Residents in the northeast community of Renfrew are seeking answers after being notified of incoming changes to their street, all related to a massive residential development nearby.
That development is called Midfield Heights, which sits across 16th Avenue N.E. from the Renfrew community and will feature a mix of businesses and high-density homes, including some affordable housing.
“If they had stayed on their side of 16th Avenue, I think it would definitely be a great idea,” Renfrew resident Joe Iannuzzi told Global News. “Gentrification of this area is up and coming, however, you have to do your due diligence.”
Earlier this summer, Iannuzzi among other residents on Renfrew Drive N.E. learned the development would include some impacts to their street, including the removal of a section of a noise barrier that helps block traffic noise from 16th Avenue.
According to city officials, the removal of the noise barrier is to make way for a ground-level crosswalk between Renfrew and the Midfield development.
A document sent to residents on the Renfrew street said the decision comes after it was determined an at-grade intersection connecting Renfrew with Midfield at Remington Road N.E. wasn’t feasible.
However, residents told Global News they weren’t consulted about the crosswalk and impacts to their street when the Midfield Heights development was first proposed.
They’re also frustrated there is another crosswalk connecting the neighbourhood to the development just one block to the west.
“City hall has been completely silent on this project,” Iannuzzi said. “It has not gotten back to our numerous, multiple inquiries.”
Residents said the new crosswalk into Renfrew will also eliminate some on-street parking spaces.
In a statement to Global News, city officials said a section of the sound barrier will need to come down to build the crossing, but will be redesigned.
“To accommodate the crosswalk, a break in the existing noise wall is required, but the noise wall will be redesigned so the break does not lower the effectiveness of the noise wall – much like how the noise walls are designed farther west on 16th Avenue to accommodate walking and wheeling access,” the city’s statement said.
The city said only two on-street parking spaces would need to be removed due to a new mobility ramp connected to the crossing.
“The city will continue discussions with the community about these details and the intersection design before construction begins,”
Zoning for the Midfield Heights development was approved by the previous city council in 2021, after residents were evicted from the city-owned mobile home park that sat on the site several years ago.
The decision came after it was discovered that sewer and water pipes on the site were failing and required fixing.
Shovels are in the ground on the Midfield Heights site as city crews work on servicing the seven plots of land, as well as roads and sidewalks, before the lots are sold to developers to begin construction next year.
Iannuzzi said his street was notified of preliminary work to make way for the crossing that was set to begin this month, but has now been delayed until the end of September.
But he and others remain frustrated with the lack of communication and consultation with Midfield Heights’ future neighbours.
“I think if it can happen to a community like Renfrew, it can happen anywhere in the city of Calgary,” he said.
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