East Village Rejuvenation Plan

[outoftheice]

It looks like construction site prep may have started for the ALT Hotel site in East Village. A bunch of spray paint on the dirt today and a small digger is now working on the site. It will be great to see construction get under way as the hotel will bring more people into the area as well as add another completed block to East Village.

[The Fisher Account]

Originally Posted by outoftheice

Had family booked into the Hilton shortly after the scheduled opening. They received phone calls telling them the hotel opening has now been delayed until Oct 15. Considering the goal was originally to have the hotel opened by Stampede they've really been dragging their heels on this project .

Prior to the Stampede announcement, I actually recall 'Spring 2016' billboards up in the winter

[Rollerstud98]

Originally Posted by The Fisher Account

Prior to the Stampede announcement, I actually recall 'Spring 2016' billboards up in the winter

I started working in that building in November and you may be correct. But I remember in early 2016 signs saying summer went up. Might have helped if they had hoarded the first 2 floors in a lot more work would have been completed much earlier. There was a couple months where only 3 people all from my company were the only ones working on those floors. Lots of days we weren't able to do our work because of the wind/cold blowing through there. Unfortunately for us all our work was located on those 2 floors.

Also having a group of architects run the job doesn't help at all. Every walk through would bring about some design changes in the interior framing causing all previously finished piping having to be redone or moved up. Very frustrating work site and also an absolute disaster zone in their. No laborers keeping work areas clean and once a mess was made it just compounded.

Overall very poor experience working on that site. My first day on the site a ladder was dropped from the 13th floor to the ground, second day a support pillar for the fencing erected around the perimeter of unfinished floors was found buried into the ground during a safety walk through after falling from an upper floor and not being reported.

Very Happy to no longer be on that site!

[The Fisher Account]

Looks like the CMLC has purchased the East Village gas station and will be redeveloping the site!

https://t.co/dvTzP9FIxC

Don't really care about the history myself. That's a valuable chunk of land that stuck out like a sore thumb

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

I still miss Beerland. It's the only time I've ever had to ask security to watch me walk to my car.

Can't get much classier of a name than that. Especially when it was located next to the Drop In Centre and the Cecil. I'm amazed they didn't just call it Wino-Mart.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by The Fisher Account

Looks like the CMLC has purchased the East Village gas station and will be redeveloping the site!

https://t.co/dvTzP9FIxC

Don't really care about the history myself. That's a valuable chunk of land that stuck out like a sore thumb

Damn. That old gas station added a level of grit and authenticity to the area. It was also quite active. My fear with East Village is that they will simply wipe out the very limited stock of original buildings in favour of homogeneous new condo developments. For an area that's like 70% vacant land already I don't understand why they are going after stuff like this.

[outoftheice]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Damn. That old gas station added a level of grit and authenticity to the area. It was also quite active. My fear with East Village is that they will simply wipe out the very limited stock of original buildings in favour of homogeneous new condo developments. For an area that's like 70% vacant land already I don't understand why they are going after stuff like this.

Yeah, I don't quite understand it either. At the very least make it a gathering point for the neighbourhood. Remove the fuel pumps and tanks and then follow the suggestion made by Michael Platt and turn the building into an epic bar and patio space. The garage area could easily be made into a live music venue that spills out onto a patio and augments what the NMC is trying to do with the King Eddy and builds off the whole music mile thing. (For anyone who has travelled through Medicine Hat 'The Garage' pub there essentially does the same thing and is a great spot for a drink. I'm guessing what the CMLC paid for the site doesn't make it financially feasible to go this route though. Such a shame.

[googspecial]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Damn. That old gas station added a level of grit and authenticity to the area. It was also quite active. My fear with East Village is that they will simply wipe out the very limited stock of original buildings in favour of homogeneous new condo developments. For an area that's like 70% vacant land already I don't understand why they are going after stuff like this.

Not to mention one of very few gas stations left in the downtown area. You gotta cross a bridge or railroad tracks to get to one if this is gone.

[Wooster]

Originally Posted by googspecial

Not to mention one of very few gas stations left in the downtown area. You gotta cross a bridge or railroad tracks to get to one if this is gone.

Good thing people will be able to drive there.

[H.E.Pennypacker]

Originally Posted by outoftheice

Yeah, I don't quite understand it either. At the very least make it a gathering point for the neighbourhood. Remove the fuel pumps and tanks and then follow the suggestion made by Michael Platt and turn the building into an epic bar and patio space. The garage area could easily be made into a live music venue that spills out onto a patio and augments what the NMC is trying to do with the King Eddy and builds off the whole music mile thing. (For anyone who has travelled through Medicine Hat 'The Garage' pub there essentially does the same thing and is a great spot for a drink. I'm guessing what the CMLC paid for the site doesn't make it financially feasible to go this route though. Such a shame.

Am I the only one thinking of somehow gas pumps that dispense beer instead for a bar there as a neat outdoor patio space feature?

[hulkrogan]

[CCF]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Damn. That old gas station added a level of grit and authenticity to the area. It was also quite active. My fear with East Village is that they will simply wipe out the very limited stock of original buildings in favour of homogeneous new condo developments. For an area that's like 70% vacant land already I don't understand why they are going after stuff like this.

Most of the parcels in EV have concrete redevelopment plans. In reality CMLC maintains ownership of only three parcels at the moment (both sides of the DI) and the 'EVE Block' where the N3 sales centre sits, surrounded by a block of parking. The neighbourhood is at the midway point in its redevelopment (of the 20 year plan) as such, over the next 10 years any vacant land you see right now will look vastly different.

They are going after the gas station because it's one of the few parcels remaining in EV that hasn't already been redeveloped, or have plans to be redeveloped.

The cost of purchasing the Gas Station is likely significant - and with little heritage value of the building itself, there is minimal incentive to preserve it as is. The land likely requires remediation, and the actual structure itself isn't in great shape. Moreover, it's a pretty small space. Opportunities to do anything with this building other than as a gas station are limited. Moreover, there is no emotional attachment to the building as people have expressed with places like the King Edward or St. Louis.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for preserving our heritage assets, but just because a building is 'old' doesn't mean it's worth keeping for a multitude of reasons. Just my 2 cents of course.

[MichaelS]

Originally Posted by H.E.Pennypacker

Am I the only one thinking of somehow gas pumps that dispense beer instead for a bar there as a neat outdoor patio space feature?

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Ha! So perfect. I like the idea of a patio there. Not sure how practical beer dispensing pumps would be, but if they could pull if off that would be pretty cool.

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by CCF

Most of the parcels in EV have concrete redevelopment plans. In reality CMLC maintains ownership of only three parcels at the moment (both sides of the DI) and the 'EVE Block' where the N3 sales centre sits, surrounded by a block of parking. The neighbourhood is at the midway point in its redevelopment (of the 20 year plan) as such, over the next 10 years any vacant land you see right now will look vastly different.

They are going after the gas station because it's one of the few parcels remaining in EV that hasn't already been redeveloped, or have plans to be redeveloped.

The cost of purchasing the Gas Station is likely significant - and with little heritage value of the building itself, there is minimal incentive to preserve it as is. The land likely requires remediation, and the actual structure itself isn't in great shape. Moreover, it's a pretty small space. Opportunities to do anything with this building other than as a gas station are limited. Moreover, there is no emotional attachment to the building as people have expressed with places like the King Edward or St. Louis.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for preserving our heritage assets, but just because a building is 'old' doesn't mean it's worth keeping for a multitude of reasons. Just my 2 cents of course.

I agree 100%, and I'd say Calgary agrees as well as we're likely to be lucky to retain 1% of Calgary's turn of the century buildings, if that.

Anyway, as for the gas station, I believe it's one of the only, or perhaps the only Art Deco service station left in the city, after the Eamons debacle, and one of only a handful of Art Deco buildings total.

Now that said, that's a potentially high density site, with a single story building right in the middle of it, which is an issue.

One example that I know of which took a taller but similarly styled building and incorporated it into a larger development was this one in New Westminster:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.2005661,-...cFtOaM53Pcdt7suJTowaw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I'm not 100% clear if it was just built around, or if just the front facade was retained.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

Now that said, that's a potentially high density site, with a single story building right in the middle of it, which is an issue.

It's not complicated to move a single structure to the corner of the lot and combine it with another residential tower.

That said, I agree that's its just an old building entirely stripped of any heritage value.

[Rollerstud98]

I don't know how many of you guys have been in that building but it is a piece of crap! Not worth renovating to keep in my mind. No history like some of the buildings had. While I was working in the East Village Hilton I kept wondering why it hadn't been torn down yet.

[Blue_Cypress]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Damn. That old gas station added a level of grit and authenticity to the area. It was also quite active. My fear with East Village is that they will simply wipe out the very limited stock of original buildings in favour of homogeneous new condo developments. For an area that's like 70% vacant land already I don't understand why they are going after stuff like this.

To raise land values. Money does not care for a gritty, authentic aesthetic.

[Stephen Ave]

Most will disagree with me on this, but I would be happy to see the gas station stay, if it could be renovated to look a little nicer. I use that gas station sometimes, as it's pretty handy. There aren't many gas stations in the core.

[CalgaryAlex]

Originally Posted by Stephen Ave

Most will disagree with me on this, but I would be happy to see the gas station stay, if it could be renovated to look a little nicer. I use that gas station sometimes, as it's pretty handy. There aren't many gas stations in the core.

I think if a Mac's or 7-Eleven (or an independent convenience store - although they always have worse hours) went into a new building in EV, that would fully cover the current services this gas station provides. If people want gas, they can go to the Centex across the river or one of two gas stations just down 1 St SE.

[Blue_Cypress]

Originally Posted by CalgaryAlex

I think if a Mac's or 7-Eleven (or an independent convenience store - although they always have worse hours) went into a new building in EV, that would fully cover the current services this gas station provides. If people want gas, they can go to the Centex across the river or one of two gas stations just down 1 St SE.

It would take an act of god to get either chain to locate there.