Beltline redevelopment strides ahead in first few months of 2015

One of Calgary’s oldest districts out-paced all areas in the city for permit applications on multi-family development over the first two months of 2015.

The Beltline logged seven permit applications from Jan. 1 through the end of February, says the city’s planning and development department. Last year’s leader during the same span was the northwest community of Panorama Hills with 14 building permit applications. That year, Panorama was trailed by 12 in Redstone, nine in Mission, seven for Copperfield and six in Braeside.

The Beltline is in southwest Calgary and bordered by Canadian Pacific Railway to the north, 17th Avenue S.W. to the south, 14th Street S.W. to the west and the Elbow River to the east.

One of the busier developers in the Beltline in recent years has been B.C.-based Qualex-Landmark, with projects such as Calla, Mark on 10th and its recent launch of Park Point.

“Over the last decade, the gradual densification of the Beltline has contributed to creating greater community vitality,” says Parham Mahboubi, Qualex-Landmark’s vice-president of planning and marketing. “We see more pedestrians on the streets right into the evening hours, and this is only a glimpse of what’s to come. As the population grows, we expect to see more amenities and services attracted to the Beltline to serve this growing population, especially outside of business hours.”

Behind the Beltline in building permit applications is the new community of Legacy, which filed five total in January and February.

Other areas with strong interest in multi-family development over the first two months of 2015 include communities Cranston and Auburn Bay, which had three permit applications each. Both communities are master-planned by Brookfield Residential.
“Auburn Bay is an exceptionally well-designed community,” says Avi Urban’s president Charron Ungar. His company’s Canoe condo development is now under construction. “All the research and market study we completed prior to launching Canoe pointed to a strong and vibrant neighbourhood vibe where people were proud to call Auburn Bay home. The location of Canoe, standing adjacent the Auburn Station retail centre and the future LRT station, made it an incredible opportunity to develop something unique and exceptional.”

Lower Mount Royal also finished with three building permit applications from Jan. 1 through the end of February.

JOSH SKAPIN for The Calgary Herald
Published on: March 20, 2015