Hat @ 14th Street | 94.48m | 28s | Cidex Group | NORR

Joborule said:
After these three projects are done, I really want to see more residential builds go up along 14 Street towards 17th Ave this decade. Have the momentum carry over.
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Great to see the urban cluster and serious population density push further west. Will change the feel of the area and viability of some of the businesses over there with a renewed population cluster at their doorsteps where the previous population was exactly zero.

When a bunch of random, independent developments all go up at the same time in a cluster like this, I wonder if it's just a coincidence or some underlying developer behaviour that makes them line up. It seems somewhat unlikely that all 3 sites happen to be ready to go at the same time and all decide to develop. But it's happened before in a few places, such as the CO-OP Midtown-induced development further east.

Is it all in my head or do developers look at each other and say, hmm the neighbour is building now maybe we should too?
 
CBBarnett said:
Great to see the urban cluster and serious population density push further west. Will change the feel of the area and viability of some of the businesses over there with a renewed population cluster at their doorsteps where the previous population was exactly zero.

When a bunch of random, independent developments all go up at the same time in a cluster like this, I wonder if it's just a coincidence or some underlying developer behaviour that makes them line up. It seems somewhat unlikely that all 3 sites happen to be ready to go at the same time and all decide to develop. But it's happened before in a few places, such as the CO-OP Midtown-induced development further east.

Is it all in my head or do developers look at each other and say, hmm the neighbour is building now maybe we should too?
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Dollaramas spur development.

Not arenas.
 
Urban Outdoorsman said:
It will be a great area once the city gets around to completing the mainstreets upgrades to 14th and 10th! Hopefully all this development will make this area a higher priority for the next round of mainstreets developments.
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The current cluster of development hopefully inspires improving the 14 Street underpass beneath the rail tracks and 9 Ave. The narrow sidewalks are a mess, and dark at night.

Improved lightning and wider sidewalk for at least the west side will make that underpass better for walkers/runners and cyclist, and feel safer to travel through at night.
 
Urban Outdoorsman said:
It will be a great area once the city gets around to completing the mainstreets upgrades to 14th and 10th! Hopefully all this development will make this area a higher priority for the next round of mainstreets developments.
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I had the exact same thought! 14th is such a harsh environment. Pedestrians crossing 14th between 17 Ave and the river are taking their lives into their hands.
 
Joborule said:
After these three projects are done, I really want to see more residential builds go up along 14 Street towards 17th Ave this decade. Have the momentum carry over.
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Alex_YYC said:
Also, would be nice to see more buildings go west down 10th Ave. into Sunalta
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The whole area west of the Beltline is ripe for more development. A few more high rises would look great.
 
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AJX said:
I forgot that this is going to be taller than Sunalta Heights. Definitely going to make an impact on the skyline.
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With this project and the other two nearby, 14th Street is getting further into that blurry zone many inner city Calgary main streets have found themselves in - is the purpose of this street to access local residents and businesses? Or is the purpose to be a car sewer for rush-hour traffic? The Beltline stretch of 14th is turning far more urban and pedestrian heavy with developments like this occurring all around the corridor here.

14th Street has for so long been the "natural" barrier between high-urban and semi-urban/suburban densities. It has so much weirdness due to a century of tension of it's role:
  • A cornucopia of street typologies:
    • suburban arterial (N of John Laurie)
    • to urban residential street (John Laurie to 20 Ave B)
    • to the bizarre quasi-freeway stretch near SAIT (20 Ave to 8 Ave N)
    • back to urban street (8 Ave to Kensington Road)
    • back to quasi-freeway (Kensington Road to 10th Ave S),
    • back to urban street again (S of 10 Ave S)
  • Weird 1-sided retailed stretch about 23 Ave S to 33 Ave S, thanks to a strange limited-access gated-community design into and out of Upper Mount Royal.
  • Total mish-mash of land uses - loads of gas stations and drive-thrus, but all higher density walkable towers and some pedestrian-oriented retail clusters
  • Weird one-off lay-bys (NE corner of 14 / 17 Ave S intersection; all sorts of bizarre bus bays inside the 14 Street / 9 Ave intersection etc)
  • Random one-off turning slip lanes (5 Ave N)
  • Of course, completely random sidewalk width and quality - most of it terrible.
The street has such a rich history of one-off designs and projects. Will be interesting to watch these towers integrate into the madness. Hopefully this added population and density leads to a push to clear up 14 Street's role for the Beltline stretch at least.
 
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