East Village: Success or a long ways away yet?

[googspecial]

After going to Beakerhead at Fort Calgary Saturday night - my friends and I looked for a play to go sit down and warm up and have a drink. Knowingly, there wasn't anywhere within EV we went to Vagabond in up 4 ST in Vic Park. What will really make this neighbourhood a success is some nightlife. Doesn't necessarily need a night club, though I'm sure that would be a good addition too. A couple of pubs and cocktail bars would certainly go a long way. Hopefully we will see something within 5 years, which is what I voted for ^^

 

[Spring2008]

I voted 5 yrs from now. The neighborhood's doing great even now though with about a handful of sites still rising above ground. Was there with the gf for beakerhead on saturday night - the potential for hosting events in and around EV is incredible! The infrastructure already in place is excellent. Only thing is there are still holes to fill and not much retail. In 5-10 years EV will likely be one of the best neighborhoods in the country.

 

[Always_Biking]

Definitely needs more retail, but if M2 goes ahead as has been mentioned, that will make a huge difference. Arris of course will also make a difference.

 

[thewrenchman]

I live in the East Village. I think it is too early to measure the success from a neighbourhood or placemaking point-of-view. CMLC is spending money on having events/activities in the area to attract people. Not sure how much is organic at this point. Most people at this stage are likely going to things around the periphery (riverwalk, Simmons, playgrounds in Fort Calgary and St. Patricks, if they come or stay in the EV. For me to deem it a success there needs to be businesses that people want to go to (ie not a bank).

Fully agree with the comment that it needs a pub, and a few more restaurants (Charcut is great, but too $$$ for most to go to regularly).

 

[Surrealplaces]

I live in the East Village. I think it is too early to measure the success from a neighbourhood or placemaking point-of-view. CMLC is spending money on having events/activities in the area to attract people. Not sure how much is organic at this point. Most people at this stage are likely going to things around the periphery (riverwalk, Simmons, playgrounds in Fort Calgary and St. Patricks, if they come or stay in the EV. For me to deem it a success there needs to be businesses that people want to go to (ie not a bank).

Fully agree with the comment that it needs a pub, and a few more restaurants (Charcut is great, but too $$$ for most to go to regularly).

EV definitely needs more businesses and diversity in businesses. I voted it a success today, but really it's in the context of comparing it to what it was, and it's come a long way in a short time. Aside from that for it to be like an Inglewood/Kensington/Mission type neighborhood, you're dead on, it needs that buildup of businesses. EV is a neighborhood being built from scratch almost....

 

[thewrenchman]

The neighbourhood has definitely come a long ways in a short period of time (5 years ago it still was somewhere no-one went or likely thought of). From a real estate development point-of-view it has been wildly successful. It also passes the baby test (in that new parents - predominately mothers, bring their babies to meet up with friends), likely partly due to the freshness of the place (and the wider sidewalks). As a resident, I am quite pleased with the range of ages of the residents, especially the number of people with babies (on my floor alone there are 3 - soon to be 4 - babies).

I just think that to measure it from a continuing success basis, it will need to wait until CMLC no longer injects programming funds to attract people. Places like Mari are a great start, however.

 

[Always_Biking]

The neighbourhood has definitely come a long ways in a short period of time (5 years ago it still was somewhere no-one went or likely thought of). From a real estate development point-of-view it has been wildly successful. It also passes the baby test (in that new parents - predominately mothers, bring their babies to meet up with friends), likely partly due to the freshness of the place (and the wider sidewalks). As a resident, I am quite pleased with the range of ages of the residents, especially the number of people with babies (on my floor alone there are 3 - soon to be 4 - babies).

I just think that to measure it from a continuing success basis, it will need to wait until CMLC no longer injects programming funds to attract people. Places like Mari are a great start, however.

Overall, as a resident are you happy with EV?

 

[Spring2008]

Still looking busy, busy over in EV:

-My pics

 

[Spring2008]

Zoomed out a bit

-my pic

 

[thewrenchman]

Overall, as a resident are you happy with EV?

I am, albeit when the construction workers start at 6am on a Saturday it can be a wee bit annoying. We bought for the location near the river, both to walk to/from work as well for enjoying in the off-hours. I believe the CLMC being involved has been a good thing, as I don't think profit maximization is one of their guiding principles.

I don't know if the drop-in centre has noticed a negative impact for their patrons, or whether there has been much displacement of the homeless into surrounding neighbourhoods such as Bridgeland.

 

[Beltline_B]

I voted 5 years from now. Although the neighbourhood has been has seen a great transformation in the last five years and in some ways you could say the neighbourhood is a success now, the next 5 years will turn the neighbourhood from a gangly teenager to a mature young adult.
A few key things to look forward to in the next five years
- the Loblaws opening will be big for the neighbourhood
- The completion of the other three res towers and the hotel
- The completion of the library
- if M2 can be built that would be huge.

 

[Estella Havisham]

I have been out here for five years and I have trouble answering the question.

I bought in the East Village for a number of reasons, significant among them was a medical scare that had me worrying I would lose my license. I was also going through a divorce, had no desire to deal with the rental market and at that time I worked nearby so it just seemed logical.

From a cost-benefit perspective I have no doubt it will be tremendously successful for the city, there will be tax revenue where there was once little or none. However I am not sure it will ever overcome the social issues that afflict the area. I don’t know if there are more displaced and struggling people here now than there were five years ago, but those I see on the street now appear to be much more disturbed and aggressive. I had some really distressing encounters this past summer and the one before and I am not sure how that situation improves in the context of the fentanyl crisis. My neighbours curse the names of all the shelters and particularly Alpha House but they aren’t going anywhere and everyone knows it.

I don’t regret buying here and as long as I am working downtown and or single I will probably stick around, but I am skeptical about the overall vision. It will always be appealing to single people like me who work downtown and want low-mantainance lifestyle but I don’t think a Brooklyn like transformation is really underway here. A friend who works for the city admits there is a fair bit of skepticism about the potential for quality commercial amenities to take hold and admits there is no serious plan to address the widespread social issues on a local level but that is no more or less true than anywhere else. My parents live near Westbrook and have found the same issues have come to them.

So I guess that is a long-winded way of saying in the 90's I would have paid $2 to vote undecided in a 1-900 telephone poll.

 

[Surrealplaces]

Welcome Estella, and thanks for your comments. It's nice to hear from people like yourself and @thewrenchman who live in the neighborhood. I agree 100% about your take comparing EV to Brooklyn. I've heard people say EV will be the next Kensington or Mission, but I believe it's an apples to oranges comparison. If anything EV could be compared to DUMBO (in Brooklyn) but not Brooklyn as a whole and how its evolving. That said there are a lot of good things for EV. It's a far better bedroom community to downtown than the west side of downtown, and in many ways better than Eau Claire as a downtown bedroom community. The big thing will be those undeveloped blocks in the middle and how they pan out. It would be nice to have either the Riff, or 6th ave contain a decent amount of retail....enough to make it a retail corridor. Right now on 6th you have retail in Evolution and First, and the will be retail on 6th when Arris is finished.

 

[Platopos]

Still looking busy, busy over in EV:

View attachment 122495

View attachment 122496
-My pics

Can we nickname Calgary "The City of Cranes" yet?

 

[Nimbus]

Calgary Eyeopener talking about businesses in the East Village that are concerned about business. They spoke with the owner of Mari Bakeshop and Sidewalk Citizen, talk about how they have regulars but they need more than that to keep things going and grow the business. Avi with Sidewalk Citizen mentions how most of their traffic seems to come from the Riverwalk side, and less from the village side to the south. Mari Bakeshop owners acknowledge they are in at the beginning, and have put everything into the business so they will continue to tough it out and hope that as more buildings take residency things will get better.