'd sell fast, but don't know how economical it is for them to sell it at these prices.

What I would love to see is some mid and high rises with townhomes underneath, especially in the area between 102 and 111 ave, west of 116 st. Or more 3 bedroom units (or both). Would go a long way towards making the area more family oriented and attracting longer term residents. Considering how many parks the area has, the new LRT and all, I think it could really work out.
 
IanO said:
East Village is over-planned and while 'nice', but is akin to Yaletown or CityPlace and not organic hoods.
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Agree. East Village and a lot of Calgary for that Matter give off that "manufactured culture" vibe that was mentioned in a national post article.

My favorites in Calgary are Inglewood and Bridgeland. Which are not exactly organic either. But are a good showcase of redevelopment.
 
Romanov said:
Agree. East Village and a lot of Calgary for that Matter give off that "manufactured culture" vibe that was mentioned in a national post article.

My favorites in Calgary are Inglewood and Bridgeland. Which are not exactly organic either. But are a good showcase of redevelopment.
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That's the area I was thinking of not the east village. Inglewood. Was starting to get a nice feel when I was teaching a course for the CPS and we would ride over to Spulombos for lunch. That was at the time Kensington still had a vibe. Used to ride for Ridley cycle so we spent a lot of time in that area as well.
 
Airboy said:
That's the area I was thinking of not the east village. Inglewood. Was starting to get a nice feel when I was teaching a course for the CPS and we would ride over to Spulombos for lunch. That was at the time Kensington still had a vibe. Used to ride for Ridley cycle so we spent a lot of time in that area as well.
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Some years ago, I went to Inglewood. I really liked it, much more than Kensington. I like Yaletown although I agree it is not that organic.

I am not as familiar with the East Village, maybe it is somewhat like Yaletown, but I think developments like these take some years to properly mature.

We don't really have a Yaletown or East Village here (for better or worse), maybe the Brewery District just a little bit or the Quarters possibly some day.

I see Oliver as sort of our version of Vancouver's west end, but of course a different climate and density so not the same. I don' think that makes it bad, just different. Every place is unique.
 
I'm in the boat of people that thinks Whyte Ave is probably the most interesting, organic and fun urban street in the province. 124 st. and the Westmount/West Oliver areas are quietly making great strides and foresee a day when it could be on the same level as Whyte. Jasper ave is currently a hot mess and kind of embarrassing right now. It's a mash of decay, empty CRU's and a partchwork of different styles. It just feels neglected and that's a shame considering its history and general importance.

Calgary has a higher number of more fun urban streets and neighbourhoods. Stephen ave, Kensington and Bridgeland are really solid, clean and generally vibrant areas. However I don't believe they are on the same "level" as Whyte. Old Strathcona is seeing a mini renaissance and if some of these proposals and projects come to fruition that are proposed, it will reinforce that IMO.

East Village, while very manufactured and a long ways away from being an urban destination, has a lot of potential and I'd kill to have something like that here.
 
Last night:

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I pass through this area daily and I would predict that West Jasper Village (or whatever it is being called) will be the next area that really gets popular like Whyte. The density, quality and accessibility of the area has improved drastically and there are good bones to work with. Hopefully when the WLRT is finished the redevelopment continues to move north on 124 st.

Did I see that the CoCoCo lot on the curve has sold? If that's done right the area will really start to pop.
 
If anyone here has snapchat, every once and awhile one of the workers posts a snap video of working on this project (looks like an iron worker or someone on the form crew) to Snapmap. Kinda fun to see albeit he might have gotten skidded as I haven't seen one in a few weeks
 
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