Unbuilt Projects

[darwink]

A gondola would have linked the four mountains.

I could see a shuttle bus linking the two main areas, as that would have been one monster gondola! No wonder the project spiralled out of control and the government couldn't bring the scope back down since the private operator was knees deep, so we got stuck with the skil hill, Village and golf course a valley over. Then Canmore is given the nordic centre to politically compensate for no large new tourist destination on their doorstep. Then Bragg Creek starts to look not as needed since you don't need the reliable snow for the nordic loop. So COP becomes a viable option.

 

[Just build it]

Looks to be a concept drawing, but would have looked great if built. Even at a third of the height, still would have looked great.

I came across this unbuilt project for Sunnyside in one of the other threads.

http://www.cbstudioarch.com/portfolio/kensington-luxury-condominium-hotel/

View attachment 269468

 

[Mountain Man]

Would have looked great so long as Spandrel Cidex didn't build it lol.

 

[DougB]

I would be amazed if we got a new ski hill or two beyond Fortress, these are such expensive developments. Revy is over 10 years old now and they still only have 3 chairs?

Fortress should be open next year, Castle is slowly moving their expansion plans forward, Louise has a new chair this season with plans for a few more. Sunshine has an expansion plan, but the Scurfields are not easy to work with, so I expect lots of hurdles for them to jump over. Good days for Alberta skiing / snowboarding!

I can dream, can't I?

I'd like to see:
-development of Tent Ridge and Mount Shark with a village spanning between them. Sparrowhawk is likely too extreme to be viable
-build out of Fortress even though the master plan is overkill in terms of redundant lifts and calling for detachable chairs when fixed grip who suffice for the relatively short linear distances
-highway over Elk Pass to link the emerging Kananaskis ski destination with Fernie
-build out of the Castle Mountain master plan, but with more on hill accommodations
-expansion of Sunshine to the entirety of Wawa Ridge and Twin Cairns plus a lift on the lower portion of Delerium, a tram from parking lot to Goats Eye, a proper lodge at Goat's Eye, rebuild of the existing day lodge and a few hundred additional hotel rooms
-Louise expanding into West Bowl (underway), lift up the back of Summit, lift to to top of Richardson's Ridge with access to Hidden Bowl off the backside, lifts into each of Purple and Wolverine Bowls, gondola linking ski area to village, few thousand extra hotel rooms in village

 

[darwink]

I doubt the province would ever reverse their year 2000 decision about the resort proposal from Genesis Development (they bought the project a year or two earlier), and the creation of the provincial park.
It was:

• heli/cat-skiing on Mount Shark
• lift serviced skiing on Tent Ridge
• a 400 bed village
• a tour-boat operation on Spray Lakes
• at least 1 golf course

I have no idea how they were going to spend $500 million in year 2000 dollars on the project! It is implied they recieved $35 million from the province in compensation for the cancellation.

 

[Urban Outdoorsman]

Not gonna lie, as great as I'm sure the skiing would be in the spray valley. As an avid hiker its nice to have a big chunk of relatively untouched and less accessible land to explore. Keeps away the huge crowds and human encroachment.

 

[Mountain Man]

I can dream, can't I?

I'd like to see:
-development of Tent Ridge and Mount Shark with a village spanning between them. Sparrowhawk is likely too extreme to be viable
-build out of Fortress even though the master plan is overkill in terms of redundant lifts and calling for detachable chairs when fixed grip who suffice for the relatively short linear distances
-highway over Elk Pass to link the emerging Kananaskis ski destination with Fernie
-build out of the Castle Mountain master plan, but with more on hill accommodations
-expansion of Sunshine to the entirety of Wawa Ridge and Twin Cairns plus a lift on the lower portion of Delerium, a tram from parking lot to Goats Eye, a proper lodge at Goat's Eye, rebuild of the existing day lodge and a few hundred additional hotel rooms
-Louise expanding into West Bowl (underway), lift up the back of Summit, lift to to top of Richardson's Ridge with access to Hidden Bowl off the backside, lifts into each of Purple and Wolverine Bowls, gondola linking ski area to village, few thousand extra hotel rooms in village

Elk Pass would be amazing, had to look that up on maps, kind of amazed there isn't a road there currently! Could be in Fernie in 2 hours if they did that.

For Louise, I hope their next step is another lift from the base on the front side before adding Richardson's Ridge. The new lift to West Bowl will take you all the way to the bottom again, then you have to take 3 lifts to get back there again.

The other thing these hiss need to do (Banff Hills can't I expect) is accommodate lift access mountain biking, especially at Castle, their snow is too unpredictable to be a ski only resort and the purple chair is in the perfect spot for bike trails.

 

[DougB]

Has anything started at the Fortress redevelopment?

 

[darwink]

Park or Helipad on top of Palliser Square (1969)

Transportation Centre East of Palliser Square (1980)

Late 1980s:
Palliser Square demolition, conversion and expansion as a convention centre

Moving the VIA station into the post office site (now Penn West)
VIA tried to move (without paying for the new location, only for renovations) for 4, 5 years after the post office moved its consumer facing operations to Harry Hays, and sorting to a surburban plant in the early 80s. The building sat empty for years, and Canada Post eventually started using it again, killing the plan. VIA apparently hated the Palliser Square location, deeming it cramped, inaccessible to people with disabilities, and little more than a cocktail lounge.
79:

80:

81:

84:

Olympic Centre 1.9 million square foot 4 tower complex bounded by 4th and 5th Street, and 9th and 10th Ave SW given planning approval in 1982.

 

[Roaring Flames]

+15 Parks

 

[Calgcouver]

Park or Helipad on top of Palliser Square (1969)
View attachment 273433
View attachment 273434View attachment 273435View attachment 273436

Transportation Centre East of Palliser Square (1980)
View attachment 273411
View attachment 273412View attachment 273413

Late 1980s:
Palliser Square demolition, conversion and expansion as a convention centre
View attachment 273383

Moving the VIA station into the post office site (now Penn West)
VIA tried to move (without paying for the new location, only for renovations) for 4, 5 years after the post office moved its consumer facing operations to Harry Hays, and sorting to a surburban plant in the early 80s. The building sat empty for years, and Canada Post eventually started using it again, killing the plan. VIA apparently hated the Palliser Square location, deeming it cramped, inaccessible to people with disabilities, and little more than a cocktail lounge.
79:
View attachment 273427
80:
View attachment 273414View attachment 273417
81:
View attachment 273410
84:
View attachment 273408

Olympic Centre 1.9 million square foot 4 tower complex bounded by 4th and 5th Street, and 9th and 10th Ave SW given planning approval in 1982.

View attachment 273409

Man i love these posts. Thanks for going into this level of detail

 

[Surrealplaces]

+15 Parks

NYC stole our idea!

 

[darwink]

NYC stole our idea!

Which they stole from the French!

 

[darwink]

1964: Chinook Centre tented enclosures and office blocks (which look more like apartments)

1965: Western Union Insurance (the now Ramada hotel was built instead)

Palliser Square 1967 including a six acre park on top of the parkade at the rear of the rendering

James Short School site offices (35 storey) and apartments (30 storey) and bus depot 1968. Eventually the site would become a point of conflict between the federal and city governments, with the feds wanting to build a 35 storey building on the site, which probably would have guaranteed a more significant federal presence to this day. The mayor in the early 70s favoured a 'mini park', which was eventually built on top of an underground parkade at the site.

Burns and Dutton on the NW corner of 5th Ave and 4th St SW (1969)

 

[darwink]

1971:
Whitehall Village - Cinema Park Drive-In residential project (Parkdale) 37th Street and Bowness Rd NW. 4 17 storey apartment towers. Where Point MacKay is now.

The original design for Scotia Square (37 storey)