[JoeUrban]

These signs have popped up around Olympic Plaza today. The QR code leads to the following website asking people to complete a survey on plaza design. Design reveal will be early 2025 apparently.

https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7791617/Olympic-Plaza-Transformation

View attachment 563098

My hot take: I know there are a lot of people concerned, upset about the loss of all of the bricks, especially cases where maybe a now deceased parent or grandparent's is on some.
I think a good compromise would be something like a stainless steel wall or whatever with all of the names inscribed

 

[Albertasaurus]

We are about to see the most ambitious residential conversion yet; DP just came in. It's a 9 storey building in Beltline on the block with the Atco buildings, next to the Alberta Ballet, and they are proposing to convert to residential and add 12 more floors of residential above. As you can probably imagine, it's not a looker but will be great to add all those extra residential units. I believe the renos on the base 9 storey building might already be underway. Strangely, this will be the 2nd tallest building U/C in the entire city unless a bigger tower like the 3rd WVT building gets underway first. DP2024-03242 for those good at sleuthing and tracking down renderings...

 

[JoeUrban]

We are about to see the most ambitious residential conversion yet; DP just came in. It's a 9 storey building in Beltline on the block with the Atco buildings, next to the Alberta Ballet, and they are proposing to convert to residential and add 12 more floors of residential above. As you can probably imagine, it's not a looker but will be great to add all those extra residential units. I believe the renos on the base 9 storey building might already be underway. Strangely, this will be the 2nd tallest building U/C in the entire city unless a bigger tower like the 3rd WVT building gets underway first. DP2024-03242 for those good at sleuthing and tracking down renderings...

Interesting, or is it the other 9 story building that faces 11th Ave?

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Good location, although I wish Safeway would do a Co-op move and convert to more of an urban grocer + residential

 

[Albertasaurus]

Interesting, or is it the other 9 story building that faces 11th Ave?

View attachment 563796

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Good location, although I wish Safeway would do a Co-op move and convert to more of an urban grocer + residential

Yup, that's the one in the picture. The base doesn't look to be changing much while the added floors will have balconies. I'll be honest, it looks a little weird from the render but will be great to eat into our office oversupply while also getting even more residential into Beltline.

 

[badc0ffee]

Land use redesignation LOC2023-0334 for WestCrest Sunalta was approved. Also a new rendering:

4 buildings, 32 units, 12 m. The development permit is DP2023-07409.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

Interesting, decent density but the form is not an apartment.

 

[Albertasaurus]

So 8 units per building...are they stacked units or just 4 primary units + 4 secondary suites per building?

 

[darwink]

Interesting, decent density but the form is not an apartment.

The form is having interesting innovations. That is more units than my old apartment building in Sunalta (1810 11th Street) with about the same size lot by my eyeball (edit, 25 more feet wide). 19 parking spots for 48 units. All ground floor access doors (reducing common maintenance). Hopefully the top 16 units are family size, with 3 beds. Am interested in seeing the floor plan!

Major cost savings compared to the apartment are no need for structured parking, parking ramp, parking circulation, fewer parking stalls, no elevator, no common room, no buzzbox/vestibule, and no interior hallway. Cost increases would be increased exterior area, more parking doors, increased need for snow clearing.

 

[badc0ffee]

Major cost savings compared to the apartment are no need for structured parking, parking ramp, parking circulation, fewer parking stalls, no elevator, no common room, no buzzbox/vestibule, and no interior hallway.

I'm no expert but I think this might also allow the developer to use typical homebuilder trades as much as possible.

 

[Mull]

So blanket re-zoning vote passed, and this thread is .... quiet?

 

[badc0ffee]

So blanket re-zoning vote passed, and this thread is .... quiet?

Looks like there is some discussion in the Infill thread

 

[JoeUrban]

Land use redesignation LOC2023-0334 for WestCrest Sunalta was approved. Also a new rendering:

View attachment 563876

4 buildings, 32 units, 12 m. The development permit is DP2023-07409.

This reminds me of these units in Killarney which I really like, they aren't more massive at the front than a new sfh but a ton of density.

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www.google.com

 

[CBBarnett]

The form is having interesting innovations. That is more units than my old apartment building in Sunalta (1810 11th Street) with about the same size lot by my eyeball (edit, 25 more feet wide). 19 parking spots for 48 units. All ground floor access doors (reducing common maintenance). Hopefully the top 16 units are family size, with 3 beds. Am interested in seeing the floor plan!

Major cost savings compared to the apartment are no need for structured parking, parking ramp, parking circulation, fewer parking stalls, no elevator, no common room, no buzzbox/vestibule, and no interior hallway. Cost increases would be increased exterior area, more parking doors, increased need for snow clearing.

I think this actually a pretty good outcome - gets us a surprising amount of density by trading off some things that are increasingly nice-to-haves instead of "needs" all while staying ground-oriented with your own door, reasonably short, and cost-effective. This kind of product is and will really change the game as it's adapted to different contexts. Easily 3 - 4x the density of the original forms, getting close to enabling sufficient density for neighbourhood retail to emerge. Once that happens we are all set!

The next innovation to crack is the affordable family-sized apartment. Will take a host of building code and zoning changes to enable over years, but is the next logical missing piece to enable families to live centrally in high land cost areas.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

I think this actually a pretty good outcome - gets us a surprising amount of density by trading off some things that are increasingly nice-to-haves instead of "needs" all while staying ground-oriented with your own door, reasonably short, and cost-effective. This kind of product is and will really change the game as it's adapted to different contexts. Easily 3 - 4x the density of the original forms, getting close to enabling sufficient density for neighbourhood retail to emerge. Once that happens we are all set!

The next innovation to crack is the affordable family-sized apartment. Will take a host of building code and zoning changes to enable over years, but is the next logical missing piece to enable families to live centrally in high land cost areas.

I think the move to the affordable family-sized apartment can happen, my family lived in a four-story apartment in what was a 12-story building overseas. Connecting units over multiple floors should make it more affordable but maybe the math doesn't work? This may also be against building code.

 

[badc0ffee]

I lived in a low-rise building in Beltline that was 5 storeys tall, 4 of residential over retail and a parkade. All of the units were 2 storeys each (floors 2-3 or 4-5). So I think that kind of thing is possible here.