Westbrook Redevelopment Project - Page 2

kw5150 · #21 Posted **Feb 5, 2012, 12:52 AM**

For the record, I consider myself in the termite level income. Its a great place to be!

TallBob · #22 Posted **Feb 5, 2012, 3:34 AM**

kw5150: "Tropics".

Policy Wonk · #23 Posted **Feb 5, 2012, 3:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tropics

Not to mention that 20 Vic Management seems to own Westbrook Mall

My understanding is Westbrook Mall is owned by Mexican investors.

Tropics · #24 Posted **Feb 5, 2012, 5:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TallBob

kw5150: "Tropics".

Then you might want to read the first two paragraphs of post #11 a little closer.

Me&You · #25 Posted **Feb 5, 2012, 3:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Policy Wonk

My understanding is Westbrook Mall is owned by Mexican investors.

I thought it was German ownership?

Aegis · #26 Posted **Feb 5, 2012, 6:55 PM**

Has the City dictated the means by which the developer provides 2% "affordable housing"? Perhaps there are better ways of doing it than has been done in the past (shoddy-quality townhouse enclaves). I think a better way of doing it would be for the City to subsidize the private rents on regular or modest housing, rather than building lower quality structures that are designated "affordable".

kw5150 · #27 Posted **Feb 5, 2012, 8:56 PM**

Hardy har har, so funny. I dont want to see average Canadians left out of the market again during this next "amazing boom".

Thank god I found a relatively affordable condo (with 1000sq ft) when I did.

kw5150 · #28 Posted **Feb 5, 2012, 8:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aegis

Has the City dictated the means by which the developer provides 2% "affordable housing"? Perhaps there are better ways of doing it than has been done in the past (shoddy-quality townhouse enclaves). I think a better way of doing it would be for the City to subsidize the private rents on regular or modest housing, rather than building lower quality structures that are designated "affordable".

As long as the terms of the agreement for the subsidized housing would work somewhat if favour of the person spending the actual money....then I would agree.

Tropics · #29 Posted **Feb 5, 2012, 11:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kw5150

As long as the terms of the agreement for the subsidized housing would work somewhat if favour of the person spending the actual money....then I would agree.

The person renting the actual housing, the developer spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the land purchase, and the people with investments within the community such as home owners.

I agree, it has to work out in favor for ALL of the parties who are spending the actual money. The city has a responsibility to each and every one.

Tropics · #30 Posted **Feb 11, 2012, 4:24 AM**

On another note, it seems the deadline for proposals from interested developers was on January 31st and the offers are currently under review.

"Westbrook Station is being offered through a City of Calgary initiated public request for proposal (RFP) process. The RFP was released on November 3, 2011, and closed on January 31, 2012. Proposals are currently in the evaluation process."

from http://realestate.cocnmp.com/RealEstate/westbrook/

It would be cool to see what the various developers are proposing, much as the recent bridge construction projects in Calgary showed all of the proposals that were considered.

Jimby · #31 Posted **Feb 11, 2012, 5:58 PM**

The Canada Line in Vancouver didn't generate a single TOD project for any station on the route until well after it had opened so don't hope for too much here.

Porfiry · #32 Posted **Feb 11, 2012, 7:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimby

The Canada Line in Vancouver didn't generate a single TOD project for any station on the route until well after it had opened so don't hope for too much here.

I don't agree with that. The Cambie-Broadway area revitalization (Crossroads and the large retailers) was clearly in anticipation of the Canada Line, and was largely completed just before the line opened.

Bankview · #33 Posted **Feb 11, 2012, 11:40 PM**

The station on Cambie/West Broadway looks like a neglected bomb shelter, they really need to fill in that empty lot beside it. Or is it empty for a specific reason?

Tropics · #34 Posted **Feb 12, 2012, 3:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimby

The Canada Line in Vancouver didn't generate a single TOD project for any station on the route until well after it had opened so don't hope for too much here.

Given the opening of the western C-Train line will take place quite soon I am sure you will be correct that the opening of the Westbrook C-Train stop predates the opening of "Westbrook Station" as a complete TOD quite considerably.

One thing I am pretty conifident of though is that the city does not want to sit on the Westbrook redvelopment, they seem to be actively setting forth on the project and I am guessing we will see the redevelopment going full steam ahead inside of 2 years from todays date.

In section 2.0 of this city document http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/LUPP/Docum...illage-arp.pdf they start by stating

"The following Vision and Guiding Principles were
inspired by the results of the public consultation
process undertaken as part of the West LRT Land
Use Study. The Vision and Guiding principles
represent the aspirations of the communities and
the key ideas that can guide development toward
the acheivement of the vision."

and if they stick to that vision and end up with a Westbrook Station that looks similar to that pictured on page 22

Westbrook could concievably look like that only 5 years from now, and that would be one heck of a positive change for Westbrook and give the first true TOD in Calgary a very distinct and modern style that Calgary has very little of to date.

TallBob · #35 Posted **Feb 12, 2012, 4:39 AM**

Tropics: I hope Westbrook looks like this or close to it. 5 years though is pretty aggressive time frame. Hope I'm wrong.

Tropics · #36 Posted **Feb 12, 2012, 5:55 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TallBob

Tropics: I hope Westbrook looks like this or close to it. 5 years though is pretty aggressive time frame. Hope I'm wrong.

I will begrudgingly wait 10 years if the end result looks like that i suppose, if I have too.

Some more renderings of potential developments that also look decent.

City of Calgary website.

IBI Group http://www.ibigroup.com/Pages/Projec...torId=36ppage=

Also from IBI group, the general layout that is proposed featuring a large central park around which the whole development is focused. It seems the park is already set in stone because the city land that they are selling actually had a crescent shaped section cut from one of the plots of former school land that is exactly where that end of the central park would be located (pretty much exactly where that red star asterix is).

srperrycgy · #37 Posted **Feb 12, 2012, 9:03 PM**

Former Ernest Manning HS Demo continues...

WLRT-02122012-1 by srp775, on Flickr

kw5150 · #38 Posted **Feb 13, 2012, 5:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tropics

I will begrudgingly wait 10 years if the end result looks like that i suppose, if I have too.

Also from IBI group, the general layout that is proposed featuring a large central park around which the whole development is focused. It seems the park is already set in stone because the city land that they are selling actually had a crescent shaped section cut from one of the plots of former school land that is exactly where that end of the central park would be located (pretty much exactly where that red star asterix is).

I hope they are not cutting all access off from Bow Trail. It looks like they are planning on Freeway-izing that area.......which would be bad for the area, further separating Sruce Cliff from westbrook.

Tropics · #39 Posted **Feb 13, 2012, 8:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kw5150

I hope they are not cutting all access off from Bow Trail. It looks like they are planning on Freeway-izing that area.......which would be bad for the area, further separating Sruce Cliff from westbrook.

I am pretty sure that is what they are doing. ATM access to Westbrook from Bow Trail when traveling west is no longer possible, you need to turn onto 33rd or 37th street. For people coming from Spruce Cliff atm it is easy to access the mall because we simply drive along 33rd and cross Bow trail to access the Walmart parking lot. If they stick to the plan you posted that entrance is still easy access.

The plan is to build most of the tall residential buildings along Bow Trail and it will act as a "wall" to really create a sense of an "oasis" centered around that central park. The one key thing for us people in Spruce Cliff is having a nice pedestrian bridge that would cross Bow Trail at the corner of Bow Trail and 33rd and lead to a pedestrian corridor into the central park area.

One thing I would almost like to see that might not be practical would be the removal of the ring road around the central park and instead just have a wide pedestrian sidewalk ringing the park. This would make the park more quiet, it would benefit restaurants and pubs with more attractive patio options, it would make the park safer for use by children who live in the development, and it would increase the desirability of "park view" residential units as they would not be fronted by a road but instead the sidewalk and park. Access to underground parking for the mall and residential would be via entrances off of 33rd and 37th.

Tropics · #40 Posted **Feb 24, 2012, 1:23 AM**

Current pic of the Westbrook C-Train station from 33rd street facing north.

Does anyone know if they will release the development proposals for Westbrook Station as they did with the Canton Music Center and the Peace Bridge? It would be awesome to see the various proposals and the deadline for the proposals and offers on the land was a while ago now.