Grocery Stores Linked To Housing Projects
Grocery stores have played a huge role in shaping Calgary for the 75+ years. In the 50s they were integrated into neighbourhood main streets, then later in the 20th century they became anchors for shopping centres - North Hill, Glenmore Landing and Market Mall still have one.
In the early 21st century they became anchors for suburban “power centers”, where each retailer has their own pad randomly placed in a sea of surface parking that discourages any walking from store to store.
Grocery stores have also evolved to meet the changing market - they are no longer just about food, they are a florist, a café and a drug store i.e. a one-stop-shop for most of your weekly needs. Today they often anchor suburban retail hubs with other shops to help make suburban communities more walkable. Here are some samples.
Calgary Co-op and Truman Homes propose a mega mixed-use development with grocery store as the anchor in Marda Loop an established neighbourhood.
Marda Loop Co-op Mega Block
Calgary Co-op grocery store (in partnership with Truman Homes) have proposed a mega project that will transform an entire block into an urban living hub. It is probably one of the most complex mixed-use projects Calgary has ever seen with 458 homes (including 48 affordable homes) in three buildings (tallest 19 storeys), as well as a Calgary Co-op Grocery Store, six independent retail spaces and four levels of parking for 696 stalls.
Suburban Grocery Anchors
I have been advocating for decades that power centers should include residential, ideally above the retailers, but to no avail until recently. New suburban neighbourhood retail hubs by Royop Developments in Nolan Hill and Carrington Green in the northwest Calgary have been designed with residential buildings next to the grocery stores, and other everyday amenities from recreation to retail to medical offices, creating a very walkable lifestyle.
The Shops at Carrington Green is anchored by a NoFrills grocery store and The Jovie Apartment block (182 purpose built rentals) all next to the Rotary/Mattamy Greenway and a nature reserve. The hub also include office space for doctors, dentists and other professional services, as well as restaurants, retail and recreational businesses, enhancing the walkability.
New Grocery Stores in Established Communities
Calgary’s older communities are also seeing new grocery stores anchoring residential development. Royop’s Munro project is joint partnership with with Calgary Co-op to integrate a full 40,000 sf new grocery store with 189 new homes above along 16th Ave NE in Tuxedo Park. It is expected to open in 2025.
There is also the Northland Village Mall that is being retrofitted to become more a “village” and less a “mall” buy adding add residential with easy walking distance to amenities including the Walmart that is grocery store, pharmacy, clothing and car repair.
And then there is RioCan’s proposal to redevelop the Glenmore Landing shopping centre, keeping the Safeway but surrounding it with residential development.
Save On Foods at the base of a residential building anchors University Districts Main Street.
Grocery Stores Anchor Inner City Redevelopment
The Royal condo includes a Save-On-Foods grocery store at street level and Canadian Tire on the second level.
The Midtown Calgary Co-op store opened on 11th Ave and 11th Street in 2004, with a residential tower just across the parking lot. Since then several new residential towers have been built within walking distance.
In 2007, The Keynote project in Victoria Park incorporated a Sunterra grocery store as part of the three tower project - two residential towers, one office tower. It has been the catalyst for the construction of numerous residential towers nearby.
In the Beltline, BOSA Development incorporated an Urban Fare grocery store (now a Save-On_Foods) into its 34-storey The Royal condominium tower with 223 new homes back in 2018
University District’s main street (University Ave) was initiated with the construction of a Save-On-Foods grocery store at street level with residential above in 2020. Today there are three blocks of retail, restaurants and recreation outlets along University Ave NW with residential above them. It is a bit like the traditional ‘50s and ’60s main street model where the shop keepers lived above their stores, but with modern twist.
In East Village Superstore also opened in 2020 with one large rental tower above it. A second condo tower was completed in late 2023. Calgary Municipal Land Corporation’s promise of an East Village grocery store was the incentive for the construction of the numerous residential buildings.
Look for an urban grocery store to be added to the third phase of Cidex’s West Village Towers in Downtown West and possibly to Truman Homes’ Frontier residential project on the old Kensington Legion site in West Hillhurst.
Last Word
The days of the old mid-century pedestrian oriented main streets with mom and pop shops are gone. The new urban model is more of a hub, with a grocery store as the anchor and a few restaurants, recreational and medical offices.