It is hard to tell these days whether Calgary’s downtown is thriving or struggling. One day you hear about Brooks Brothers closing the next day you learn a No Frills grocery store is going to open in the west end. I thought it would be fun to look at the yin and yang of downtown.

Evidence of thriving…

Recently Arts Commons (now the Werklund Centre, thanks to David Werklund’s $75 million gift) broke ground on the first phase of its ambitious transformation – two new theatre spaces, one 1,000 seats and another 200 seats. In doing so it will create one of the largest performing art campuses in North America.

New theatre spaces to be added to Arts Commons on the Olympic Plaza block. CMLC image.

We also can look forward to the re-opening of the Glenbow (soon to be the JR Centre for Arts & Culture, that to the Shaw family’s $35 million donation) which will include 34 exhibition spaces, five back of house museum experiences and a roof-top sculpture garden.

The most recent positive news for downtown was Contemporary Calgary’s announcement of $40M funding from the Province which will allow them to commence with the $125M transformation of the iconic planetarium building and site into a unique contemporary gallery and park space by 2029. It could see the relocation of the Family of Man sculptures from the east side of downtown the west. This would be an interesting move as both the sculpture and planetarium were conceived as part of Canada’s 1967 Centennial celebrations. (Photo credit: Contemporary Calgary).

Together these two projects along with the National Music Centre should attract more Calgarians to come downtown on a regular basis, hopefully bring family and friends downtown when they come to visit. It could also put our downtown on the map as a major culture attraction for tourists.

While Calgary still struggles with office vacancies, our office to residential conversion program has been a huge hit. Over the next few years, 10+ office conversions will be completed creating 1,400 new homes or about 2,500 more people calling downtown home.

In addition to conversions there are also two major new residential towers going up along 4th Ave SW. One at 5th Street that will be 32 storeys tall with create 268 new homes and a 33 storey tower at 6th Street, that will include 340 rental homes, with 50 being affordable housing (rents priced at 30% of median Calgary income determined by Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation).

There is also more good residential news, the first & park condo in Eau Claire was sold out before completion late in 2024, a sure sign of a healthy market for downtown living. And the announcement that a No Frills grocery store will be opening at Cidex’s West Village Towers complex (it opens March 13, 2024) will be a game changer for the west end of downtown. East Village residential development continues with 900 new homes in the pipeline with 400 anticipated to start construction in 2025.

Downtown has also become home to two new hotels over the past few years. The Dorian, with its Oscar Wilde theme opened in 2022 and in 2024 received a “One Key” designation by the Michelin hotel guide. And a block away Hampton Inn by Hilton will open a new 151 room hotel in 2025. There is also a new office to hotel conversion under construction in the west end at the corner of 8th Street and 4th Ave SW - Element Hotel by Westin. PBA Group of Companies, who also own Dorian are behind this project.

But the big news is that the University of Calgary has signed a deal to occupy the bottom 7 floors of the empty Nexen Building, which should also trigger more development in the building and surrounding area. This combined with the University’s 8th and 8th building, as well as several other colleges and ELS schools will transform Downtown West into a postsecondary campus.

In addition, existing office towers are become more mixed-use with the addition of major restaurants, bars and lounges. The Concorde Entertainment Group is all in at Stephen Avenue Place, with their roof-top Major Tom bar and restaurant, Barbarella restaurant at street level and the huge Pineapple Hall and Pigeonhole on the Plus 15 level.

A few blocks away Suncor Energy Centre’s lobby is getting a mega makeover to convert it into not only a modern food hall, but a gathering place with a 300-seat amphitheatre that will allow for films, live music and art exhibitions weekdays, weekends and evenings.

And Millennium Park has been renamed Cowboys Park as a result of a new naming agreement with Penny Lane Entertainment group, owner of Cowboys Casino who have plans to enhancing the park’s ability to host more festivals and events. However, some are not very happy with this.

Today, Calgary is the fastest growing tech hub in North America with 78% growth over the past 5 years, with nearly 60,000 positions mostly located in the downtown.

When you add it all up over one billion dollars in being invested in our downtown by private sources, definitely a sign of a healthy downtown.

In the summer Stephen Avenue Walk has a vibrant patio scene.

Negative Developments

The closure of the Brooks Brothers store one of the anchors of the downtown’s mega Core shopping centre is negative news, however it should noted the parent company is closing stores worldwide. Downtown brick and mortal shops are struggling in every North American city due to the ever increasing popularity of online shopping, but in Calgary increased shoplifting has become big issue for downtown shop owners.

Crime and safety in downtowns across Canada are a huge issue with stores closing as a result. Every media story about downtown crime and safety anywhere, negatively impacts the public’s image of Calgary’s downtown.

In Oct 2024, City of Calgary announced $1.9 million to improve public safety in the downtown, based on the Downtown Safety Leadership Table recommendations. This is the latest in a series of attempts to address downtown safety issues that have been plaguing downtown for 10+ years. The Calgary Foundations’ 2024 annual survey found 78% of Calgarians don’t feel safe walking alone in downtown after dark. That is not a sign of a healthy downtown.

In addition, there are serious safety issues with Calgary’s LRT, often associated with downtown, like the September 2024 stabbing at the City Hall LRT station at 8:45 p.m. The City has committed $15 million annually to hire 65 additional transit peace officers to reduce criminal activity and deter illicit behaviour at LRT stations. But will that be enough?

Another major factor in the public’s negative perception of downtown is the number of people sleeping, inebriated, urinating, shooting-up or acting strangely on downtown streets and public spaces.

And then there are the endless road closures and detours due to construction that make driving downtown a nightmare. This will only get worse if/when another LRT line is added to the downtown. For many it is easier to just avoid going downtown all together.

Last Word

Regrettably when it comes to downtowns, the good news is quickly forgotten, but the bad news lingers for years. Unfortunately, it will take decades to change public perception when it comes to downtown safety, and only after we can make it safe again – day and night, for people of all ages and backgrounds.

An edited version of this blog was published in the Calgary Herald’s New Homes + Condos on Feb 22, 2025.

Is Calgary's Downtown Thriving OR Struggling to Survive?

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