Opening of Calgary park could be impacted by Green Line LRT plan
Posted Sep 8, 2024 10:44 am.
The opening for Calgary’s George Moss Park on Saturday was overshadowed by the funding for the Green Line LRT project being pulled by the province.
The park in the Ogden community went through redevelopment in August 2023 as part of the Green Line Public Space Initiative.
George Moss Park includes sports courts, a tot lot playground, community plaza seating and picnic area, trees and green space to “connect with fellow community members.” It also integrated with the existing community skating area.
The new park was supposed to be only minutes away from a Green Line LRT station and is one of several parks meant to be minutes away from Green Line stations.
However, with the province withdrawing over a billion dollars of funding on Tuesday, it leaves both the city and Calgarians questioning the decision.
Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra says he takes solace in “some of that money is not burnt up” and is invested in places like George Moss Park.
He also says the province might be looking back at its decision.
“We’ve got the main street and the station integrated, and now all of that is in jeopardy,” he said at the opening.
“I will say that indications are that the provincial government is recognizing that they acted incredibly rashly and that they have to fix it.”
One of the goals of the Green Line LRT project was to make areas and parks like these easily accessible by Calgary Transit.
Watch: Calgary’s George Moss Park redevelopment underway
Now, while some people may face obstacles getting to the park with the lack of LRT access to Green Line, CEO Darshpreet Bhatti is not concerned with the future of the project.
“Although Green Line may have a different plan in terms of how it will be built, I must say the commitment that Green Line made is reflected through this partnership program,” he said,
“We wanted to make sure that we’re building long-term benefits for kids, families and commuters along the alignment, and this is just one step towards that.”
Calgarians will just have to wait to find out if transit will arrive here until the city and the province come together with a new plan.
The Green Line board will meet with the council on Sept. 17 to share more information.
