Grocery stores can be anchors for reimagined residential hubs
Several shopping malls in Calgary ripe for redevelopment, writes Richard White.
Greater Vancouver developers are investing billions of dollars in the redevelopment of old shopping centres. The focus is on repurposing them into a multi-use villages where people can live, play and work — not just shop.
So, instead of the old shopping mall template having two department stores anchoring each end, the new leisure centres (that is what they are being called) are more like traditional downtowns with an outdoor Main Street having a mix of restaurants, movie theatres, bars, fitness studios, concept stores (e.g. Apple and Nike) and yes, even some chain stores. For example, the
$2 billion redevelopment of Burnaby’s Brentwood Mall will not only have 250 shops, but 11 office and residential towers (and I mean towers — some are 60-plus storeys).
CALGARY OPPORTUNITIES
In Calgary, we have yet to see a major mall redevelopment that includes residential development. Chinook, Southcentre and Market Mall have all seen major expansions but no residential added. In the case of Chinook and Southcentre, the most plausible scenario would be for residential development on the huge surface parking lots near the mall and next to their LRT station. With Market Mall having no access to LRT, it is not ideal for higher density residential development.
On the other hand, North Hill Centre, Calgary’s oldest mall, is ripe for redevelopment given its proximity to the adjacent Lions Park LRT Station. The closing of the Sears store and the huge surface parking lot on the east end of the mall create a unique opportunity for redevelopment. Unfortunately due to environmental contamination of the site from a former gas station and the current economy, it is unlikely we will see any redevelopment of this 4.8-hectare (12-acre) site for many years. On the upside, Concord Pacific, its new owner, has lots of experience in mega mixed-use urban development projects.
The redevelopment of the Stadium Shopping Centre, though approved, is on hold waiting for the economy to improve and the cancer centre to open.
In Montgomery, the Safeway grocery store site would also be an ideal candidate for some residential development given its access to Shouldice Park and the Bow River Pathway. It could anchor the west end of Montgomery’s main street and be the catalyst for its revitalization.
Indeed, there are dozens of old grocery store sites in Calgary’s established communities that could be converted into mini urban villages, helping established communities continue to thrive.
CALGARY CO-OP: A LEADER
Calgary Co-op, in partnership with Quarry Bay Investments (the Co-op’s residential partner) has big plans to redevelop several of its grocery store sites in established communities.
At Dalhousie, Co-op wants to construct a new 47,000-squarefoot food store, relocate its gas bar and convenience store, and add 40,000 square feet of new retail space for restaurants, shops and more. Two residential towers — one 22 storeys and one 10 storeys — will create 444 new homes. There are plans for a rooftop greenhouse to be used by some of Co-op’s local produce suppliers. This two-phase development, called the Boulevard at Dalhousie, will help transform the Dalhousie LRT Station into a true urban village with a strong transit orientation.
In Oakridge, Co-op plans to build a 56,000-square-foot food store incorporated into a two-storey retail and professional building, as well as four residential buildings — 13, seven, six and four floors high for a total of 249 new homes. It will be rebranded as Oakridge Crossing. This redevelopment is synergistic with the new southwest bus rapid transit system currently under construction nearby.
Two other Calgary Co-op inner-city store redevelopments — Brentwood and North Hill — are currently on hold until the Co-op, community and City can agree on a design that meets the needs of all three stakeholders.
TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES
It is multi-family residential-oriented infill projects in key locations like these that slowly but surely transform established communities into more walkable communities for all ages.
Damon Tanzola, Calgary
Co-op vice-president of facilities development and real estate, believes these projects will not only help “differentiate us in a very competitive marketplace,” but also: “As a major land owner in the City of Calgary, we recognize the opportunity to redevelop underutilized sites to provide for mixed use developments to engage our community and provide services to our members.”
If the City of Calgary is serious about wanting to increase the density and diversity of housing in its established communities, it should be fast tracking, maybe even providing incentives for, the redevelopment of all major grocery store sites that are nearing their best before dates.
LAST WORD
After living in Vancouver for a month this spring, I have a better appreciation for the convenience of living near a grocery store and how it increases how much one walks. When I decide to move into a condo, I definitely will want to live near a grocery store ... the closer, the better.