FUTURE’S IN PARKING
City ‘exCited’ ABout gArAge
City of Calgary officials are betting big on the long tradition of great ideas coming to life in garages.
Calgary Municipal Land Corp. says a new $80-million, sevenstorey parkade in the East Village will provide 508 parking stalls on five floors — plus one-and-a-half floors for an innovation incubator called Platform that proponents say will be central to the city’s future. There will also be half a floor of commercial and recreational space at ground level.
Should the day come when autonomous cars reduce parking demand, the parking space is convertible to residential and commercial uses. Typical parkade headroom will be increased 50 per cent to allow for future conversion.
“I can’t believe I’m excited about a parking garage,” Coun. Druh Farrell told about 200 people at a groundbreaking ceremony this week.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said Plat- form will be an important contribution to the dramatic, decadelong revitalization of the East Village, “the newest, oldest, coolest neighbourhood in Calgary.”
Michael Brown, president and CEO of CMLC, which has planned and developed East Village, said Calgary Technology Inc. will be the operator and core tenant of the new innovation incubator when the entire facility is completed in late 2020. CTI is currently located at the University of Calgary Research Park but will take up temporary quarters in the Hillier Block downtown as of Jan. 1, until Platform space is ready.
“This is where they wanted their home to be,” Brown said, citing the decision as a major vote of confidence for an area “that once was one of the scariest parts of the city.”CMLChasmanagedtheEast Village revitalization that, so far, includes a half-dozen upscale, highrise condos, the Studio Bell National Music Centre and a huge new main branch of the Calgary Public Library.
“We are living in a pivotal time” in Calgary’s development, said Brad Zumwalt, Platform founder, tech entrepreneur and president of the grassroots RainforestAB economic diversification movement.
“We’re racing on many fronts to build a better city and a better economy.” He said that race includes the development of entrepreneurial thinking, capital formation and the attraction of talent. “We’re in a race to develop our talent (and) this really is how the race is won.”
In addition to housing innovative startup companies and encouraging intellectual cross-fertilization, Platform will be equipped to help entrepreneurs build prototypes of their products.
The parking structure will be accessed off 9th Avenue S. at 3rd Street E. and is intended to support the parking needs of both thedowntowncoreandtheEast Village.