Royal Oak / Rocky Ridge Thread - Page 3

suburb · #41 Posted: **Dec 1, 2010, 5:37 PM**

Have things progressed with respect to investigating a round about at country hills and royal birch blvd? Would like to see what that is going to look like including for pedestrian movement as people live on one side of country hills and the things they all need to access are on the other side. Wouldn't mind seeing some art in the middle of round abouts also.

mersar · #42 Posted: **Dec 1, 2010, 7:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by suburb

Have things progressed with respect to investigating a round about at country hills and royal birch blvd? Would like to see what that is going to look like including for pedestrian movement as people live on one side of country hills and the things they all need to access are on the other side. Wouldn't mind seeing some art in the middle of round abouts also.

That plan is dead. They opted instead for spending 1/10 the money and lengthening the left turn lanes and installing some more advanced sensoring equipment.

freeweed · #43 Posted: **Dec 2, 2010, 1:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mersar

That plan is dead. They opted instead for spending 1/10 the money and lengthening the left turn lanes and installing some more advanced sensoring equipment.

They also opted to build a hotel/casino immediately adjacent, thereby removing any positive effects of that traffic improvement.

OK, so the casino isn't fully approved yet, but it's looking likely.

YYCguys · #44 Posted: **Dec 8, 2010, 4:22 PM**

This, a letter to the constituents of Ald. Gord Lowe re: the proposed hotel/casino in Royal Vista Business Park and related transportation concerns. He is supportive of the proposal as long as the transportation woes are dealt with satisfactorily.

http://www.rrroca.org/images/stories...royalvista.pdf

Land Use Application for Hotel/Convention Centre/Casino in Royal Vista Business Park

Thank you for your e-mail concerning the proposed hotel/convention centre/casino in Royal Vista Business Park.
There is an application for land use to accommodate a hotel/convention centre/casino in Royal Vista Business Park circulating through the Development Building Approvals section. Royal Vista Business Park is located east of 85th Street (east of the Royal Oak Shopping Centre).
Context:
Royal Vista Business Park is being developed by the City of Calgary as a high quality commercial area with limited retail opportunity and a small amount of industrial development on its extreme eastern boundary. Within the business park there will be several office-oriented buildings, a Police/Fire/City Services building, and an Ismaili Mosque. The Ismaili Mosque will be located on a prominent piece of land overlooking Stoney Trail, and the proposed hotel facility is planned to be located east of that site, again overlooking Stoney Trail. The buildings which will house the light industrial component of the business park are currently under construction on the eastern boundary of the business park. Buildings within Royal Vista Business Park must conform to strict architectural guidelines and jobs-to-land use ratios.

suburb · #45 Posted: **Dec 8, 2010, 6:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by YYCguys

This, a letter to the constituents of Ald. Gord Lowe re: the proposed hotel/casino in Royal Vista Business Park and related transportation concerns. He is supportive of the proposal as long as the transportation woes are dealt with satisfactorily.

Frankly speaking, I'm not at all concerned about a hotel project with convention facilities and likely a restaurant or two - just the casino component. My read of all this is that the project developer still has a very long way to go on this one - and there will be opportunities for the community to mobilize the clear opposition.

Does anyone know who the project developer is and which specific lot they are talking about?

Map/lots:
http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/bu/...maplanduse.pdf

mersar · #46 Posted: **Dec 8, 2010, 6:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by suburb

Does anyone know who the project developer is and which specific lot they are talking about?

Map/lots:
http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/bu/...maplanduse.pdf

The address is 25 Royal Vista Drive which is lot 7 (it notes there are additional addresses, so I'd assume probably lot 8 and maybe 9 as well). Gibbs Gage is the architect. They applied for the land use change in mid August (land is currently zoned industrial-business use)

freeweed · #47 Posted: **Dec 8, 2010, 8:08 PM**

Lowe sums up my opinion here:

Quote:

The advice from the Calgary Police Service is that incidents of “inappropriate behaviour” occur less frequently in or near casinos than in other commercial or retail settings. And there is a reason for this – as a condition of their licence the Province requires the casino operator to police their operations and the activities in and on their property. As with any business, the owner is not interested in creating a negative image for their business, their clients, employees or themselves.

Unfortunately the Royal Oak residents are whining on the news about crime and how there's a school 1km away. What the heck does that have to do with the price of tea in China??

Personally, I spend a lot of time in casinos. So yeah, it would be awesome to have one within stumbling distance. However, I spend a lot of time in casinos - so I know full well what the traffic impact will be like. This will be nothing like your average retail/commercial site. Deerfoot Inn and Casino (apparently this is the model they're using) has constant traffic in and out, all day long. It's not noticeable because it's not right up against an already-overloaded residential intersection.

The current intersection cannot handle rush hour. Fine, casinos don't see their traffic then. But - this is a big but - Saturdays are often just as bad. And that's when you see huge volumes of traffic in and out of casinos.

I'm still torn on this.

Jay in Cowtown · #48 Posted: **Dec 10, 2010, 12:50 AM**

NW Stoney Trail open, Country Hills is open to 12 mile, the Wal Mart became a Supercenter and now a CASINO?!?...

anyone want to buy my house in traffic snarled & amenity poor Cochrane? I'm going back to Rocky Ridge/Royal Oak!

freeweed · #49 Posted: **Jan 7, 2011, 12:42 AM**

NIMBYS HO!!!!!!!!

Jay in Cowtown · #50 Posted: **Jan 7, 2011, 1:07 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

NIMBYS HO!!!!!!!!

I love how that article tries to convince people there's enough Casino's (within minutes) of Royal Oak... the closest is probably the Grey Eagle at 25 minutes in good traffic. Stoney Nakoda is 55 minutes at least, and the one at CrossIron probably won't see the light of day for at least 5 years, if ever.

The NW needs a Casino, PERIOD!

Wentworth · #51 Posted: **Jan 7, 2011, 1:42 AM**

Frankly, I find the proposal weird. It's an odd location for a casino, and aren't most of the existing casinos desparately struggling, other than maybe Grey Eagle? I have to be honest about my bias here, though... I think casinos are low class and this would probably change my opinion of Rocky Ridge.

YYCguys · #52 Posted: **Jan 7, 2011, 3:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

NIMBYS HO!!!!!!!!

Ok, I WILL give them the traffic issue, BUT the proximity to schools is baloney! Royal Oak School is waaay down the road, not close at all.

I also like how they are trying to get Tuscany residents involved as well. This proposal has NOTHING to do with them! It's even a stretch getting Rocky Ridge residents involved as the project is closest to Royal Oak and, in terms of traffic, mostly affects Royal Oak residents.

freeweed · #53 Posted: **Jan 7, 2011, 3:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by YYCguys

Ok, I WILL give them the traffic issue, BUT the proximity to schools is baloney! Royal Oak School is waaay down the road, not close at all.

The proximity to schools is entirely, 100%, unmitigated BULLSHIT.

CPS (and other orgs) has well-documented stats showing that casinos have LESS crime than most other retail/commercial establishments. And last I checked, people get ID'd when going to a casino.

Exactly what concern is there? Beyond "I'm morally against it, therefore it should never be seen by my children"?

Honestly, this thing could be built across the street from a school and I fail to see what the problem is.

shreddog · #54 Posted: **Jan 7, 2011, 4:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

The proximity to schools is entirely, 100%, unmitigated BULLSHIT.

Wow there cowboy, there may be some correlation after all. If we can prove that Samuel (one of the commentors on the Nimby website) attended a school near a casino, then perhaps casino's may impact the ability for kids to learn. At least that would explain a lot about his post:

Quote:

Samuel 7/01 2011
Every person who understand us should know the casino will take bad effect to our kids and reduce our properties’ value.There’s no benefit brought to us at all.

Radley77 · #55 Posted: **Jan 7, 2011, 5:47 PM**

Somewhat ironic and subversive, but our community association's biggest revenue generator is volunteer night at the casino. Which then funds things like children's playgrounds.

I could see a problem if a given area was not educated enough to understand that the odds are always against you. Things like a directly adjacent pawn shop, and loan shop and you could have a sort of prostitution of capitalism. Royal Oak has relatively high amounts of educated populace so I think there is less of a concern here than say having a casino being built along International Avenue.

Just to highlight the differences in education:
Royal Oak education levels (university degree or above): 36%
Forest Lawn education levels (university degree or above): 3%

freeweed · #56 Posted: **Jan 7, 2011, 7:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by shreddog

Wow there cowboy, there may be some correlation after all. If we can prove that Samuel (one of the commentors on the Nimby website) attended a school near a casino, then perhaps casino's may impact the ability for kids to learn. At least that would explain a lot about his post:

I have to admit, this legitimately made me LOL at work.

freeweed · #57 Posted: **Jan 7, 2011, 7:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radley77

I could see a problem if a given area was not educated enough to understand that the odds are always against you. Things like a directly adjacent pawn shop, and loan shop and you could have a sort of prostitution of capitalism. Royal Oak has relatively high amounts of educated populace so I think there is less of a concern here than say having a casino being built along International Avenue.

Just to highlight the differences in education:
Royal Oak education levels (university degree or above): 36%
Forest Lawn education levels (university degree or above): 3%

Can't say that I disagree with your sentiment.

What's the "university or above" numbers for Calgary as a whole? I thought that we're one of the higher cities in Canada, but there are an awful lot of good jobs here to be had with no formal education requirement, so I could be wrong.

I'm really having a hard time being objective about this issue. I really, REALLY would love a casino within stumbling distance. But I'm a bit scared that a few months later, I'll be back on this thread screaming about traffic chaos.

Radley77 · #58 Posted: **Jan 7, 2011, 11:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

Can't say that I disagree with your sentiment.

What's the "university or above" numbers for Calgary as a whole? I thought that we're one of the higher cities in Canada, but there are an awful lot of good jobs here to be had with no formal education requirement, so I could be wrong.

I'm really having a hard time being objective about this issue. I really, REALLY would love a casino within stumbling distance. But I'm a bit scared that a few months later, I'll be back on this thread screaming about traffic chaos.

The average for Calgary for people over 15 is 25%. Which is a kind of odd stat to consider Doogie Howsers.

I definitely want to go check it out when the casino opens!

srperrycgy · #59 Posted: **Jan 7, 2011, 11:56 PM**

Communities are such weird places sometimes. So a Casino is bad, but being close to the jails on 85th St isn't a problem? Funny how the Deerfoot Casino is close to Douglasdale and Douglas Glen and we never heard (AFAIK) from their respective communities when it was being planned.

freeweed · #60 Posted: **Jan 9, 2011, 5:21 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by srperrycgy

Communities are such weird places sometimes. So a Casino is bad, but being close to the jails on 85th St isn't a problem?

Yeah, most people are not aware of the correctional facilities within a short walk of their houses. Including, from what I understand, a mental hospital and a young offenders facility (crude descriptions I know, I won't pretend to understand the criminal justice system in this country).

I'm personally surprised we don't have "do not pick up hitchhikers" signs in my neighbourhood, like they do in the US close to prisons.