A Calgary man has launched two new social media groups with the hopes they can gain the attention of all levels of government in an attempt to protect a green space in north Calgary.
Andrew Yule is the administrator of Save Nose Creek on both Facebook and Twitter and says the redevelopment of Nose Creek Valley has been in the works for nearly 20 years. In May, Yule received a redevelopment letter from the city and now many residents in the area are wondering what that could mean.
“That means it’s going to be scheduled for warehouses, a sea of grey warehouses,” Yule said. “We’re trying to see if we can conserve some of that green space for the community and for preserving the history and nature of the valley.”
Nose Creek Valley is part of the Stoney Industrial Area Structure plan and has been slated for redevelopment since 2005.
The area Yule is looking to preserve is the 3.8 kilometres between Airport Trail and Stoney Trail. Earlier this month, he started the two social media groups to get the conversation going in hopes developers don’t pave paradise and turn it into a parking lot.
“Worst case scenario, we just get the conversation going and we get some infrastructure upgrades,” said Yule.
“Our goal here will be to create a Nose Creek official park.”
Fellow resident Crystal Reynolds says if the area is redeveloped, she’s hoping developers do so while keeping nature in mind.
However, she believes there are more opportunities in the valley than just rows of warehouses.
“You know a lot more schools and camps coming out and learning the archeological history of the area, the diversity of nature that’s outside their back door,” Reynolds said.
“Why do you need to drive, you know, hours out of town to get to some green space and experience it?”
Yule said he has reached out to all levels of government and has so far only heard back from the City of Calgary.
Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian said her ward needs better community spaces, however, preserving land already earmarked for another project may be a stretch.
“It might not be possible to take privately owned industrial land and turn that into a park,” Mian said.
“That might be a wish list that’s a step too far… But there might be city-owned lands that are underutilized and maybe we can have some conversations about what we can do in the area,” she added.
“If we can save even just a little bit of this green space for community and the future, I think Calgary would be better off for it,” added Yule.
Coun. Mian is scheduled to meet with Yule next Friday to speak about the community’s concerns and Nose Creek’s potential development.