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- Thread starter Surrealplaces
- Start date
MichaelS
Senior Member
I am not sure if anything ever occupied that site. It is adjacent to Nose Hill Drive, and even has some backsloping from the road in it. It looks like Nose HIll Drive was extended down beside it circa 1996, and there was some backfilling into it, but other than that, old air photos show no development:
Mountain Man
Senior Member
That's always been park as far as I know. I MTB in Bowmont and use that pathway to connect into 12 Mile Coulee. Really hope they keep the bike path open if they do start construction.
Alex_YYC
Senior Member
It's been a park as long as I can remember, going back to the 80's at least.
Mountain Man
Senior Member
Alberta Wildfire operates out of the area to the SW of this site, hope the future residents like the sight and sound of helicopters!
JesseLikesCities
Active Member
I drive by there often and always notice the sign 'Aircraft' sign. Always wondered what sort of aircraft it was referring to, now I know.
Cowtown
Senior Member
I pulled this from the video section and posted here because it nicely shows off some of Calgary's recent urban development.
Mountain Man
Senior Member
Great video Josh!!
Joborule
Active Member
Didn't see this followed up.
It has passed first reading and been carried to a second and third reading on September 13th. General sense from council seems to be that the proposed option is a better drive thru operation than what it currently is. And rejecting the application could just lead to McDonalds sticking with the current building, and only just add a new coat of paint while maintaining the vehicle backlog issue on 17th for decades to come.
Also even if the 16th ave only option is preferred, still would need to have the new DC bylaw passed to allow for a drive thru at location.
So council is moving forward with it, but the final configuration of the drive thru could still be changed.
Calgcouver
Active Member
Well then fuck Council, what a stupid decision. Why do we even have an MDP or any policy directing what we hope a city, building or street should look or function like? Why have CPC/UDRP provide comment, or have recommendations from Admin? It couldn't be clearer that an upgraded two-lane drivethru is completely contrary to existing City policy for what should be redeveloped on the site.
These are the decisions that make Calgary a shittier city. God forbid Mcdonalds corporate have to adjust there design to urban format for an urban location.
ActiveTruth
Active Member
that golf course / skyline shot tho!
Joborule
Active Member
This is a case where I actually think council made the right call here. McDonald's has all the leverage here.
This is not a case of where a new drive thru is being added. If that was the case, then it wouldn't be approved whatsoever. This is an upgrade on one that's already there, and is going to be going nowhere. McDonalds makes a large chunk of their revenue from drive thru operations rather than just walk in purchases. So it's not something it's going to be willing to give up at this location.
Considering McDonald's can simply just maintain status quo if they don't get what they want, the city has 3 options with this proposal:
1. Approve proposed DC to allow drive thru, from both 17th and 16th ave.
2. Approve proposed DC to allow drive thru, but possibly do some condition/encouragement to have drive thru only on 16th. (Perhaps at DP stage?)
3. Reject proposed DC, and only allow approval for a new application that only has 16th ave drive thru access, or none at all.
With option 3 there's two plays. One, McDonald's could just say screw it, and things remain exactly the same there for a long duration of time with no improvements for traffic an pedestrians. The second play is that McDonald's would be willing to do 16th access only, but then the process has to start again in a DC change, whereas that hurdle can be satisfied already with option 1 and 2.
Thus, if a drive thru is going to be there no matter what in the long term, it's best to just at least approve the policy, and go from there since it'll lead to an improvement no matter what.
McDonalds is paying a good chunk of change here to make a more urban McD's while improving the drive thru situation that it shouldn't cause anymore traffic back-ups on 17th and reduces the amount of pedestrian vehicle conflicts (although possibly not eliminating it). If this is the best the city can get from this situation, might as well take it. 17th ave is fairly long main street. So if this is the only point where there's a drive thru from the main street itself, that's more than satisfactory. It's also possible in the long run that McDonald's would want to develop the land at the 17th ave access, so in the end this is all moot.
Don't let perfect get in the way of good.
Calgcouver
Active Member
You're not wrong that Mcdonald's had leverage, but the City folded like a cheap lawn chair enforcing the City's own vision. I'm aware my view on this is very black and white, but this is 100% compromise from the City, and zero from Mcdonald's corporate. Sure the city could enforce a drive-thru on 16th and have a building that creates a consistent street wall along 17th. Just because it is marginally better than the existing drive thru doesn't mean that approving it isn't a complete failure to ensure a redevelopment is compliant with our intent to see main street development on a main street.
This is a classic example of the types of decisions that make Calgary a place with no discernible vision for itself that is entirely born out of constant compromise. Hoping we get many more drive-thru's on main streets in the near future to ensure our vision for them is ultimately realized. Council's decision on it might be fine call, but i'll call it now, the city gets bent over at DP and they accept a dual-lane drive-thru with 17th Ave access.
Alex_YYC
Senior Member
Shows off Calgary really well.
BKha
Active Member
Great video. What kind of drone did you use?