CALGARY – Calgary councillor Druh Farrell is pushing for the City of Calgary to help create a new redevelopment plan for the Chinatown area.
Farrell will file a notice of motion on Monday suggesting a new area redevelopment plan be produced for the newly formed Chinatown District Business Revitalization Zone, which she calls a “unique cultural asset.”
In her notice of motion, Farrell notes the last area redevelopment plan for the area was approved in January 1989 “when the downtown, and Calgary in general, was a different place.”
“There’s still a lot of struggle happening in Chinatown,” Farrell told Global News. “We’re not seeing the redevelopment that we are seeing in the rest of the downtown, and part of the reason is we have an area redevelopment plan that is 30 years old.”
Farrell said there needs to be a discussion about how to encourage development in Chinatown while still adding to the vibrancy and cultural depth of the neighbourhood.
Community volunteer Dr. Donald Yung believes the most important step to revitalizing the community will be consultation with area stakeholders.
“It’s important to keep the community engaged, so I think it’s about time this conversation happens.”
– With files from Doug Vaessen
Comments