University City - What's Your Opinion

[Design-mind]

Cladding almost finished.

[Design-mind]

[Design-mind]

You can see the townhomes being built in the background.

[ClaytonA]

http://www.calgaryplanninggm.com/2015/10/university-city-tod-nears-completion.html

[ClaytonA]

Originally Posted by Spring2008

Any renders available?

http://www.calgary.ca/engage/Pages/Blakiston-Park.aspx

https://vimeo.com/123755155

[ClaytonA]

From the calgary construction xxv thread;

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

and the first phase of Brentwood Village, likely another partnership between Riocan and Knightsbridge...



http://riocan.com/docs/default-source/de...developmentbook.pdf?Status=Temp&sfvrsn=2

I'd like to see this tower one or two storeys higher than buildings 3 and 4 instead of the same height and maintain the two floors of commercial/office at grade. For the live-work-play ideal of TOD, complete community, and with the townhomes (phase 3/building 5) ending up residential townhomes instead of commericial/office, that 2nd floor should be commercial. Tough sell in Calgary right now I suppose.

Looks like there's a fair bit of the new empty right now;

[ClaytonA]

Just to remind of the % shifting more towards residential only;

Originally Posted by roccerfeller

^Yep, and they are also starting sales of building 5, and they tossed the idea around quite a bit regarding what it would be for...at one point was just offices, changed apparently only for seniors, now they settled with more spacious condos akin to the other buildings
...

10 reasons to go somewhere, used in morning, midday, evening, and at night. With the exercise place, residences, and pubs there's a fair bit of this covered off. With the office/lab space across Crowchild in the University Research Park and Executive One Place at Motel Village there'd be some critical mass to draw in offices to these buildings for that office worker having lunch, & etc midday.

Plus those units on the second floor looking into adjacent offices would be harder to sell.

[DizzyEdge]

I'm surprised there's been no upzoning directly east of the Univesity station.

[MasterG]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

I'm surprised there's been no upzoning directly east of the Univesity station.

See page 10 here. The engagement process is underway. This would be huge if they were able to get this proposed zoning approved. Both Banff Trail and University station would be upzoned to medium-density mid rise, not to mention much of the neighbourhood being unlocked for increased density in other forms.

[DizzyEdge]

Well speak of the devil, that's great. This will be interesting though, creating TOD in an almost completely single story SFH community. Will take some careful architecture, especially since the block directly adjacent to Banff Trail station is R-C1(!), and I see that single story zoning area is being proposed to be raised to 5-6 stories, crazy. But good.

I really want to see the city make a portion of that extra density be dependent on bonusing though, I dislike when it's all just given away.

So much potential rowhouse zoning, love that.

[LFRENCH]

Originally Posted by MasterG

See page 10 here. The engagement process is underway. This would be huge if they were able to get this proposed zoning approved. Both Banff Trail and University station would be upzoned to medium-density mid rise, not to mention much of the neighbourhood being unlocked for increased density in other forms.

I'm currently working with this.... Medium mid rise is projected to be 15m in elevation. I think 20m elevation is a bit of a stretch from what the built form they are suggesting.

There won't be the density that has so far been developed in University City, however I know that the elevations along the 16th avenue corridor study caught some of community members by surprise.

[LFRENCH]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

I really want to see the city make a portion of that extra density be dependent on bonusing though, I dislike when it's all just given away.

So much potential rowhouse zoning, love that.

I don't think you have to worry about extra density being given away in this neighborhood. There was a infill built on a C-COR2 lot nearby.

[ClaytonA]

Next phase news; 11 storeys, 165 units, ground floor retail, 2 floor parkade

The joint venture involves an equal 50% interest, in which, each will provide its best-in-class retail and residential expertise to co-develop the asset. To maximize the value of the development, RioCan will manage the retail component, and Boardwalk will manage the residential component each on a cost basis.

RioCan and Boardwalk are currently working together to finalize the submission of plans for a development permit. Subject to certain conditions including the receipt of both the development permit and the subdivision of the lands on terms and conditions satisfactory to both RioCan and Boardwalk, closing is expected to occur in mid-2017, with construction beginning as early as Q3, 2017.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/...d-village-shopping-centre-600748961.html

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by Policy Wonk

The only likely outcome I see for Brentwood is total gridlock in every form imaginable. I think TOD is great, just don't set it up to fail.

Ignoring cars, roads and parking requirements entirely... 201 is already at the point of dysfunction during rush hour with its present passenger catchment, how does introducing thousands more of what are theoretically supposed to be new transit using residents, to the middle of the route lead to an acceptable outcome?

Unless this is to become an annex of U of C the real external transportation challenges need to be confronted, and four car C-Trains will still be full before they get to Brentwood.

I just had to re-post this from the first page. An apocalyptic vision which turned out to be completely incorrect.

As for the development, glad to see more intensification there.

[MasterG]

Originally Posted by ClaytonA

Next phase news; 11 storeys, 165 units, ground floor retail, 2 floor parkade



http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/...d-village-shopping-centre-600748961.html

Great idea. Keep it coming.

I really hope the Co-op proposal get's re-designed though. It's immediately adjacent to the station and the site deserves better than a huge tower, surface tower and no new street connectivity. Not against the density - the more the better - but the whole transit-oriented thing requires a level of design to be successful and attractive that I don't see in the plans yet.

[CalgaryAlex]

Originally Posted by ClaytonA

Next phase news; 11 storeys, 165 units, ground floor retail, 2 floor parkade



http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/...d-village-shopping-centre-600748961.html

No indication as to location of this, is there?

I actually took my first walk through University City yesterday. I like it. The townhouses at the back are a bit awkward and crammed-in (other than the units facing Blakiston Dr), but overall I like the feel of the development.

[MasterG]

Originally Posted by CalgaryAlex

No indication as to location of this, is there?

I actually took my first walk through University City yesterday. I like it. The townhouses at the back are a bit awkward and crammed-in (other than the units facing Blakiston Dr), but overall I like the feel of the development.

During your walk see if any of the work on Blakiston Park yet? I recall there were some planned improvements slated for it a while back.

Give it another decade or so and Brentwood is on track to become a really nice urban village outside the core. I expect to see the SFH areas of Charleswood, Brentwood and Banff Trail evolve as a neighbourhood as well, hopefully at higher densities than the more typical Calgary infill practices of replacing one million dollar house with two 750K houses.

We can only have a major job and student institution plopped down in the middle of under-developed, low-density neighbourhoods before land uses catch up to the accessibility that the area provides.

[CalgaryAlex]

Originally Posted by MasterG

During your walk see if any of the work on Blakiston Park yet? I recall there were some planned improvements slated for it a while back.

Give it another decade or so and Brentwood is on track to become a really nice urban village outside the core. I expect to see the SFH areas of Charleswood, Brentwood and Banff Trail evolve as a neighbourhood as well, hopefully at higher densities than the more typical Calgary infill practices of replacing one million dollar house with two 750K houses.

We can only have a major job and student institution plopped down in the middle of under-developed, low-density neighbourhoods before land uses catch up to the accessibility that the area provides.

There was some equipment on site and they had ripped up the east end of the park, immediately adjacent to University City. There were two large mounds of earth which had been sprayed with hydroseed, so I don't know if there will be any progress over the winter.

[Tarsus]

Originally Posted by CalgaryAlex

No indication as to location of this, is there?

I actually took my first walk through University City yesterday. I like it. The townhouses at the back are a bit awkward and crammed-in (other than the units facing Blakiston Dr), but overall I like the feel of the development.

Yes, about 10 posts above.

[CalgaryAlex]

Originally Posted by Tarsus

Yes, about 10 posts above.

Ah, saw the 2015 date stamp a few posts up and didn't keep scrolling. Thanks