CALGARY – Some members say it’s a decision that goes against the environmental principles on which Mountain Equipment Co-op was founded.
The popular Canadian outdoor company is in negotiations to build a second Calgary store, taking up 32,000 square feet of retail space at the proposed Trinity Hills redevelopment.
Trinity Development Group got the go-ahead from city council last July for a project that will see both commercial and residential construction on 100 of the 260 acres of land at Paskapoo Slopes.
“We know there is lots of interest in this special site but it is far too early to speculate on what the final tenant list might look like,” said Trinity Development in a statement Monday.
About 10,000 people had signed a petition against the redevelopment, asking the city to preserve the entire area as urban wilderness and grassland. Advocacy groups like Save our Slopes and the Paskapoo Slopes Preservation Society staged a number of rallies.
Those groups also began a social media campaign against MEC’s pending decision to open a second store on the land.
“We were initially quite shocked that MEC, with their environmental reputation and principles, would choose to come into an area that had so much environmental controversy,” said Hugh Magill, the president of the Paskapoo Slopes Preservation Society.
His team of advocates met with senior executives at MEC Friday and have since dropped their campaign.
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“We kind of came to the conclusion that it was far better to work together collaboratively,” said Magill.
Others suggest they would boycott MEC and any other retailers choosing to set up shop at Paskapoo Slopes.
“I’m absolutely shocked that they would want to put it in such a controversial area where there are great mountain bike trails and running trails… It’s totally counter to what I thought MEC stood for,” said long-time MEC member Justin Kangerloo.
While there has yet to be any final decisions, in a statement, MEC said, “we recognize that some members are opposed to development on Paskapoo Slopes. However, now that the city has approved Trinity Hills, we see great potential to both serve members with a second Calgary store and to bring MEC’s unique retail offering and community programming to more people.”
Trinity Hills had planned to break ground on the project this fall, with the first retailers expected to open in 2017
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