Mcleod Trail: A Future Urban Boulevard?

Did you know the City of Calgary has plans to transition Macleod Trail (from 25th Ave to Anderson Road) into an urban boulevard?  Yes indeed, over the next 30+ years, the goal is to widen the sidewalks, add bike lanes and create green spaces along the Trail to reduce the visual impact of the cars  and make it more pedestrian friendly.  The vision also includes diversifying and densifying The Trail with more residential development and associated amenities to make it more urban living friendly.

Learn more: Macleod Trail Open House

Could this become a tree-lined boulevard in the future?

Could we see more pedestrian bridges over Macleod Trail in the future?

Could these small commercial buildings be replaced by residential towers like the one in the distance? Could Macleod Trail become tree-lined?

Far-fetched?

Maybe not. Recently the Ranchman’s  owners announced it was closing the Cookhouse & Dance Hall so the site could be converted into a boutique urban hub with a mix of low-rise residential and commercial buildings called Ranchman Village.

When I first heard this, I was hoping the Cookhouse and Dance Hall might move to the downtown or Stampede Park so it could become a more accessible tourist attraction, like the large honky tonks in Nashville and Austin – and perhaps even anchor a live music street.

But quickly the owners announced plans to temporarily relocate the honky-tonk to another suburban location, while they create Ranchman’s Village, which includes a new building for the Cookhouse & Dancehall as its anchor for a mixed-use development. Exactly what the City is looking for.

A bold idea, given live music and partying (think loud) and residential living don’t mix well. Ranchman’s is not Alvins Jazz club - the live music venue that is part of Westman Village in Mahogany.  In fact, Westman Village on a smaller scale could be the model used for Ranchman’s Village.

Ranchman’s Cookhouse and Dancehall currently looks like a western movie set.

The Ranchman’s site along with the empty could become a tiny village with housing, retail, services and a new dancehall.

Rendering of what the new Ranchman’s Village might look like. It will be similar to Trinity Hills development as it is the same developer.

Urban Living on The Trail

Ranchman’s Village isn’t the only residential development planned for Macleod Trail. Heritage Plaza, a 26-storey residential building at the corner of Macleod Trail and Heritage Drive is also in the works.

OPUS Corporation’s Mission Landing at Mission Road opened last year, adding 70 new homes.  Older Trail residential developments include:

• The Gateway at South Centre at Anderson Road with 500 homes.

• The Pinnacle is a 27-storey residential building with 278 homes at Southland Drive

• Kingsland Junction at Heritage Drive consists of five buildings with 400 new homes and 249 “aging in place” suites. As well, there is a cluster of six high-rise residential towers between 2nd and 3rd St and 55th and 57th Ave SW, next to a small green space and playground just a block from Macleod Trail.

With the South LRT tracks running parallel to the Trail, there are numerous opportunities for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) next to Macleod Trail. The 39th Street Station is ripe for redevelopment and could anchor a funky industrial district in Manchester.

The Chinook LRT station area is ripe for residential development with empty lots and several  underutilized sites nearby. In fact, Cadillac Fairview (owner of Chinook Centre) recently broke ground on a two tower residential project (20 and a 19-storeys), creating 490 new homes next to the station.  The massive pedestrian bridge over Macleod Trail to Chinook Centre makes the area a unique place to live.

There is already the beginning of an urban village near Macleod Trail near 58th Avenue SW.

It even has its own park and playground

One the west side of Macleod Trail there are dozens of low rise residential buildings within easy walking distance of Macleod Trail.

This entire block next to the Chinook LRT station will become two residential towers. You can see Chinook Centre in the background.

Could this pedestrian bridge link a new urban village around the Chinook LRT station with the Chinook Centre along Macleod Trail in the future? New residential developments are already under construction.

And just south of Glenmore Trail, there are plans for a new LRT Station (funded by the developer) that will allow for the creation of Midtown Village.  The master plan includes 25+ buildings ranging in height from 3 to 42 storeys, incorporating a mix of residential, office, hotel, retail, restaurant, fitness, professional and other commercial uses.  The new community could ultimately be home to about 11,000 people living in about 6,500 new multi-family homes, on par with East Village.

A reminder that the Manchester neighbourhood along Macleod Trail was once a mix of residential and industrial sites.

World’s Best Urban Boulevards

Here are the streets considered by many. to be the best urban boulevards around the world.

• Champs-Élysées, Paris (France): Renowned as a 17th-century masterpiece running from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, characterized by manicured trees, high-end retail, and cafés.

• Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona (Spain): A mile-long avenue featuring exquisite architecture, tiled benches, and four rows of trees.

• Avenida da Liberdade, Lisbon (Portugal): Often called the "Champs-Élysées of Lisbon," it offers 27-foot-wide pedestrian paths with intricate paving and luxury brands.

• Grand Boulevards, Paris (France): Originating from 1670, this 4-km stretch from Bastille to Madeleine was built where old city fortifications were destroyed.

• Unter den Linden, Berlin (Germany): A historic boulevard leading through the heart of Berlin, famously lined with linden trees.

• Avenida de Mayo, Buenos Aires (Argentina): Famous for its stunning architecture, connecting the Plaza de Mayo with the Congress Building.

• Gran Via, Madrid (Spain): A bustling, grand avenue known for its early 20th-century architecture, theaters, and shopping.

• Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Boston (USA): Inspired by Parisian boulevards, this 32-acre pedestrian mall is a designed green space in the heart of the city.

Avenida de Mayo, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Source: Gloria Lau

Last Word

Creating a series of residential hubs along Macleod Trail might not be as “far-fetched” as you might immediately think.  In fact, approximately 10,000 people currently live along or near The Trail from 25th Ave SW to Canyon Meadows Drive.

A quick check of Google Earth shows  there are several potential green spaces along or near Macleod Trail that could become pocket parks and with some tree planting, sound walls to buffer traffic noise they could become attractive green spaces those living along the Trail.

Macleod Trail will never become a beautiful boulevard (defined as multi-laned city avenue with a landscaped median, wide sidewalks and tree canopy), but it could become a reasonably nice place to live with some innovative urban design thinking.