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Infill Community Connects to City and Nature Redevelopment Transforms Brownfield Site in Downtown Calgary
November, 2007
By Kim Biggar
On formerly contaminated land in a prime area of downtown Calgary, Anthem Properties Group Ltd. has just begun construction of the first phase of its Waterfront development. The 163 units of the first tower sold within four hours when they went on sale in early October, demonstrating the appeal of this new community on the edge of Chinatown.
Anthem's spokesperson, Shael Gelfand, describes Waterfront as a landmark project on "the most-significant piece of residential property to be developed in downtown Calgary in 50 years."
The 5.2-acre site formerly housed a Greyhound bus repair and maintenance shop. Consequently it had been contaminated with oils, hydrocarbons and heavy metals. Until Anthem purchased the property in September 2005, this brownfield sat vacant for more than 10 years, requiring remediation before it could be put to use for other purposes.
CLEANUP FOR NEW USES
After having the site redesignated for residential/commercial use, Anthem engaged HAZCO Environmental Services, a Calgary-based specialist in contaminated site cleanup, to undertake the site remediation. HAZCO produced a detailed environmental report that provided an assessment of the remediation and construction-related risks to workers on the site, and to people and wildlife in the area.
Beginning in October 2006, the company demolished buildings and removed debris from the site, all the while monitoring air quality in the vicinity for particulates. In December 2006, HAZCO began the process of testing and removing the site's soil and, subsequently, many truckloads of soil were removed. Contaminated groundwater was also removed and disposed of.
Alderman Druh Farrell of the City of Calgary's Ward 7 says the cleanup in her Ward is very welcome, as will be the 1,000 or so new residents that will make Waterfront their home. She notes that, until this project, there had been very little residential development in Chinatown for "about a generation." Farrell also observes that, although Chinatown remains vibrant, it is experiencing a declining and aging population, and was an area in need of redefinition.
During the process of designing Waterfront, Anthem and Rafii Architects held workshops to engage neighbouring stakeholders and determine community needs. Those consultations, along with other design considerations, led to a plan that will see Waterfront become a community within the city. Built into the plan are wide promenades meant to encourage pedestrian traffic, an open courtyard, and 621 feet of frontage along the Bow River Pathway.
CHOICE LOCATION
Its location on the Bow River, directly adjacent to Sien Lok Park and close to the numerous other parks that line both sides of the water, places Waterfront along the city's hiking-trail system and offers easy access to wetlands and wildlife. At the same time, the site is in the heart of the city and will boast modern architecture.
The project's attractiveness is also based on its contemporary design, which Farrell says pays "homage to a Chinese motif...[but] would fit in any community."
Its "timeless, high-quality design" is to be complemented by upgrades made by Anthem to the public realm in the area around Waterfront. In addition to providing such amenities as public art and new crosswalks, the developer has contributed to the Chinatown Improvement Fund, through which enhancements to the community are made on an ongoing basis.
VIP registrants, who had pre-registered up to 18 months previously to purchase a unit at Waterfront, lined up for hours - some overnight - to have an opportunity to choose prime units in the site's first building. The sale of units in the second building - the tallest in the project, at 25 storeys - is set for mid-November.
Construction of One Waterfront, or Tower 1A, a 23-storey luxury condominium, began in mid-October. Occupancy will commence in 2009. No definitive timeline has been established for development of the full project.
Upon completion of the whole project, Waterfront will consist of about 1,000 units, ranging in size from 500 to 2,500-square-feet. This variety of residential units will be supplemented by approximately 20,000 square feet of retail space.
To match the project's contemporary look, it will be constructed to include a number of forward-looking sustainability features, including energy efficiency, water conservation, and material- and resource-conservation facilities.
Kim Biggar is a freelance writer based in Uxbridge, Ontario.
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