Taza Park: Tsuut’ina’s Ambitious Mixed-Use Development Plans

The Tssut’ina Nation recently announced the first phase of the residential component  Taza Park, their 6,500 mixed-use community on their land at the southwest edge of Calgary, near Grey Eagle Resort and Casino. Brookfield Residential will be marketing Rhythm at Taza Park – two and three bedroom townhomes. Crystal Creek Homes announced their Juniper Ridge Villas, side by sides, with some having views of the Weaselhead Flats and the Elbow River and Homes by Avi will be offering  2 and 3-bedroom townhomes with options for secondary suites.  The Sales & Marketing Centre will open in late May.

I expect many Calgarians have been wondering what the Tsuut’ina Nation’s ultimate plans are for their lands along the SW leg of the Calgary Ring Road given the popularity of the Buffalo Run Costco (one of the top five in Canada) and the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino (one of the busiest hotels and casinos in Alberta).

Yes, both are part of the Nation’s ambitious vision for capitalizing on the southwest leg of the Calgary Ring Road to create an ongoing economic engine for the Nation, while also sharing their stories and culture with Albertans and visitors.  

Taza is a Tsuut’ina word meaning “something wonderous.

”What is the Vision you ask?

The vision, as I understand it, is to create something wonderous, which will invite Calgarians of all backgrounds to live, work, play, recreate and be entertained within a village that reflects a uniquely Tsuut’ina sense of place.  The 1,220 acres will link Calgary’s existing communities of Lakeview with Discovery Ridge by creating three villages – Taza Park, Buffalo Run and The Crossing.  It is by far the largest infill project in the Calgary region.

TAZA Backstory

The Grey Eagle Resort and Casino opened in 2007. It existed all by itself for several years, waiting for the southwest leg of the Calgary Ring Road to be completed. The completion of the freeway in 2016 created a unique opportunity for the Nation to issue a Request for Proposals for a partnership with a major real estate developer who could assist them in developing their land to maximize the economic benefit of their people.  This resulted in a 50/50 joint venture between the Tsuut’ina Nation and Canderel, one of Canada’s major developers based in Montreal.  

TAZA Park Village

Taza Park is a huge 470 acre project – more than twice the size of Calgary’s University District. It will be designed around a linear park that will allow residents to walk through the park all the way to Weaslehead Flats. Or, they can walk up to the Grey Eagle Resort which will be expanded to become a more diverse entertainment/recreational hub.

Strangely for an urban village, the first developments were three major car dealerships, however strategically they will generate the revenue needed to support the development of a traditional, 3-block long main street with two-storey commercial buildings (no residential above) and surface parking at the back.  These in turn, will provide the amenities needed to attract people to want to live and play in the village. 

The phasing of the different developments is all part of linking the vision to the reality of Calgary’s current market for housing and commercial development. The reality is there is no economic or amenity support to create a high density style urban village at this site currently.  However, as the project evolves (the build out will be 15 to 20 years), the main street and car dealership sites are designed to enable them to be redeveloped to create a denser, mixed-use hub if market economic and market conditions warrant it in the future.

Taza Park’s 6,500-home residential development will begin this spring with the construction of approximately 500 homes by Brookfield Residential, Homes by Avi and Crystal Creek Homes.  Then, this summer, look for the announcement of a 5-storey condo project and 5-storey purpose built-rental projects that will add another 300+ homes.

Note: All homeowners will be subject to a long-term, pre-paid land lease that extends to the year 2114 and has a built-in renewal structure.

Also in the works is Taza Park West on the west side of the ring road that will connect to Discovery Ridge.  It will be a will be villas and townhomes, mixed with conventional, surface parking-oriented commercial development, (including a grocery store as the anchor). 

Recreation To Retail To Culture

Plans are currently being finalized to create a recreational hub that will encompass one or more of a volleyball, tennis and/or a pickle-ball centres, north of The Shops at Buffalo Run. It may even have a major SW indoor soccer centre, which would tie in nicely with the 7 Chiefs Sportsplex and Nation’s school already nearby.  There are also sites set aside for the Tssut’ina Nation to develop their own housing projects to the west of Costco.

While I am sure some would love to see a denser development, the reality is the market doesn’t support that kind of development there at this time. But kudos to the Taza development team for creating a plan that will allow for denser development in the future - if the market supports it.

While still early in the development, efforts are being made to integrate the Tsuut’ina stories and culture into the village in various ways.  For example, the Sales & Marketing Centre’s exterior will have landscaping elements that reflect Tsuut’ina’s sense of place and inside there will be a huge mural.

The Metro Ford dealership logo was reimagined by Keegan Starlight to honour the Tsuut’ina Nation culture.  Also, new murals have recently been added to some of the buildings at the Shops at Buffalo Run.  Expect, more cultural elements with each new project.

Last Word

It will be interesting to see how TAZA and Buffalo Run evolve over the next 10+ years.

HOw will it compete and/or compliment Calgary region’s other suburban villages – Quarry Park, SETON, West District, Trinity Hills, Greenwich and Alpine Park (a 476-acre “next generation” New Urbanist community also on the Calgary’s southwest edge).