Plans to convert Calgary’s former Midfield Mobile Home Park into a new inner-city community are still in the early stages, but already, the city is hearing concerns from nearby residents.
The project, named Winston Heights Village, aims to turn the 22-acre piece of land near 16 Avenue N.E. into a medium-density mixed-use area.
Several designs were outlined for residents at a workshop on Monday night, focusing on different layouts for streets, parks and pathways.
During the presentation, a city planner said that the plan is to fit approximately 700 residential units on the parcel, but that number could change based on the mix of single-family or multi-family units.
Carol-Ann Beswick, a senior project manager with the City of Calgary, said the proximity of the land to both the MAX Orange BRT line and the future Green Line LRT has an impact on the design.
Beswick said the city knows that it has to move forward with developing the site.
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“We have an exciting, high-level vision for this site,” said Beswick. “It includes a mixture of uses: residential, commercial and potential office space. We’re looking at knitting this site back into the community.”
As for a timeline, the city said construction likely won’t start until 2023.
Concerns
During a public consultation workshop on Oct. 1, the city gathered initial feedback on the early designs.
The top concerns were an increase in density and traffic, and a lack of parking.
Marcel Proskow lives in the nearby community of Renfrew, and said the increase in medium-density housing will impact traffic flow as people drive to and from downtown.
The city also gathered input on what types of apartment buildings should be built.
Workshop attendees were asked to vote for or against several styles of apartments. No design received a positive result.
“I think they’re trying to put too much on that site,” said Proskow. “It’s not sensitive to the community where it’s positioned. It does not have good access on and off the site.”
Public consultation continues
The city is holding another workshop on Thursday, and an online survey runs until Friday.
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