Victoria Park: Calgary’s Forgotten Urban Village

For those of you new to Calgary, Victoria Park is the second oldest communities in the city, originally called East Ward in the 1880s, it became Victoria Park in 1905.  But today it is most often referred to as the Beltline, which was created in 2003, when three communities south of downtown - Victoria Park, Connaught and South Downtown - were merged into one community for planning purposes. Victoria Park’s boundaries were  from the CPKC (formerly CPR) railway tracks to 17th Ave and from the Elbow River to 4nd St. SW. The name Victoria Park has been kept alive by the Victoria Park Business Improvement Area.

Victoria Park’s new residential towers are lined up like a chessboard

Here are the populations of Calgary’s City Centre communities in 2016.

Here are the populations of Calgary’s City Centre communities 10 years later. The Beltline’s population has increased by 10,000 people (1,000 per year) with much of that in Victoria Park. Downtown West’s population has increased by 1,200, the Core and Eau Claire by about 1,000, East Village by 400 and Chinatown by 300. This is very healthy growth.

The current City Centre population is about 55,000 people which is expected to increase substantially over the next 5 to 10 years if all of the proposed residential project are completed and fully occupied.

Victoria Park Main Street

Over the past 20 years, Victoria Park has quietly been transformed from a forgotten neighbourhood of old cottage and boarding-house homes, neglected red-brick warehouses and tired walk-up apartments to a budding 20th century high-rise urban village.  

Every good urban village needs its own main street. Victoria park has First Street (1st Steet SW from 10 to 17thAve SW) with is eclectic mix of funky bars, traditional pubs (Bottlescrew Bill’s), hip restaurants (Ten Foot Henry and  Pat and Betty), a Starbucks cafe, as well as fitness and yoga studios and O’Connors Men’s and Ladies clothing stores (established in 1958), as its retail anchor.

The First Street Market, a modern food hall, (think upscale food court on street level, featuring local chef cuisine, no food chains) and a second food hall, The District at Beltline just a block away as part of an office complex.

Victoria Park is home two major hotels – Art Hotel and Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites, both along 12thAvenue SW. It also includes two of Calgary’s iconic heritage sites – Memorial Park and Library and Haultain School.

It even has its own signature festival “Night Lights” which happens the last weekend in September. This year’s festival attracted 65,000 people over three nights to experience fun light installations at eight different sites. 

And, while Victoria Park includes Stampede Park, the Stampede has its own identity and agenda.

1st Street is an eclectic collection of new and old buildings housing a diversity of pubs, lounges, restaurants, retail and recreational businesses.

Memorial Park with its Carnegie Library is just one of many heritage sites.

Pixel Park is Victoria Park’s newest public space.

Victoria Park is home to two Food Halls.

Victoria Park is home to a heritage warehouse row.

The Custom Building anchors the warehouse row.

Victoria Park is home to innovative places like this office tower build to house Decidedly Jazz performance space and offices for various non-profits.

There is also a Youth Campus at Stampede Park that is home to various art groups from the Stampede’s Young Canadians to Calgary Arts Academy.

Mega Residential Development

Over the past 20 years, Victoria Park has seen a staggering 4,664 new homes built, in 19 new residential towers (mix of condos and purpose-built rentals).  

Note: While East Village gets all the media and urban planner attention for its mega makeover, with over $350M in infrastructure upgrades, as well as a mega new library and museum - Victoria Park has experienced twice as much residential development, with little new infrastructure upgrades and no community revitalization levy, just good old private sector investment.

Currently there are several major residential projects under construction or being marketed in Victoria Park.  Vesta Properties’ “Broadway on 17th” project is a 1,000 home, three residential tower project (tallest 47-storeys) on the northeast corner of 17th Ave and 4th Street SW that includes a multi-story retail/entertainment complex at the street level. It will be where Victoria Park, 17th Avenue and 4th Street/Mission meet. 

Truman Homes recently announced its iconic project - a twin tower hotel/residential development that will include a 69-storey W Calgary Hotel and 62-storey JW Mariott Calgary hotel tower. This project will add 700 luxury hotel rooms and 360 residences across from the Victoria Park/Stampede LRT Station.

Truman has three other residential developments in Victoria Park – The Lincoln a 37-storey tower, located at 11th Ave and 2nd Street SW that will add 274 new homes, the 19-storey, The Gallery, at 1st Street and 10th Ave SW, will add 120 homes and Imperia a 27-storey tower at the corner of 11th Ave and 4th St SW, with 273 new homes.

One Properties is currently working the demolition of the old TransAlta block, across from the Arts Hotel to make way for the first Beltline Block tower a 36-storey condo development with 300+ homes. Eventually the block will be home to four towers (1,457 new homes) as well as street retail, restaurant and entertainment spaces.

And Homes by Avi is currently building Sovereign on 17th a 155 home, 12-storey mid-rise building at 17th Ave and 2nd Street SW.

By the early 2030s, Victoria Park could see the addition of another 2,500+ homes and 1,000+ hotel rooms.

Truman’s Stampede Station Project includes two hotel residential towers

Vesta Properties, Broadway on 17th will add 1,000 new homes and a mix-use entertainment anchor at the southwest edge of Victoria Park.

The Elephant in The Room

Recently I had tea with David Low the Executive Director of the Victoria Park Business Improvement Area (who has been the ED for 18 years and is the founder of Night Lights) to chat about Victoria past, present and future. The conversation quickly moved to the neighbourhood’s future and the impact of the Green Line.

While Low has been at many Green Line meetings, he thinks it is still anyone’s guess how the LRT trains will travel through Victoria Park to get downtown.  We also pondered what might happen if the proposed Central Station on the block between 9th and 10th Avenues SE and between 5th and 6th Streets SE ever gets built.

If it does, Victoria Park will become a major transportation hub, not only for Calgary, but Alberta with potential rail links to Edmonton, Banff and the Calgary International Airport, as well as within the city. 

Last Word

While Victoria Park was forgotten for most the latter half of the 20th century, it is currently experiencing a renaissance that could see it become one of Calgary’s, perhaps Canada’s most dynamic urban villages by 2035, with walkability to Stampede Park, MNP Community and Sport Centre), 4th Street and 17th Avenue and Stephen Avenue pedestrian streets (as well as its own 1st Street) and the Olympic Plaza Arts District.

Or it could be home to a white elephant i.e. the Green Line to nowhere. Stay tuned!