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MichaelS

MichaelS

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The DP plans for the latest one in Marda Loop have been posted. This is the one discussed in the urban development thread, replacing the current strip mall that contains a liquor store (amongst other things)
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Great stuff - this ties really nicely into the main street project work around there - a walkable apartment building, with ground floor retail, and a generous sidewalk, close to many shops and retail - all on a block with no history of any of that? Hard to dislike it. Good materials could always help too - but the form/scale is a great addition regardless. 200 new customers in the heart of the retail district is a serious boost in immediate foot-traffic as Marda continues it's transition to a truly urban place from a suburban one.

Amazingly, we didn't even add random steps up to the walkable retail bays for no reason. That's the kind of design-restraint I can support.

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I like it, looks industrial but chic. Like a loft style building.
 
CalgaryTiger said:
I gave feedback on this at an open house and I'm not going to take credit but one thing I mentioned was the fact that they have to break the building up and not have it be one big wall of building. I love that it is three buildings in one. Very well done in that sense.
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On behalf of us, thanks for attending and giving your feedback. It may very well have counted. 👍
 
I'm not the biggest fan of the look and it's less retail than what currently exists in the strip mall but it's not Courtyard 33 bad.

As long as Tres Marias and to a lesser extent Saffron Bistro find another home in the neighbourhood I don't have any issues with this.
 
Not a big fan of the look of this one.

My thoughts:

The retail bays, particularly on the north side of the building, are going to be really dark with the overhang.

The balconies look slapped on.

Wish the sight triangle was at the 34 Ave corner (would have made for a good sidewalk cafe location).

The main floor on the 35 Ave corner looks like maybe it’s a ground floor unit. Would have been better as a secondary lobby with a more inviting window wall.

Should be a step back on the top (or top two) floor.

Would have been a great location for higher density (7-12 stories) traded off for more public space on the periphery of the site.

This may be a Main Streets design, but where are the tree wells?
 
A frustrating thing about this pending development is that the Mainstreets work around this property isn't getting finished. So while they spent 6 months doing "the loop within the loop" with cobblestone streets, wider sidewalks and new landscaping (which looks great), the sidewalks surrounding this lot have been ripped up and replaced with poorly laid asphalt.

So with this and the Marc and Mada development, we are relying on private developers to finish what the city started.
 
shermanator said:
A frustrating thing about this pending development is that the Mainstreets work around this property isn't getting finished. So while they spent 6 months doing "the loop within the loop" with cobblestone streets, wider sidewalks and new landscaping (which looks great), the sidewalks surrounding this lot have been ripped up and replaced with poorly laid asphalt.

So with this and the Marc and Mada development, we are relying on private developers to finish what the city started.
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Wouldn't the city ask them to put money up in order to finish the public realm?

Edit: I think it is smart to not do it to just have to redo it.
 
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Wow, that spot had been a liquor store forever. It was apparently a tiny Safeway at first, then became a provincial liquor store (pre-privatization).

I'll need to make one last trip to Forage (and Tres Marias).
 
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