Westbrook Redevelopment Project

[kw5150]

From Other SSP member

Originally Posted by AB Born

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Calgary about 50 mins later
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Calgary from the plane by JordanW.ca, on Flickr

[kw5150]

Our first below ground station. The west LRT line is insane.

[Tropics]

Some new info on the project from the Planning Commision.

http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/DBA/Docume...b2011-0300.pdf

From that PDF, a pic of the south side of the proposed 35th street entrance with the south section of the central park.



From the picture it looks like the road that goes around the park will be 2-way traffic but I really hope they alter that and make all of the traffic flow around the park in a counter clockwise direction with people entering and exiting that road in the far right lane.

Like this


Ignoring the fact it looks like a 3 year old child drew it. I would very much like to see a 1-way traffic flow like that around the park instead of being 2-way traffic.

[MasterG]

Originally Posted by Tropics

From the picture it looks like the road that goes around the park will be 2-way traffic but I really hope they alter that and make all of the traffic flow around the park in a counter clockwise direction with people entering and exiting that road in the far right lane.


Ignoring the fact it looks like a 3 year old child drew it. I would very much like to see a 1-way traffic flow like that around the park instead of being 2-way traffic.

I agree, one-way traffic would be pretty good. It would work well for a taxi/ bus stops to service the station without disruption.

[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by Tropics

Ignoring the fact it looks like a 3 year old child drew it. I would very much like to see a 1-way traffic flow like that around the park instead of being 2-way traffic.

It will be 1-way. Those renderings were wrong. The connection is to 17th will be 1 blvd, not 2 2-way roads.

[Cabbage]

Would anyone know if anything is planned or what the lot pointed to could be used for?




Chris

[Tropics]

Originally Posted by Cabbage

Would anyone know if anything is planned or what the lot pointed to could be used for?

My hope for that lot is that it is a green space (some trees, grass, some rundle rock accents) and the future location of a pedestrian bridge which will go across Bow Trail from that corner and link up with the green space and entrance into the central park area of the development. on the north side.

From IBI group.

There is a bridge going over Bow Trail currently to the west but it is very old, outdated, ugly, and should be replaced to match the new development. I think that corner you showed is a perfect place for a new bridge and links up better with the whole community of spruce cliff then the current one.

[5seconds]

Originally Posted by Tropics

My hope for that lot is that it is a green space (some trees, grass, some rundle rock accents) and the future location of a pedestrian bridge which will go across Bow Trail from that corner and link up with the green space and entrance into the central park area of the development. on the north side.

From IBI group.

There is a bridge going over Bow Trail currently to the west but it is very old, outdated, ugly, and should be replaced to match the new development. I think that corner you showed is a perfect place for a new bridge and links up better with the whole community of spruce cliff then the current one.

Since that lot is at a controlled intersection, wouldn't pedestrian movement be better served by the existing traffic lights? The older bridge is halfway between 33rd and 37th, making it a more logical place to serve people between those roads. Having a bridge that ends a few feet from a crosswalk would seem like a waste to me.

[Tropics]

Originally Posted by 5seconds

Since that lot is at a controlled intersection, wouldn't pedestrian movement be better served by the existing traffic lights? The older bridge is halfway between 33rd and 37th, making it a more logical place to serve people between those roads. Having a bridge that ends a few feet from a crosswalk would seem like a waste to me.

Access to that existing bridge from most of the community sucks. You are walking through unlit parking lots and alleys to get to it. The building of the Westgate towers made access to that bridge even more limited then when it was first built. I also think that since Westbrook is going to be as pedestrian orientated as it is claimed to be and a major LRT station you don't make people cross Bow Trail at 33rd street via a traffic light and walk signal. There are a slew of people who live in Spruce Cliff that would use the LRT but that would be going WAY out of their way to walk west to the bridge only to then turn around and walk east back to 33rd street to walk along the golf course. At rush hour the lights for east/west Bow Trail are extremely long and people would be waiting a long time to cross the street.

[yyc16]

Hi everyone!

Long-time lurker, first-time poster. Does anyone know if there is anything planned for the empty lot at the NW corner of Bow Tr at 33 St SW/Spruce Dr SW? https://www.google.ca/maps/preview?h...Gyyw!2e0&fid=5

The West LRT landscaping documents say nothing more than a couple of trees will be planted but seems like such an ugly, barren waste of space that's also too small for a building?

Also I thought I had read a forum member say that the Shaganappi Library was going to the new building at Westbrook station...is this still happening or just a rumor?

Thanks!

[Chadillaccc]

The Library has always been the plan for the building at the North Station Portal and I believe it still is, no idea why it is taking so long though. In regard to your other question about the building, I doubt it. They can't really build anything substantial right there anyways, as the tunnel makes the site even smaller than it seems from the surface. Maybe some day they will do some kind of restaurant building and have it fronting on both the park/station area and the street, but who knows.

I'm mostly just curious if anymore towers are gonna go up in Westbrook in the near future... the original TOD called for more than a dozen!

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by Cabbage

Would anyone know if anything is planned or what the lot pointed to could be used for?



Chris

Originally Posted by Tropics

My hope for that lot is that it is a green space (some trees, grass, some rundle rock accents) and the future location of a pedestrian bridge which will go across Bow Trail from that corner and link up with the green space and entrance into the central park area of the development. on the north side.

Why would you need more green space there, when immediately East is massive green space? I say build it up 3-5 floors. You can have your pedway across the road from the 2nd or 3rd floor.

[TallBob]

Suburbia: I agree, the area has enough open/green right next to it. I was under the impression that there are possibly a couple of high-rise residential buildings similar in height to what already exists. Probably a few years down the road though.

[speedog]

Maybe the difference is publicly accessible green space - the golf course to the east isn't just somewhere that anyone can go for a nice evening/afternoon stroll, it has a most definite purpose.

[Tropics]

Originally Posted by suburbia

Why would you need more green space there, when immediately East is massive green space? I say build it up 3-5 floors. You can have your pedway across the road from the 2nd or 3rd floor.

Having a small green space there would create a far more appealing transition from the golf course then having green on one side of the road and a wall of builings on the other right to the corner.

[Chadillaccc]

I wonder why they haven't started any of the landscaping around the station yet I was looking forward to going there to enjoy the new park sometime this year.

[Chadillaccc]

Can anyone give us a hint as to when we might hear something about the future of Westbrook? Someone said something about it a while ago that we might hear something soon, but nothing...

[Tropics]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Can anyone give us a hint as to when we might hear something about the future of Westbrook? Someone said something about it a while ago that we might hear something soon, but nothing...

No doubt, the lack of talk about Westbrook is odd. The land sale for the old school site is closing on two years ago now.

Given how grand the original plans were for Westbrook Village I would have thought it would be a fairly well talked about development/proposed development area. It is probably the premier site in the entire city to attempt to build a fully functional TOD hub.

[Chadillaccc]

I agree. Also considering how well other suburban TODs are doing in far less "urban" type settings like University City and Groves of Varsity. You would think people would be clammering to buy in a TOD like this, right next to a subway station, in Killarney, tons of amenities around and on the way, etc.

[MasterG]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

I agree. Also considering how well other suburban TODs are doing in far less "urban" type settings like University City and Groves of Varsity. You would think people would be clammering to buy in a TOD like this, right next to a subway station, in Killarney, tons of amenities around and on the way, etc.

All in good time. Every neighbourhood to the south is intensifying by a factor of 2 or 3 with all the townhouses and small Multi-family developments. It won't be long until 17th Ave will continue as one stretch of urbanity (except the area around the hill by the old Children's Hospital). Probably already is the longest stretch of continuous density and some pedestrian retail in the city. It's strange that Centre never developed the same way with all the 5 - 10 storey apartment blocks from 33rd to Crowchild on 17th.