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General Construction Updates

I’m not sure if it’s been mentioned yet, but the small city parking lot on 14st NW (south of the car wash) has been closed and torn up. This is to make way for a 4-5 storey affordable housing project. It looks like a pretty forgettable building but better than a parking lot I guess.
I really don’t know if 14th street will ever improve much. Perhaps when the project on the National Transmission site gets going.
191162

 
I’m not sure if it’s been mentioned yet, but the small city parking lot on 14st NW (south of the car wash) has been closed and torn up. This is to make way for a 4-5 storey affordable housing project. It looks like a pretty forgettable building but better than a parking lot I guess.
I really don’t know if 14th street will ever improve much. Perhaps when the project on the National Transmission site gets going.
Nothing fancy, but good scale, and good to see more affordable housing in the inner city. There was a lot of nimby opposition to this one, glad to see it going ahead.
 
How the hell is there an asphalt curb and sidewalk there already, they just renovated this stretch of 17th!!!
I don't think they've finished the concrete works at 4th and 17th yet (you can see the asphalt curb on both sides of 4th St.) They put temporary asphalt curbs and sidewalk in after completing the utility work, but they've been going back and doing the concrete curbs and sidewalks in the following season. Most of the changes I've noticed are accessibility related:
- Double wheelchair ramps at each corner with the yellow tactile indicators for vision impaired users
- Countdown timers on all of the pedestrian signals
- Removal/relocation of overhead poles, signs, and other obstacles to give people a more consistent sidewalk width

I'd expect that most of the budget went to the utility replacement and re-paving. I can only imagine what they found once they opened up the road (100 year old utilities, groundwater, undocumented service pipes etc.)
 
I thought the renovations were supposed to be more substantial...
Yeah looks like other than some additional "pageantry lighting" at the major intersections (4th, 5th, 8th, 14th) and a few new benches, most of the above-ground work is replacing/repairing what was there before.

I would've liked to see some extended patios for the restaurants into the parking lanes, or even a full closure to traffic (between 8th or 9th and 4th St.) on a few summer weekends. There seems to be a lot of focus on keeping 17th Ave as a major east/west traffic corridor.
 
I think the 14th project is actually for homeless rather than affordable housing. I’m sure someone more knowledgeable than me will clarify. Build that near a lot of rich single family homes and NIMBY opposition is inevitable regardless how small it may be.
 
I think the 14th project is actually for homeless rather than affordable housing. I’m sure someone more knowledgeable than me will clarify. Build that near a lot of rich single family homes and NIMBY opposition is inevitable regardless how small it may be.
The one guy who seemed to support it made it sound like this one was transitional or low income rental.

The community meeting was textbook nimbyism. Complaints about this project included:
-more traffic and parking problems. (multiple complaints about this issue, and actually caused me to chuckle openly)
-worsening the issue of public drunkenness (a couple of people brought that up....I remember asking myself, is this really happening?)
-noise was brought up as an issue
-complaint that Hillhurst/Sunnyside already has a higher per capita amount of subsidized housing compared to other neighborhoods.
-good old fashioned land values dropping

All other proposal drew some complaints, but this little development easily drew the most complaints.
 
It is a bit curious that it’s literally two doors down from a liquor store.
But the idea that this will increase public drunkenness is silly.
 
Hello, new member here. I’ve been reading about many of the new buildings on this forum. Lots of good information, thank you. I am traveling to Calgary in a week to look at buying a new build or will be built condo and would welcome any suggestions I might have missed. Beltline/Downtown/Kensington possibly EV. I don’t know any of these areas well as I’m not from Calgary. 650-800 sq ft and easy walk to amenities and transportation. Mid age women with a cat, so not interested in party central or really sketchy areas. Need a usable balcony and secure parking. Concrete building preferably but not absolute.
My view list so far is

The Royal
Park Point
The Theodore ( not built yet )

Any suggestions appreciated, thank you.
 
I'd also look into...

Kensington - 'The Annex' (under construction), 'The Kensington', 'Lido', 'Pixel'
Bridgeland - 'Radius', 'Bridgeland Crossings'
East Village - 'First', 'Evolution', Verve' (very recently completed)
Beltline - 'The Guardians', '6th and 10th', 'Mark on Tenth', 'Smith', Nude (in sales [35% sold])
Downtown - 'Waterfront Parkside', 'Avenue', 'Vogue'

We've got an enormous inventory of central new-build condos with lots of units unsold, so you could probably get a pretty dang good deal, especially on one of the buildings that has been around a few years and still not sold out. Also, there aren't really any sketchy areas in the core areas to be honest, really the only one I can think of is 7th Avenue at 8th Street (an area colloquially known as "CrackMacs") and even then, the sketchiness is confined to the strip mall with the Circle K and the McDonalds.
 
Thank you. I will read all the threads on those buildings if I haven’t yet. Is the bottle depot around 6th and 10th still there? It’s mentioned as a concern in the thread for the building.
 
Thank you. I will read all the threads on those buildings if I haven’t yet. Is the bottle depot around 6th and 10th still there? It’s mentioned as a concern in the thread for the building.

Yeah the bottle depot is there, but it's not a concern for safety though. Homeless people exist, and they exist all over the centre city, it's a fact anyone/everyone is required to learn to deal with if they're going to live in the downtown of any major city, lest they be verrry unhappy with reality. 6th and 10th is one of the nicer/more signature condo buildings in the city, plus it has a pool which sorta puts it a bit above other modern constructions, so that may offset the bottle depot aspect.
 
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Yeah the bottle depot is there, but it's not a concern for safety though. Homeless people exist, and they exist all over the centre city, it's a fact anyone/everyone is required to learn to deal with if they're going to live in the downtown of any major city, lest they be verrry unhappy with reality. 6th and 10th is one of the nicer/more signature condo buildings in the city, plus it has a pool which sorta puts it a bit above other modern constructions, so that may offset the bottle depot aspect.
Note the poor quality of the finished concrete surfaces in 6th and 10th though. Finished concrete is supposed to be more polished and "nice to the touch", not like this where it would scratch you.
 

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