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Posted Dec 27, 2014, 4:16 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2008
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Rapid condo development in Calgary in 2014
RICHARD WHITE
More from Richard White
Published on: December 26, 2014Last Updated: December 26, 2014 5:01 PM MST
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2014 could well be branded “the year of the luxury condo” in Calgary with Vancouver’s Concord Pacific’s announcement of their 218-unit Eau Claire project, The Concord, which includes a 6,200-square-foot penthouse with a price tag of $13 million. The project design team included Arthur Erickson, arguably Canada’s most celebrated architect.
It is interesting to note that this announcement comes just one year after Calgary’s great flood of 2013. The banks of the Elbow and Bow rivers continued to attract major upscale condo developments in 2014. Joining The Concord along the Bow River is Avenue West End by the Vancouver development team of Grosvenor/Cressey and their architect James Chen. Vancouver’s Anthem Properties also announced the final phase of Calgary’s largest condo development — the 1,000-unit Waterfront on the old bus barn lands on the east side of Eau Claire.
Yes, Vancouver developers and architects continue to transform the south shore of the Bow River into a tony highrise urban community. The only thing missing in 2014 was the announcement that Harvard Properties was moving forward with its billion-dollar Eau Claire Market site redevelopment designed by
Vancouver’s IBI/Landplan group (that was announced late in 2013).
Artist's rendering of the luxury condo development The River.
Supplied / Calgary Herald
Artist's rendering of new Mission condo project called XII.
Supplied / Calgary Herald
An artist's rendering of the exterior of Lido by Battistella.
Supplied / Calgary Herald
An artist's rendering of the exterior of Kensington, by Bucci Developments Ltd.
Supplied / Calgary Herald
Artist's rendering of Steps Bridgeland.
Supplied / Calgary Herald
An exterior rendering of The Park, under development by Lake Placid Group.
Supplied / Calgary Herald
An artist's rendering of the exterior of Avenue, by Grosvenor Americas and Cressey Development Group.
Supplied / Calgary Herald
CALGARY’S PARK AVENUE
One would have thought it might take a few years to see any new condo developments in the Mission area given the devastation of the flood. The uber-chic River condo with its condo record-setting $8.9 million penthouse made some quick changes to its flood prevention design while construction continued.
But, the big new announcement in 2014 was the 14-storey XII boutique condo (on the corner of 2nd St and 26th Ave SW). It will have only 12 units i.e. 10 floors will be single-level condos with four floors consisting of two-floor units. Designed by the Calgary’s own Sturgess Architecture, this project is a quantum leap in luxury with its car parking elevator that will allow residents get out of their car in the parkade at street level, so the car can be parked robotically in the parkade. How amazing is that! The architectural design is also futuristic with its transformer-like shape. Residents will also get private consultation with the architects and interior designer (Douglas Cridland) and make a trip to Vancouver (yes, Vancouver) to meet with balthaup kitchen team there.
Mission’s 26th Avenue is beginning to look a lot like Manhattan’s Park Avenue with its million-dollar condos.
KENSINGTON IS EXPLODING
This past year has been a big one for Kensington village as new residents moved into Battisella’s Pixel and Streetside Developments’ St. John’s Tenth Street condo, both Calgary developers. Vancouver’s Bucci Developments started construction of Ven just east of the Hillhurst/Sunnyside LRT station and announced the Kensington, on 10th Street N.W. As well, Battistella also announced plans for Lido (as sister condo to Pixel), also on 10th Street.
After years no condo development, Calgary’s only NoBow urban community is finally participating in Calgary’s emerging condo culture. There are currently more than 1,000 condos at various stages of development in Kensington Village.
BRIDGELAND IS BUSTLING
After stalling for a few years because of the recession, condo construction resumed in earnest in Bridgeland this past year. The completion of the St. Patrick’s Island pedestrian bridge in the fall of 2014 and the redevelopment of the island itself, scheduled to be completed in 2015, is making Bridgeland a very attractive place for Calgary’s rapidly increasing yuppie community.
Thus it’s not surprising that Apex and GableCraft Homes have decided to proceed with Bridgeland Crossing II and Assured Developments with Giustini Development Corp. are proceeding with STEPS. Both are within easy walking distance to the LRT and the new St. Patrick’s Island.
BEYOND THE BELTLINE
Condo building continued to be strong in the Beltline with the topping off of The Park (Lake Placid Group) and Mark on 10th (Qualex-Landmark) as well as the first tower of The Guardian (Calgary’s tallest condo at 44 storeys, by Hon Development). However, new condo development wasn’t restricted to the greater downtown communities like the Beltline in 2014.
In fact, citywide condo development in 2014 outpaced single-family housing starts by two-to-one with 8,915 multi-family housing starts versus only 4,363 single-family as of the end of November. Not only were almost 90 per cent of new condo units are being not built in the greater downtown, this trend is expected to continue.
The city approved several new “suburban/urban” villages in 2014. In September, city council approved West Campus, a planned community east and south of the Alberta Children’s Hospital. After several years of community consultation, it approved the West Campus Development Trust’s master plan for the 184-acre site that will eventually accommodate 15,000 new residents (mostly in condos) and 10,000 workers when completed by about 2025.
In December, Truman Development presented its master plan for its 96-acre West District community to the city. When fully built out in 10-plus years, it will be home to 7,000 residents and 5,200 workers. Both West Campus and West District are planned as complete communities that will allow residents (families, yuppies, empty nesters and seniors) to live, work, play and age in their community.
NOT YOUR GRANDPARENTS’ SUBURBS
Recently, Brookfield Residential, one of North America’s largest homebuilders and headquartered in Calgary, branded its proposed new Livingston community at the northern edge of the city as “not your parents’ suburb.” While still only in the design stage, it promises to create a new town centre at the northern edge of the city.
As of the end of November, metro Calgary multi-family starts were only 378 units shy of the city record of 10,602 units in 1978. Indeed, Calgary’s developers are building condos at a record pace in the greater downtown communities, established neighbourhoods and in the new suburbs. But what is really exciting is that they are not just building condos, they are building communities that have a density and diversity of uses that hasn’t been seen for over a century. I am calling them “not your grandparents’ suburbs!”
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http://calgaryherald.com/life/homes/condos/rapid-condo-development-in-calgary-in-2014
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