A look ahead at 2018
New developments, new appointments show city is on the move in coming year
New Year’s greetings often use the word prosperous in wishes for the months ahead, and our resilient businesspeople are determined to bounce back to make 2018 a year of success.
There are plenty of signs of renewal to keep up the spirits.
One example is the continued expansion of East Village. The eye-pleasing National Music Centre will have an equally majestic neighbour with the opening of the new central library, and Alt Hotel by Le Germain is well under construction, as is the much needed Loblaws City Market that will also service neighbouring Bridgeland and Inglewood/Ramsay.
Inglewood is also a hive of activity with a construction start on the mixed-use building at the entrance to the community on 9th Avenue across from the Atlantic Avenue Art Block. And at the east end of the trendy retail avenue the new YW Hub facility is underway.
The desire to have more people living downtown will be achieved if all of the residential towers under construction get filled with owners or renters. Eau Claire district is looking forward to welcoming residents of the luxurious Concord Pacific complex overlooking the Bow River in the west end, and pedestrian eyes are constantly looking up to watch progress on the impressive 760,000-square-foot, 60-storey Telus Sky tower that will include 29 floors of residential.
Construction has also begun on the huge development on the former Stampede Pontiac site at 9th Avenue and 11th Street S.W., a start that shows a huge amount of confidence in this city. And look for construction crews to begin work this spring on PBA Land’s twin tower Autograph Collection and Courtyard by Marriot hotels along 5th Avenue S.W.
Another Marriott hotel is looking impressive as it towers over the corner of 10th Avenue and 5th Street S.W. on the site of the former Alberta Boot factory.
Sorry to see Nordesign closing after 40 years of good business in Calgary, but the retail sector appears to be quite vibrant, with shopping centres fully leased and planning for more growth.
Shoppers are looking forward to the opening of our first Saks store in Chinook Centre. The luxury retailer is set to open next month in a two-level, 115,000-square-foot space, while a Saks Off 5th will open in Market Mall.
North of the city we anticipate the grand opening of the 500 unique, Asian-themed stores in the New Horizon Mall. The Balzac area continues to attract large users with word of yet another massive warehouse project to be built in the High Plains Industrial Park.
In the city, we are closer to a construction start on Melcor’s Greenwich Village across from Canada Olympic Park that will provide a mix of retail, office and residential as well as a new hotel. And development continues on the former Currie Barracks lands. Thanks largely to the RESOLVE campaign, we have seen a good number of low-cost housing units completed and we look forward — along with the residents — to the opening of the assisted-living Inclusio project overlooking Confederation Park.
It’s going to be an interesting year in which we also welcome a new general director and CEO of Calgary Opera, a new consul general of Colombia, new chancellor of the University of Calgary and new president of Calgary-based Operation Eyesight, pending the soon-to-beannounced retirement of Brian Foster.
And best of all, we get to play golf at Kananaskis again.