Two new neighbours eye fall opening
The two major retail tenants who will occupy the first two floors of Mount Royal West, the new mixed-use development by First Capital Realty, are setting up shop for an opening this fall.
The block-long project along 16th Avenue between 8th and 9th streets S.W. is directly across from Mount Royal Village and behind the Devenish Building, which are both also owned by First Capital.
Mount Royal Village has undergone major renovations to make way for a GoodLife Fitness on the second floor, and all shops on the main floor are now entered via the pleasant roadway across from Tomkins Square. The architect for the project was Abugov Kaspar, and the Calgary company was also commissioned to design the retail portion of Mount Royal West.
Abugov Kaspar handled the rezoning of the site, and processed development and building permits for the entire block that will see a relocated city park on the west side next to a 32-storey condominium tower of 233 units by BOSA Development, two floors of retail and a third for medical office suites facing onto 8th Street, where a three-storey glass atrium will change the face of the north/ south pedestrian link to downtown.
The transparent facade will show off the boutique-style 30,000-square-foot Urban Fare grocery store that will be a welcome amenity to the growing number of residents in the trendy area. The second floor will be home to a Canadian Tire store. Both busy retailers require big loading docks to be entered by a narrow back lane, which presented a design challenge for the architect, but Abugov Kaspar has lots of retail experience in its portfolio of almost 30 years in business. Retail has always been a strong sector for the firm that was involved in the design of West Edmonton Mall and was responsible for adding 550,000 square feet of retail plus a water park and amusement park, totalling another 700,000 square feet, in the under-construction American Dream shopping mall in New Jersey.
It is also the architect for Royop Development’s recently announced 92,000-square-foot Savanna Bazaar, a unique shopping experience inspired by the open air markets throughout South Asia to be built at the corner of 88th Avenue and 60th Street N.E. Busy architects are a good sign for this city’s future, and Abugov Kaspar has lots on the go beyond its retail portfolio.
The second phase of the Rivers Reach luxury condominium complex for Northern Vision Development is underway in downtown Whitehorse, adding another two buildings of 20 units each. And in Fox Creek, Alta., the firm is working on an 80- to 120-room hotel that will offer restaurant, lounge, fitness and business centre.
Other projects south of the border include three senior care facilities in California and Arizona, and a students’ union building on the campus of a California university. Designing residences for senior living is another focus of Abugov Kaspar, which will design the second phase of Gilchrist Gardens that will add 114 assisted living beds to the Silvera for Seniors community in the northeast district of Pineridge.
Plans are underway to redevelop the rest of the site along Macleod Trail where Visions Electronic has opened in the former Lloyds Rollercade building, and a Wash King along with a TD Motors Auto Gallery of used cars will be built in East Lake.