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Set for completion later this year, Embassy Bosa's The Royal is only months away from its coronation, local residents of Calgary's Beltline district eager to catch a glimpse of the mixed-use development in its finished form. Pairing a 34-storey, 223-unit residential high-rise with a massive, Canadian Tire/Urban Fare grocery store, the alliance between tower and retail will serve to usher in a new collection of big box stores to the Beltline, injecting some additional suburban flair into the otherwise urban neighbourhood.
Featuring double-height floors, the future home of the incoming Canadian Tire and Urban Fare grocery store will provide locals with a reliable source of essentials, joining a host of similar big box retail including Best Buy, London Drugs, and Structube, which have opened in the area over the last few years.
While some may be uncomfortable with the rapid rate of change, and what critics charge to be the suburbanization now underway in what until recently was a reliably eclectic pedestrian-friendly corner of the city, the injection of up to 350 new residents may offset the negatives that are often associated with the introduction of large retail chains into local, long-established neighbourhoods.
Part of the ongoing evolution of the Beltline, and as the East Village has shown us, part of the full-scale urbanization of the core, the future of the Beltline will more than likely be vertical, bringing with it the challenges - and many benefits - of added density and pedestrian vibrancy. And, while it is true that all of these new people will need places to shop, eat, and play, it is also true that big box suburban chain stores and restaurants are not a one-size-fits all solution for every type of neighbourhood.
SkyriseCalgary will be sure to return to this project as progress continues. For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.
| Related Companies: | First Capital |
