Calgary considers park space sale, local group pushes back
Posted Oct 15, 2023 10:10 am.
Last Updated Oct 15, 2023 12:39 pm.
As the City of Calgary contemplates the potential sale of Glenmore Landing green space, a local preservation group is questioning that choice.
Communities for Glenmore Landing Preservation (CGLP) was formed in July to voice their concerns and to “mitigate the proposed development” made by RioCan.
The parcels of land in question are located to the south and east of the Glenmore Landing Shopping Centre. While the area was once designated as mature greenspace, the city has since altered the labelling, marking it as surplus land.
“One of the environmental mandates from the city is to preserve the parkland. It seems incongruous that they’d want to sell parkland in order to redevelop,” said Karen Pauling Shepard, a member of the Glenmore Landing Preservation group.
“If the city is successful in selling parkland, it sets a precedent for the entire city.”
RioCan made an agreement with the city to acquire the 5.6 acres of land around the centre in 2022 and put forward a land use amendment application in May.
The city acquired the land in the 1980s and made an agreement with the former owner that the land would be used only for green space. RioCan says the densification process could take 15-20 years.
“Imagine in 15 years when the project is complete, you’ll have nine high rises at this location, between nine and 36 stories tall,” Leslie Farrar, Communities for Glenmore Landing Preservation, told CityNews.
At this time, there are roughly 147,000 square feet of retail and office space, and the real estate investment trust company says there will be about 1,250 new homes, which can potentially house 2,500 Calgarians.
RioCan is proposing the construction of six residential towers, along with several commercial and mixed-use spaces.
However, for Farrar, major questions lie in the proposal’s effects on the Glenmore Reservoir.
“So there’s been no hydro-geological study done and no environmental impact study done and this is our drinking water,” she explained.
Among other concerns is how the development could impact traffic and pedestrian safety.
The group says on its Change.Org petition that there may be “extreme congestion” at 90 Avenue and 16 Street SW, and estimates over 3000 residents and workers will have only two points of entrance and one east-exiting traffic lane for eggress.
According to a FAQ on the Glenmore Landing project website, a Transportation Impact Assessment (TIA) has been completed and will be reviewed by the city. RioCan says the TIA will look at various stages of development to ensure that traffic is managed around the site.
Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner told reporters Thursday that things have changed since the 1980s.
“When you’re looking at an agreement that’s 40 years old, language has definitely changed and we’re really just coming to understand that there are changes that are needed in the city and this is an appropriate site to consider for additional housing,” she said.
“There’s nothing ever, that precludes us from selling parklands or park spaces.”
Watch: City of Calgary looks to sell Glenmore Landing parkland
But while the preservation group stands in opposition to the proposal, they aren’t standing against the idea of densification.
“This is not about nymbism,” Pauling Shepard said. “This is about the reality that there may be better locations to build high-rise towers,”
The city released a public notice detailing its intentions to sell the land. The public has until Oct. 23 to provide feedback on the proposal.
In addition, RioCan is holding an open house session on Oct. 25 at Heritage Park to gather public input on its proposal.
