U of C’s West Campus project will be ‘game-changer’
Development of the University of Calgary west campus is moving ahead with a detailed master plan for the massive project near Alberta Children’s Hospital expected early next year.
The plan calls for a largely residential development with some office and locally focused retail included, says James Robertson, president and chief executive of West Campus Development Trust, an independent organization run by a board of trustees.
“Our intent is to have (the master plan) done middle of January, at which time we’ll go back to the community associations ... and then go to the broader community, the broader public, mid to late February,” said Robertson.
He said its hoped the trust can have a land use application to City Hall by spring. Construction would then start in 2015.
“Sooner than that would be fantastic, but a reasonable scenario is 2015 ... This will likely be a 15-year project,” said Robertson.
The University of Calgary’s board of governors transferred about 36 hectares of land to the trust in late 2010. The 15-member trust will hold the land — east of Shaganappi Trail between 16th and 32nd avenues N.W. — and oversee its development.
It won’t sell the land to developers but will allow them to sign 99-year leases.
Net profit from the lands would be returned to the university in support of programs and other initiatives, said Robertson, adding West Campus is not being developed to build university facilities.
Jim Dewald, interim dean at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, said the project could be a “game-changer” for the university.
“Right now, we’re mostly a commuter campus in that a lot of our students are still living at home with their parents and they just come to school for class only and head back home,” said Dewald.
“What we want to do is capture a much richer experience, having students spend more time around campus. And also the faculty.”
Building the West Campus it will allow the university to capture more business activity, he said.
“One consultant said ‘you guys have way too much economic leakage’,” he said. “Where do people get their haircuts? Where do they buy their shampoo?’ ”
The Alberta government in 1995 transferred about 80 hectares of land to the university. Past development proposals at one time or another have included student housing, additional classrooms and a stand-alone cancer centre.
“The west campus land is an op- portunity to create a much more holistic university experience as well as harmonizing the university into and with the surrounding communities,” said Robertson.