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Calgary's Downtown Dilemma

CalgaryTiger said:
I'm trying to think of additional services that could have synergies with addiction treatment and I'm struggling, mostly because I don't know what addiction treatment actually looks like. It is a blind spot.
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It can have treatment but also an outpatient facility so we bring those that O/D to this facility first. For some, they might not be heavy drug abusers, and if there's services there when they leave, they're not going back out on the streets. Something like social workers, affordable housing representatives, employment services to let them turn their lives around. It's not going to help the severe cases, but most people start as functioning addicts before they spiral to the people we see causing public safety issues.
 
Mountain Man said:
The Herald is reporting that our office vacancy rate is currently at 30.7% I thought this was starting to come down with all he conversions and people working downtown again. Guess not...
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It sounds like the buildings being converted are still being counted as office space.

The city’s 10 downtown-to-office-conversion projects, some of which have been hit by delays, will remove up to 1.1 million square feet of office space, amounting to 2.6 per cent of existing downtown inventory, and add more than 1,100 new homes to the downtown.
 
Mountain Man said:
The Herald is reporting that our office vacancy rate is currently at 30.7% I thought this was starting to come down with all he conversions and people working downtown again. Guess not...
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The vacancy rate won't come down any time soon. Working trends have changed - technology advances, remote work etc.., The oil and gas industry continues its gradual downsizing and some companies will continue to downsize in space, even if they add employees.
Surrealplaces said:
It sounds like the buildings being converted are still being counted as office space.

The city’s 10 downtown-to-office-conversion projects, some of which have been hit by delays, will remove up to 1.1 million square feet of office space, amounting to 2.6 per cent of existing downtown inventory, and add more than 1,100 new homes to the downtown.
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My prediction is we'll see even more space converted to residential after these latest conversions and I don't believe the city will need to fund it. Some buildings will sit empty for a long time and eventually the owners will more or less write it off, with conversions being a way to salvage what they can.
 
Chowda7 said:

Another article I just saw. Not sure if someone had shared it previously
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Downtown in 2035, post the many active conversions, a new train line, a new central plaza and expanded arts and performing arts should be much better than today. Just the amount of people that will be downtown because that many more people live there will make it that much better. In my list I didn't even include the streetscapes on 8th St SW, Stephen Ave, and whatever comes of River Walk West. It sucks to say, "just wait" but there will be some organic cultural hubs created because the concentration of people will inevitably create it.
 
CalgaryTiger said:
Downtown in 2035, post the many active conversions, a new train line, a new central plaza and expanded arts and performing arts should be much better than today. Just the amount of people that will be downtown because that many more people live there will make it that much better. In my list I didn't even include the streetscapes on 8th St SW, Stephen Ave, and whatever comes of River Walk West. It sucks to say, "just wait" but there will be some organic cultural hubs created because the concentration of people will inevitably create it.
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Not to mention Scotia Place moving up a couple blocks from the Saddledome, the new Stampede Park Station, and the two hotel proposals, it'll feel like a natural extension of downtown, rather than a whole separate area just a few years ago.

Side note, I noticed on Google Maps, some of the streetview footage in this section of Mcleod Trail is uploaded by the City of Calgary TMC instead of Google itself.
 
Roaring Flames said:
The city should consider a reimagining of the +15 system, removing or limiting retail connections on them so the system is more of just a pathway network instead of a shopping mall
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In certain parts of downtown maybe but in the CBD so much of it is a well functioning mall. The tower owners have invested a lot in the second level of their buildings that the +15 serves. It does suck how much it takes away from the street level but it also enables a fair amount of economic activity when the weather is not pleasant outside.
 
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Roaring Flames said:
The city should consider a reimagining of the +15 system, removing or limiting retail connections on them so the system is more of just a pathway network instead of a shopping mall
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I don't think that's a good idea. The retail is what keeps the system clean and well traffic-ed. The sections that connect to parking lots are more sketchy precisely because there is no retail and other people passing through. The centre of the downtown core will never be super lively in the evening, whether the +15 have retail or not. I think of the downtown as a pretty big area. 9-5 it's busy in the core and after work the traffic shifts to Stephen Ave, and the Beltline and that's perfectly fine.
 
Uh oh...

www.ctvnews.ca

Calgary’s empty Hudson’s Bay stores face uncertain future

Since Hudson’s Bay shut down in June amid financial ruin, there’s been little progress on figuring out what will become of all those empty stores.
www.ctvnews.ca www.ctvnews.ca

"RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust announced Friday it wouldn’t spend any more money on its asset on Calgary’s Stephen Avenue, citing renewal costs and current debt."
 
CalgaryTiger said:
Uh oh...

www.ctvnews.ca

Calgary’s empty Hudson’s Bay stores face uncertain future

Since Hudson’s Bay shut down in June amid financial ruin, there’s been little progress on figuring out what will become of all those empty stores.
www.ctvnews.ca www.ctvnews.ca

"RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust announced Friday it wouldn’t spend any more money on its asset on Calgary’s Stephen Avenue, citing renewal costs and current debt."
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Its a beautiful building, it'd be a shame to see anything happen to it.

I wonder if this is one of the sites Ruby Liu has her eye on for her Asian department store concept?

Overall I'm not sure how viable the concept is for most places in Canada, but I could see it working here between the heritage building giving it extra character, and the increasing number of tourists Calgary is getting, especially from Asia.
 
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