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General Construction Updates

I like dogs too. That I find bizarre.

The university thing could be nothing or could be the start of something massive. Someone like UofC can eat a ton of the available office space.
 
maestro said:
I like dogs too. That I find bizarre.

The university thing could be nothing or could be the start of something massive. Someone like UofC can eat a ton of the available office space.
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An out of province uni. Way premature to be teasing it.
 
darwink said:
An out of province uni. Way premature to be teasing it.
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That doesn't sound good. I'm now picturing a Devry/University of Phoenix type arrangement. It's a far cry from a local uni establishing a much large downtown presence.
 
I imagine it will be something similar to U of A's presence downtown - a fundraising and alumni relations space.

I'm guessing Queen's - they have a large alumni presence here and already run an MBA program in Calgary.

UBC also has a fairly active presence in Calgary, so that's another possibility.
 
I have said this before - and will again - but the lack of consideration in all levels of planning, design and life for young adults / post-secondary students in Calgary is one of our longest-running and largest wasted opportunities to achieve many of the city's goals (economic diversification, vibrancy, density etc.)

There are a variety of reasons for this - long-term lack of coordination between the City & a traditionally anti-urban Province who runs universities, the near total dominance (politically, culturally and economically) of the downtown professional and suburban nuclear family block that crowds out youth and youthful ideas etc. All the while Calgary's reputation to young people and students continued to decline relative to elsewhere. We attract huge amount of talent from elsewhere, while failing to maintain so much of our own artistic, cultural and home-grown youth talent that move to more vibrant places.

I hope the prolonged downturn wakes Calgary up to the value and power of youth and student culture, particularly in the inner city. Attracting university faculties, student dorms, affordable apartments, and more flexible retail/outdoors uses can all play a role, but the main challenge is still the mindset of many planners, politicians and administrators that are ignorant of the role that a vibrant urban student culture can play in achieving all these goals that they state they want to achieve.
 
A major research hospital such as the new cancer centre would also gobble up some of that vacancy. This would only be considered with a sizable university presence downtown.
 
maestro said:
That doesn't sound good. I'm now picturing a Devry/University of Phoenix type arrangement. It's a far cry from a local uni establishing a much large downtown presence.
Click to expand...
I would still be happy to see a DeVry/University of Phoenix type school. It would be far better than empty space. That said, a local uni would be best. MRU used to have a downtown campus, they should take a look at doing it again.
 
Good points @CBBarnett Long term lack of coordination is one of the reasons for sure. Almost non-stop boom times haven’t helped either. While the booms have helped in building towers and train lines, it has been a detriment in many other ways.

I do really feel like Calgary has been turning the corner. Even before this downturn there was a push for better city planning and building. With the downturn hanging on, I believe changes are coming to Calgary, especially in the downtown core. This is a chance for the downtown to re-invent itself.
CBBarnett said:
I have said this before - and will again - but the lack of consideration in all levels of planning, design and life for young adults / post-secondary students in Calgary is one of our longest-running and largest wasted opportunities to achieve many of the city's goals (economic diversification, vibrancy, density etc.)

There are a variety of reasons for this - long-term lack of coordination between the City & a traditionally anti-urban Province who runs universities, the near total dominance (politically, culturally and economically) of the downtown professional and suburban nuclear family block that crowds out youth and youthful ideas etc. All the while Calgary's reputation to young people and students continued to decline relative to elsewhere. We attract huge amount of talent from elsewhere, while failing to maintain so much of our own artistic, cultural and home-grown youth talent that move to more vibrant places.

I hope the prolonged downturn wakes Calgary up to the value and power of youth and student culture, particularly in the inner city. Attracting university faculties, student dorms, affordable apartments, and more flexible retail/outdoors uses can all play a role, but the main challenge is still the mindset of many planners, politicians and administrators that are ignorant of the role that a vibrant urban student culture can play in achieving all these goals that they state they want to achieve.
Click to expand...
 
artvandelay said:
I imagine it will be something similar to U of A's presence downtown - a fundraising and alumni relations space.

I'm guessing Queen's - they have a large alumni presence here and already run an MBA program in Calgary.

UBC also has a fairly active presence in Calgary, so that's another possibility.
Click to expand...

I know the Ivey School of Business is evaluating a campus for Calgary. Mainly for their EMBA program. Would join campus' in Toronto and Hong Kong.
 
CBBarnett said:
I have said this before - and will again - but the lack of consideration in all levels of planning, design and life for young adults / post-secondary students in Calgary is one of our longest-running and largest wasted opportunities to achieve many of the city's goals (economic diversification, vibrancy, density etc.)

There are a variety of reasons for this - long-term lack of coordination between the City & a traditionally anti-urban Province who runs universities, the near total dominance (politically, culturally and economically) of the downtown professional and suburban nuclear family block that crowds out youth and youthful ideas etc. All the while Calgary's reputation to young people and students continued to decline relative to elsewhere. We attract huge amount of talent from elsewhere, while failing to maintain so much of our own artistic, cultural and home-grown youth talent that move to more vibrant places.

I hope the prolonged downturn wakes Calgary up to the value and power of youth and student culture, particularly in the inner city. Attracting university faculties, student dorms, affordable apartments, and more flexible retail/outdoors uses can all play a role, but the main challenge is still the mindset of many planners, politicians and administrators that are ignorant of the role that a vibrant urban student culture can play in achieving all these goals that they state they want to achieve.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure exactly what you mean. Would Calgary have been a better city if UofC and MRU were built downtown in the 60s? Yes, I think so. What can we do about it now?

I think young people want to be where the other young people are. For me, the music and cultural festivals that run almost every weekend in summer downtown fulfilled that need.

Are you talking about older male-dominated O&G? That's a complicated problem to change. Are you talking about the lack of economic diversification? Another tough problem that only the market seems capable of solving, and only on a generational scale. Why should I open a start up with a forecast of -$50k in year 1 when my alternative is to earn $70k as an employee for an OG company?

What can the city do? Free transit for students? They already (sort of ) have that deal (included in student fees, unless the students voted to remove that). What can the University do? A lot more than the city. It starts with centering everything on their transit and pathway access, operating more 24 hour facilities, favouring the market forces over existing retail stakeholders, developing partners to meet demands for living and retail, continued promotion of the outdoor center and athletic facilities (UofCs strength), developing ultimate transit corridors (MRU direct cross from 50th/Crow to 37rd, UC corridors to hospitals), etc etc etc.

I think most of the steps the city is trying to take (bike lanes, transit improvements, upzoning TOD, living wage, festival support) help make the city a better place for students. There's not a lot that can be done for the mistakes of the past (locations of universities and hospitals), but we have to live with it, don't we?
 
Boardwalk REIT is getting into the development side of things to grow their inventory.
https://www.bwalk.com/en-CA/Investors/GetInvestorDocument/277

Starting on page 10 of that document, we see the next stage of the University City complex, but it is different. Looks like Boardwalk is partnering with RioCan for a rental apartment/retail space. I don't know how many of you remember seeing the older design from RioCan, which basically looked like a clone of the existing University City towers, except a purple colour. It looks like the design is now different.
upload_2017-7-30_21-26-3.png

Based on the description, this one looks to be the one that the DP is in for, and hopefully starting this fall:
https://developmentmap.calgary.ca/#property/DP2016-5185

This differs from what RioCan shows in one of their presentations:
upload_2017-7-30_21-32-2.png

This image is from the following link, page 18/85:
http://riocan.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/development_book_2016

Boardwalk also looks to be adding to their site on Glamis Drive SW, as per page 116 of the above presentation. A DP has been submitted, but is too new to link directly to on the City's development map. Here is the rendering:
upload_2017-7-30_21-28-37.png

And the location:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.0155...=340.2721&pitch=0&thumbfov=100!7i13312!8i6656
 

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