Calgary Bowness residents wake up to fenced off park amid looming housing project

A decades-old playground in the Bowness area is being torn down to make way for affordable housing, some residents learned Friday.

After signing petitions, speaking at city council hearings and going to court to save this park, residents on Bowness Road woke up Friday morning to it completely fenced off, a disappointing surprise to many of them.

One person who lives in this house just across the street said she watched her kids, nephews, and nieces grow up in the park.

“Oh, I got very emotional, and I’m sure all the people around us are emotional as well,” Jackie Stebanuk told CityNews.

Just off Bowness Road, the playground has been serving the community for 30 years.

The city and non-profit housing agency Trellis Society will be transforming the land into a multi-storey building for low-income families. Calgary city council say the 50 new units will help families in need.

“Didn’t have to go six stories high. It’s six stories. Doesn’t matter how you look at it, that’s what it is,” Stebanuk said.

Residents say the community isn’t big enough to support that many families, saying the community already has issues with water and sewage; the next thing they’ll have to worry about is parking.

In December last year, Calgary city council voted 9-5 in favour of the development, but residents say they will be appealing the matter.

The city confirmed it is before the courts and could not comment further.