Calgarians love living on the edge of the downtown core!
While City politicians and planners are in panic mode over the decline of Calgary’s downtown based on office vacancy rates, they are missing the fact all of the neighbourhoods on the edge of our downtown core are still growing a places to live.
Yes the collective population of what the City is now calling the “Greater Downtown” (Beltline, Commercial Core, Chinatown, East Village, Eau Claire and Downtown West) has risen from 33,799 in over 45,000 over the past 10 years. A healthy growth of about 1,200 people per year.
The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) railway tracks clearly divide the greater downtown in half, with the north side being mostly offices and the south side residential. Even along the tracks the north side is still surface parking lots while the south side parking lots are gradually being converted to residential towers. This photo is several years old, there are 6+ new residential towers (see three construction cranes in photo) along 10th Ave SW i.e on the edge of the downtown core.
Greater Downtown Growing
And, If you measure the population growth of the neighbourhoods on the edge of the “Greater Downtown” from 2014 to 2019 i.e. the period of downtown’s office vacancy increase, the residential population has increased from 75,019 to 89,702. A healthy 2,500+ per year increase.
You would think with the decline in the number of people working downtown there would be a decline in the number of people who want to live in and near it. But that doesn’t appear to be the case. City Centre continues to be a very attractive place to live, especially on the edge of the downtown core.
Yes there has been a decline in condo development, but that has been replaced by an increase in purpose built rental, by the same condo developers. In fact, all of the residential developers I have talked to lately are bullish on residential development at the edge of our downtown.
There is a strong sentiment the younger demographic still want to live downtown post COVID - the downtown defined as everything from Mission to Kensington and from Sunalta to Inglewood.
This is the City of Calgary’s boundaries of what planners are now calling the “greater downtown.” What it doesn’t include is all of the residential development happening north of the Bow River in West Hillhurst, Hillhurst, Sunnyside, Bridgeland, Riverside, which is very much a part of the Caglary’s vibrant and growing urban living scene.
Summary of the new residential development in Calgary’s City Centre.
SoDo Is Very Appealing
One of the most active areas for residential development today is in what used to be called South Downtown aka SoDo (i.e. 10th 11th and 12th Avenues from Macleod Trail to 14th Street SW). Over the past few months several new projects have been announced in SoDo.
The Hat on 14th, by Cidex is just one of several new residential towers south of the CPR railway tracks.
Centron recently announced they are proceeding with the second tower of The Oliver, an 862-home, two tower project on 10th Ave at 4th St. SW.
Cidex has started construction of the Hat @ 14th which will add 239 homes, in a 28-storey building at the corner of 10th Ave and 14th St SW.
Construction has also started on Sunalta Heights, a 207-home, 27-storey project on 10th Ave SW just west of 14th Street, by Housing One.
And, Intergulf Development’s Eleven a handsome 44-storey project with 369 new homes on the northwest corner of 11th Ave and 11th St SW is well on its way to completion.
These projects join the recently completed SoDo projects like Park Central by Hines with 462 homes and Strategic Group’s UPTEN with 379-homes. In total there are currently over 2,500 new homes under-construction or recently completed in SoDo on the edge of downtown. All of which have commercial spaces at street level which will eventually help enhance the neighbourhood’s street animation when leased.
For the past 10 years, SoDo’s 10th Ave has been transformed from an early 21st century warehouse district to a modern highrise residential district.
It is interesting to note the huge surface parking lots along the south side of 9th Avenue SW in the downtown (that would offer better walkability to downtown and all of its amenities) have not attracted any residential developer interest over the same period. What does that tell you?
The Oliver is a two tower 862 new home project currently under construction on 10th Ave SW on the edge of the downtown core in what used to be called South Downtown, as it is south of the CPR railway tracks. What was once the wrong side of the tracks is now the right side of the tracks!
Living On The Edge
And, it is not only SoDo that is experiencing healthy residential development on the edge of downtown, there are new projects in Kensington Village, Bridgeland and even as far away as West Hillhurst and Inglewood.
It would appear Calgarians like living on the edge of the downtown core, just not right in it.
I can’t help but wonder if the City of Calgary is measuring the wrong data when it comes to evaluating the health and well-being of what they are now calling the “Greater Downtown.”
Instead of lamenting about the empty office buildings in the downtown core, should we be celebrating the construction of new residential developments on the edge of the downtown core.
Surely one of the best signs of a healthy downtown is a growing residential population. It will be interesting to see how quickly the new residential developments on the edge of the downtown are occupied. Before COVID, 100+ new downtown residences were being occupied per month, as the demand for living on the edge was strong.
This rendering is of The Theodore condo currently under construction next to the Sunnyside LRT station, Safeway store, Riley Park and the shops of Kensington Village
Still image of Vic on 5th from website video, with Riley Park in the foreground and downtown in the background.
The first building is complete and the second building of the Dominion project is under construction. Dominion is just one of several new residential projects located near the Bridgeland/Riverside LRT Station and next to the Murdoch Park, making it an ideal place for urban living.
The Bridge (285 new homes) is also under construction across the street from Dominion and also next to Murdoch Park. (computer rendering from Jemm Properties website)
Last Word
Jackson Cornelius at Urban Analytics (a firm that specializes in multifamily data collection in Calgary and Vancouver) is cautiously optimistic there will be a strong demand for downtown living in the future as a result of Calgary’s status as one of the most liveable cities in the world.
He points to the success of projects like Park Central which has had good absorption rates, as evidence Calgary’s downtown is an attractive place to live, especially on the edge.
The Dominion in Bridgeland has also done well and BOSA announcement that they will be proceeding with the second tower (42 floors) of Arris at East Village are also signs that Calgarians love living on the edge of their downtown core.
Note: An edited version of this blog was published in the Caglary Herald’s New Homes + Condos on Saturday August 7th.