The proposed Streetscape Plan for the 33/34 Avenue SW Main Streets will be unveiled for all to see at 2 upcoming reveal events -- see below for the dates, times and location:

     Where: Infinity@Marda Loop -- 2016 34 Avenue S.W.

     When:  Event #1:  September 22, 2018 -- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

                 Event #2:   September 25, 2018 -- 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

This will be our first opportunity to see the City's Streetscape Plan for the 33/34 Avenues SW Main Streets, and will likely be our last opportunity to provide feedback on the Streetscape Plan before it goes to City Council for approval, so please make a point of attending one of the reveal events and providing your feedback.

The Richmond/Knob Hill Community Association  sent the attached letter to City Council in support of reducing the speed limit on residential streets to 30kph -- Item 12.1.1 Sep 10/18 Council Meeting -- Street Safety and Neighbourhood Speed Limits -- C2018-0960.pdf

33/34 AVE. SW MAIN STREETS PROJECT 

By the time you read this, hopefully you will have attended the final public engagement session for the 33/34 Ave. SW Main Streets Project and will have provided thoughtful feedback to the City on the proposed streetscape plan for the 33/34 Ave. SW Main Streets, as well as on the proposed land use plan for the area. Thank you for doing so, and for helping to make the 33/34 Ave. SW Main Streets amazing! 

COURTYARD33 

The land use redesignation application for the proposed Courtyard33 development on the NE corner of the 33 Ave. and 22 St. SW intersection was reviewed by Calgary Planning Commission on August 23. With minimal discussion, the Commissioners unanimously passed a motion to forward the application to City Council with a recommendation for approval. 

The application was opposed by both the Richmond/Knob Hill and Marda Loop Community Associations for, among other reasons, requesting substantially higher height and floor area ratio limits than currently allowed by the Marda Loop Area Redevelopment Plan, which was enacted in 2014 after much community engagement and volunteer time and effort. The proposed 50% height limit increase was deemed "a minor amendment”, and disappointment was expressed that the two community associations would oppose such a high-quality development over “a few metres of height”. 

The community associations were also concerned that the application was seeking a special Direct Control land use district that, if approved by City Council, would make it virtually impossible for residents and others affected by the project to appeal its development permit approval to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board. 

We encourage you to learn more about this application by reviewing the agenda materials for either the August 23 Calgary Planning Commission meeting or the October 9 City Council meeting, and to share your thoughts with City Council. 

CANNABIS STORE APPLICATIONS 

Of the six applications for cannabis stores that were submitted for locations in the Marda Loop business district, two were approved and four were refused by the City’s Development Authority. The two applications that were approved were for the properties located at 2008 33 Ave. SW (currently Avenue Deli) and 2137 33 Ave. SW (the vacant corner lot occupied by Mazaya before it burned down). 

The community association’s concern with both locations is that they are prominent corners that, with the right type of interactive storefront businesses, could really help activate the 33 Ave. SW Main Street. As cannabis stores will be subject to an Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLCC) requirement that no cannabis products, accessories or related items can be visible from the street. As a result, storefront windows will likely be obscured or screened in some fashion, which doesn’t create an engaging public realm. 

This could be an even bigger missed opportunity if the new Main Streets streetscape plan ends up pedestrianizing some or all of the section of 21 St. SW between 33 Ave. SW and 34 Ave. SW to create a new public plaza, which would be right next to the 2137 33 Ave. SW location. At the time of writing of this article, three of the four refused applications have filed appeals, so it will be interesting to see where this all nets out. 

OTHER NEW/PROPOSED PROJECTS 

The ML33 condo building at 2418 33 Ave. SW is now fully framed and creates a much different experience as one enters the Marda Loop business district from the west. It has been suggested that coming into Marda Loop off Crowchild is starting to feel similar to flying an X-wing fighter down into a channel on a strafing run against the Death Star! What do you think? 

We would love to hear your thoughts on these or other development issues affecting our community — email us at development@richmondknobhill.ca

33/34 AV SW Main Streets Project — Thank you to those of you who attended the public engagement sessions that the City held for the 33/34 AV SW Main Streets Project back in May in the new Avenue 33 building.  The City was very pleased with the turnout at each of the 3 sessions, and they interpret good turnout as a clear sign that the surrounding residents are engaged and interested, which will help this project move up the City’s priority ladder.  The City will be holding another public engagement session in September, at which they will be revealing and looking for feedback on the proposed streetscape plan for the 33/34 AV SW Main Streets, as well as the proposed land use plan for the area.  Unfortunately the date and location of the September engagement session was not known at the submission deadline for this article, so please watch for flyer or email notifications or check the RKHCA website to find out when and where to go.  This will likely be our last opportunity to provide feedback before the plans go to City Council for approval, so please make a point of attending the September engagement session and providing your feedback.  Let’s help make the 33/34 AV SW Main Streets amazing!

Proposed Amendments to the Land Use Bylaw Rules for Infill Developments — The City is looking at making several amendments to the Land Use Bylaw rules for infill developments to address issues relating to front porches, subterranean developments and the new R-CG land use district.  To encourage more front porches the City is proposing to both exclude front porches from the parcel coverage limit (45% for R-C1 and R-C2 parcels) and allow the front porch to project up to 1.8m into the required front setback area.  These changes will help do away with having to reduce the amount of the home’s interior square footage to “make room” for a front porch, and will make it possible for many existing homes to add a front porch, even if they are already at the maximum parcel coverage.  Subterranean (ie. underground) developments are not currently subject to any setback restrictions, so they are technically allowed to extend right up to a parcel's front, side and rear property lines.  The City is proposing to preclude subterranean developments from extending into the required front setback area, to minimize the construction impact of any such developments on the root systems of public trees that may be located on the adjacent front boulevard.  No minimum side or rear setbacks are proposed.  The City is also proposing to amend the R-CG rules to, among other things, have the maximum building height measured from grade in all cases and to allow rowhouse and other developments on R-CG corner parcels to be built closer to the front and side streets and to potentially have larger 3rd storeys.  These changes are expected to go to a public hearing before City Council on September 10.  We encourage you to learn more about these proposed changes by reviewing the agenda materials for either the July 26 Calgary Planning Commission meeting or the September 10 City Council meeting, and to share your thoughts with City Council, or at least with the Ward 8 Councillor’s office.

Courtyard33 — The land use redesignation application for the proposed Courtyard33 development on the NE corner of the 33 AV and 22 ST SW intersection will have gone to Calgary Planning Commission on August 23 and will likely go to a public hearing before City Council on October 9.  The application is asking for a a height limit of 22m/6 storeys and a floor area ratio (FAR) of 4.0, significantly beyond the 16m/4 storey height limit and 2.5 FAR contemplated in the recently enacted Marda Loop Area Redevelopment Plan.  The applicant’s position is that the additional height and FAR is warranted because of the proposed development’s “gateway” location, internal courtyard and high quality design.  The application is asking City Council to assign the parcel a special Direct Control land use district under which the developer’s proposed 6-storey building would be a “permitted use”.  Because of special rules that apply to Direct Control land use districts and “permitted uses”, if City Council approves this unusual land use application it will be virtually impossible for affected persons to appeal the project to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (eg. for exceeding the height limit and FAR contemplated in the Marda Loop Area Redevelopment Plan).  We encourage you to learn more about this application by reviewing the agenda materials for either the August 23 Calgary Planning Commission meeting or the October 9 City Council meeting, and to share your thoughts with City Council, including with the Ward 8 Councillor’s office.

Other New/Proposed Projects — Several new rowhouse developments are currently under construction in our community — at 2104 Richmond Road SW, 2803 25 ST SW, 2804 25A ST SW, 2403 28 AV SW and 2403 32 AV SW — what do you think about these slightly higher-density developments?  A development permit has recently been issued for a new 8-unit development on 2 contiguous parcels at 2220 and 2224 26 AV SW — these are unusually deep parcels and the development will consist of 2 separate 4-unit rowhouse buildings, one in front of the other, and an 8-bay garage across the back.  Land use redesignation and development permit applications have been submitted to replace the existing bungalow on the NW corner of 20 ST and 26 AV SW with a flat-roofed 10m/2-storey high office/retail building — the proposed development features a shallow main floor consisting of 2 retail bays with surface parking for 14 vehicles at the rear, wth office space above in a deeper 2nd storey that extends back over a portion of the rear parking area.  By the time you read this the ML33 condo project at 2418 33 AV SW will likely be fully framed, and will create a much different “feel” as you enter the Marda Loop business district from the west.

We would love to hear your thoughts on these or other development issues affecting our community — email us at development@richmondknobhill.ca

On Thursday July 5 the Marda Loop Brewing Co. will be holding a public open house regarding their application for a seasonal patio in front of their new location.  Click on the link below for more details.

Marda Loop Brewing Public Open House.pdf

On April 17 an application to upzone the 2403 28 Ave- nue SW corner parcel from R-C2 to R-CG to allow a 4-unit rowhouse development to be constructed thereon went to a public hearing before City Council. RKHCA typically does not oppose such applications as long as the par- cel in question is located along one our collector roads, such as 26 Avenue SW or Richmond Road SW, or in some other location where slightly higher density would seem to make sense. However, the 2403 28 Avenue SW parcel is not located on a collector road or otherwise in a loca- tion that would make it more suitable for higher density development than any other corner parcel in our com- munity, so this upzoning application was opposed by RKHCA as well as by a number of surrounding residents. Despite this community opposition, which Mayor Nen- shi characterized at the public hearing as “thoughtful”, Councillor Woolley brought forward a motion that the application be approved and his motion passed easily. Despite efforts on our part, we were unable to speak to Councillor Woolley either prior to the public hearing or since (to the time of writing this article) regarding our concerns with this redevelopment proposal, and with R-CG in general, so we don’t have a good understand- ing as to why he did not share our concerns. However, based on the comments he made at the public hearing, it would appear that he feels every R-C1 or R-C2 corner parcel in our community is an appropriate location for a 3-storey rowhouse building. He may feel the same way about mid-block parcels, except developers are not cur- rently showing any interest in upzoning those to R-CG because the R-CG rules do not currently allow 4 units on a mid-block parcel. That may change later this year, as developers are lobbying the City to amend the R-CG rules to allow 4 units on a mid-block parcel. Alterna- tively, given how easy it has become for developers to have R-CG 4-unit rowhouse developments approved on corner parcels, they may try upzoning mid-block parcels to M-CG, as the current M-CG rules do allow 4 units on a mid-block parcel.

At the April 17 public hearing RKHCA also requested that Council direct City Administration to work with our community to update the Richmond Area Re-

development Plan, which is now 32 years old and is summarily dismissed by the City as out-of-date, which effectively leaves us in a position of having no local area plan to guide the ongoing redevelopment of our community. For whatever reason, Councillor Woolley chose not to bring forward any such mo- tion, so it appears that, at least for the time being, the redevelopment of our community will continue to be determined by developers looking to maxi- mize profits, rather than be governed by any sort of thoughtful plan. Speaking of profits, if you live on a corner parcel that has not yet been redeveloped, you will likely be hearing from developers anxious to buy and redevelop your property — don’t sell cheap! If you live next to a corner parcel that has not yet been redeveloped and enjoy gardening, you might want to consider transitioning your garden more towards shade-loving plants!

More Secondary Suite Changes?

For years now our community has been losing its sec- ondary suites, as many of the older bungalows on 50ft/15.2m wide R-C2 parcels, which were allowed to have suites, have been demolished and replaced with 2 single detached dwellings or semi-detached units on 25ft/7.6m wide parcels, which were not allowed to have suites unless they provided at least 3 on-site parking stalls (which is very difficult to do on a 25ft/7.6m wide parcel unless it is located on a corner). A few years ago the owner of a single detached dwelling on a 25ft/7.6m wide parcel on 21 Avenue SW applied for approval to add a basement suite, even though the parcel only had 2 on-site parking stalls, but the City denied the appli- cation. Another such application was made recently for a similar property, and we just heard that this applica- tion was approved by the City, even though it too only provided for 2 on-site parking stalls. We don’t know yet whether this is an indication that the City has changed its mind and decided that single detached dwellings on 25ft/7.6m wide parcels should now be allowed to have suites, even where only 2 on-site parking stalls can be provided. We also don’t know whether this might also apply to semi- detached units on 25ft/7.6m wide par- cels. Stay tuned!

On February 7 representatives of the RKHCA, MLCA and MLBIA met with City of Calgary Transportation officials to discuss the proposed 33 Avenue SW BRT stations, including where best to locate the stations and how best to provide safe and comfortable access to, from and between the stations, given that they will be located at or near what is currently a freeway interchange.  Below is a summary of the discussion:

• The preferred location for the SB station is at the NW corner of the signalized intersection on the west side of the overpass
  • This is the same location as the existing transit stop.
  • Advantages of this location include:
    • Closer to the Marda Loop business district, the likely primary source/destination of station users
    • Eliminates the need for stations users travelling to/from the Marda Loop business district to cross the right slip lane from SB Crowchild Trail to WB 33 Avenue SW (which we understand cannot be eliminated due to the volume of vehicle traffic it handles during the evening rush hour period, which would otherwise end up backing up on to SB Crowchild Trail)
    • Allows the station to be used by other transit routes
• The preferred location for the NB station is at the NE corner of the signalized intersection on the east side of the overpass.
  • To make sufficient room for the station at this location the existing right slip lane from WB 33 Avenue SW to NB Crowchild Trail would need to be closed
  • To compensate for the closure of the right slip lane:
    • The curb lane on WB 33 Avenue SW approaching the signalized intersection on the east side of the overpass could be turned into a forced right turn onto NB Crowchild Trail; and
    • The left turn bay on WB 33 Avenue SW approaching the signalized intersection on the east side of the overpass could be lengthened to accommodate more vehicles wanting to turn left onto SB Crowchild Trail
  • Advantages of this location include:
    • Closer to the Marda Loop business district, the likely primary source/destination of station users
    • Eliminates a dangerous right slip lane that has already left at least one RKH resident permanently disabled 

• The preferred access would be via a separate pedestrian/cycle overpass connecting the NB and SB stations, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to access both stations from either direction without any need to interact with vehicles
• If a pedestrian overpass is not possible, then:
  • The right slip lane from WB 33 Avenue SW to NB Crowchild Trail should be eliminated, as described above;
  • The WB curb lane on the overpass (which vehicles no longer have much need for since the interchange’s traffic signals were changed from the previous “first load the overpass then clear the overpass” approach to the current “free flow” approach) should be eliminated (or both WB lanes narrowed as much as possible) and the space repurposed to create a wider, buffered pedestrian/cycle pathway along the north side of the overpass between the NB and SB stations;
  • The right slip lane from SB Crowchild Trail to WB 33 Avenue SW should be reconfigured as a “Smart Right”, to make crossing safer for station users travelling to/from the residential areas on the west side of Crowchild Trail
• All pedestrian and cycle access to, from and between the stations should be coordinated with, and may be partially funded from, the 33/34 Avenue SW Main Streets streetscape plan 

Our understanding is that the City of Calgary officials that attended the meeting will be looking into the feasibility of these station locations and potential access solutions and will be getting back to ourselves, the MLCA, the MLBIA and the Ward 8 Councillor’s office.  As always, we would love to hear your thoughts on this, or any other development-related issue in RKH.  Email us at development@richmondknobhill.ca.

Thank you to everyone who attended the 33/34 Avenue SW Streetscape Master Plan Project information session on the evening of Monday February 26 at the Marda Loop Community Hall, as well as to everyone who provided input through the online engagement portal.  It was great to see so many people reading the display boards, chatting with City personnel and providing their input.  We look forward to seeing a report from the City summarizing the input that was received, and then to working together with the City, the Marda Loop Communities Association (MLCA), the Marda Loop Business Improvement Area (MLBIA) and area residents and businesses to come up with a great Streetscape Master Plan for 33 and 34 Avenues SW from 14 Street SW to Crowchild Trail, and for portions of several cross streets.  With all the new development taking place along the Marda Loop main streets and surrounding area, a new pedestrian, bike, transit and vehicle-friendly public realm is sorely needed, and, if done well, will go a long way to helping Marda Loop become the best place in Calgary to live, work, shop and just chill out!  Stay tuned for the next engagement opportunity!

 R-CG Spot Rezoning in Richmond Knob/Hill

Spot rezoning of existing R-C1 (1 home) or R-C2 (2 homes, or 1 home + 1 suite) corner parcels to R-CG (up to 4 homes + 4 suites on a standard 50ft wide parcel) is becoming an issue in Richmond/Knob Hill (RKH), and in other communities in our area.  Unlike inner-city communities such as Banff Trail, Capitol Hill, Inglewood and Bridgeland/Riverside, RKH has not yet been provided with a community engagement opportunity to review the aging Richmond Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) and provide input on where in our community it might be appropriate for parcels to be upzoned to R-CG or other higher-density or mixed-use land use districts.  Until recently this was not a particular problem, as it seemed that the only upzoning applications that we were seeing were for corner parcels located along one of our collector roads or otherwise in a location where higher density developments made sense, so we were not opposed.  However, in the last few months we have begun to receive applications to upzone non-collector R-C1 or R-C2 corner parcels to R-CG to allow 4-unit rowhouse developments to be built, in locations that to us, and to many of the surrounding residents, do not seem appropriate for higher density developments.  The first of these applications, for the corner parcel at 2403 28 Avenue SW, was approved by the Calgary Planning Commission in February, without even any discussion or debate despite thoughtful letters of opposition being submitted by the RKHCA and several surrounding residents, and is now scheduled to go to City Council for a public hearing and a final decision on April 16 (the “28 AV Application”).  Despite the fact that there is nothing about the 2403 28 Avenue SW corner parcel that makes it any more suitable for higher density developments than any other corner parcel in our community, based on what we are seeing it would appear that the 28 AV Application is likely to be approved by Council, without hesitation.  If so, then that would suggest that that ANY corner parcel in RKH could be upzoned to R-CG and redeveloped as a 4-unit rowhouse development.

We also understand that developers have complained to the City that the R-CG rules as currently written make it impossible to get 4 units in on a standard width mid-block parcel, and even 3-unit developments on mid-block parcels end up with units that are so skinny that they are difficult to sell.  The developers are therefore lobbying to have changes made to the R-CG rules that would allow 4-unit developments with adequate width units (eg. 2 in the front, 2 in the back over the garages) to be constructed on mid-block parcels.  If these changes end up being made, then it would seem that ANY yet to be redeveloped parcel in RKH, whether corner or mid-block, would become a target to be upzoned to R-CG and redeveloped as a 4-unit rowhouse development.

We do not consider it to be appropriate for the City to be making such radical changes to what can be built in our community without first going through a community engagement process that:

1. establishes the need for our community to take on more densification than it already is (the population of RKH has increased 23% in the last 9 years since the City’s Municipal Development Plan (MDP) was put in place, more than triple the growth rate expected of established communities under the policies of the MDP); and
2. gives the residents of our community a say on how and where we would like to accommodate that additional densification, instead of letting developers decide.

Please share your thoughts on the 28 AV Application, R-CG spot rezoning generally and the need for the City to engage with RKH residents over how much denser our community should be expected to become, and how and where that additional densification should be accommodated, not only with us (development@richmondknobhill.ca), but also with City Council (publicsubmissions@calgary.ca).  To be included in the materials for the April 16 City Council meeting at which the 28 AV Application is to be considered, submissions must refer to land use redesignation application LOC2017-0325 (2403 28 AV SW) and be received by the City Clerk no later than noon on Monday April 9.  Members of the public may also address City Council at the April 16 public hearing for the 28 AV Application.  We look forward to receiving your input!

1.     R-CG Spot Rezoning in Richmond/Knob Hill

Spot rezoning of existing R-C1 (1 home) or R-C2 (2 homes, or 1 home + 1 suite) corner parcels to R-CG (up to 4 homes + 4 suites on a standard 50ft wide parcel) is becoming an issue in Richmond/Knob Hill (RKH), and in other communities in our area.  Unlike inner-city communities such as Banff Trail, Capitol Hill, Inglewood and Bridgeland/Riverside, RKH has not yet been provided with a community engagement opportunity to review the aging Richmond Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) and provide input on where in our community it might be appropriate for parcels to be upzoned to R-CG or other higher-density or mixed-use land use districts.  Until recently this was not a particular problem, as it seemed that the only upzoning applications that we were seeing were for corner parcels located along one of our collector roads or otherwise in a location where higher density developments made sense, so we were not opposed.  However, in the last few months we have begun to receive applications to upzone non-collector R-C1 or R-C2 corner parcels to R-CG to allow 4-unit rowhouse developments to be built, in locations that to us, and to many of the surrounding residents, do not seem appropriate for higher density developments.  The first of these applications, for the corner parcel at 2403 28 Avenue SW, was approved by the Calgary Planning Commission in February, without even any discussion or debate despite thoughtful letters of opposition being submitted by the RKHCA and several surrounding residents, and is now scheduled to go to City Council for a public hearing and a final decision on April 16 (the “28 AV Application”).  Despite the fact that there is nothing about the 2403 28 Avenue SW corner parcel that makes it any more suitable for higher density developments than any other corner parcel in our community, based on what we are seeing it would appear that the 28 AV Application is likely to be approved by Council, without hesitation.  If so, then that would suggest that that ANY corner parcel in RKH could be upzoned to R-CG and redeveloped as a 4-unit rowhouse development.

We also understand that developers have complained to the City that the R-CG rules as currently written make it impossible to get 4 units in on a standard width mid-block parcel, and even 3-unit developments on mid-block parcels end up with units that are so skinny that they are difficult to sell.  The developers are therefore lobbying to have changes made to the R-CG rules that would allow 4-unit developments with adequate width units (eg. 2 in the front, 2 in the back over the garages) to be constructed on mid-block parcels.  If these changes end up being made, then it would seem that ANY yet to be redeveloped parcel in RKH, whether corner or mid-block, would become a target to be upzoned to R-CG and redeveloped as a 4-unit rowhouse development.

We do not consider it to be appropriate for the City to be making such radical changes to what can be built in our community without first going through a community engagement process that:

1. establishes the need for our community to take on more densification than it already is (the population of RKH has increased 23% in the last 9 years since the City’s Municipal Development Plan (MDP) was put in place, more than triple the growth rate expected of established communities under the policies of the MDP); and
2. gives the residents of our community a say on how and where we would like to accommodate that additional densification, instead of letting developers decide.

Please share your thoughts on the 28 AV Application, R-CG spot rezoning generally and the need for the City to engage with RKH residents over how much denser our community should be expected to become, and how and where that additional densification should be accommodated, not only with us (development@richmondknobhill.ca), but also with City Council (publicsubmissions@calgary.ca).  To be included in the materials for the April 16 City Council meeting at which the 28 AV Application is to be considered, submissions must refer to land use redesignation application LOC2017-0325 (2403 28 AV SW) and be received by the City Clerk no later than noon on Monday April 9.  Members of the public may also address City Council at the April 16 public hearing for the 28 AV Application.  We look forward to receiving your input!

2.     33/34 AV SW Streetscape Master Plan Project

Thank you to everyone who attended the 33/34 Avenue SW Streetscape Master Plan Project information session on the evening of Monday February 26 at the Marda Loop Community Hall, as well as to everyone who provided input through the online engagement portal.  It was great to see so many people reading the display boards, chatting with City personnel and providing their input.  We look forward to seeing a report from the City summarizing the input that was received, and then to working together with the City, the Marda Loop Communities Association (MLCA), the Marda Loop Business Improvement Area (MLBIA) and area residents and businesses to come up with a great Streetscape Master Plan for 33 and 34 Avenues SW from 14 Street SW to Crowchild Trail, and for portions of several cross streets.  With all the new development taking place along the Marda Loop main streets and surrounding area, a new pedestrian, bike, transit and vehicle-friendly public realm is sorely needed, and, if done well, will go a long way to helping Marda Loop become the best place in Calgary to live, work, shop and just chill out!  Stay tuned for the next engagement opportunity!

3.     33 AV SW Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Stations

On February 7 representatives of the RKHCA, MLCA and MLBIA met with City of Calgary Transportation officials to discuss the proposed 33 Avenue SW BRT stations, including where best to locate the stations and how best to provide safe and comfortable access to, from and between the stations, given that they will be located at or near what is currently a freeway interchange.  Below is a summary of the discussion:

• The preferred location for the SB station is at the NW corner of the signalized intersection on the west side of the overpass
• • This is the same location as the existing transit stop.
  • Advantages of this location include:
  • • Closer to the Marda Loop business district, the likely primary source/destination of station users
    • Eliminates the need for stations users travelling to/from the Marda Loop business district to cross the right slip lane from SB Crowchild Trail to WB 33 Avenue SW (which we understand cannot be eliminated due to the volume of vehicle traffic it handles during the evening rush hour period, which would otherwise end up backing up on to SB Crowchild Trail)
    • Allows the station to be used by other transit routes
• The preferred location for the NB station is at the NE corner of the signalized intersection on the east side of the overpass.
• • To make sufficient room for the station at this location the existing right slip lane from WB 33 Avenue SW to NB Crowchild Trail would need to be closed
  • To compensate for the closure of the right slip lane:
  • • The curb lane on WB 33 Avenue SW approaching the signalized intersection on the east side of the overpass could be turned into a forced right turn onto NB Crowchild Trail; and
    • The left turn bay on WB 33 Avenue SW approaching the signalized intersection on the east side of the overpass could be lengthened to accommodate more vehicles wanting to turn left onto SB Crowchild Trail
  • Advantages of this location include:
  • • Closer to the Marda Loop business district, the likely primary source/destination of station users
    • Eliminates a dangerous right slip lane that has already left at least one RKH resident permanently disabled 

• The preferred access would be via a separate pedestrian/cycle overpass connecting the NB and SB stations, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to access both stations from either direction without any need to interact with vehicles
• If a pedestrian overpass is not possible, then:
• • The right slip lane from WB 33 Avenue SW to NB Crowchild Trail should be eliminated, as described above;
  • The WB curb lane on the overpass (which vehicles no longer have much need for since the interchange’s traffic signals were changed from the previous “first load the overpass then clear the overpass” approach to the current “free flow” approach) should be eliminated (or both WB lanes narrowed as much as possible) and the space repurposed to create a wider, buffered pedestrian/cycle pathway along the north side of the overpass between the NB and SB stations;
  • The right slip lane from SB Crowchild Trail to WB 33 Avenue SW should be reconfigured as a “Smart Right”, to make crossing safer for station users travelling to/from the residential areas on the west side of Crowchild Trail
• All pedestrian and cycle access to, from and between the stations should be coordinated with, and may be partially funded from, the 33/34 Avenue SW Main Streets streetscape plan 

Our understanding is that the City of Calgary officials that attended the meeting will be looking into the feasibility of these station locations and potential access solutions and will be getting back to ourselves, the MLCA, the MLBIA and the Ward 8 Councillor’s office.

As always, we would love to hear your thoughts on these, or any other development-related issue in RKH.  Email us at development@richmondknobhill.ca.