6,200-unit transit-oriented development would feature first developer-funded LRT station

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A major transit-oriented development project first announced nearly a decade ago for southwest Calgary is tentatively moving ahead.

City council unanimously approved first reading of the land-use redesignation for Midtown Station following an hour-long public hearing on May 7.

Midtown Station is a proposed high-density, mixed-use urban village development that would see more than 6,200 housing units, in addition to hotels and commercial properties, built near the intersection of Macleod Trail and Glenmore Trail.

Because the proposal is outside of the growth corridor areas identified in the Municipal Development Plan (MDP), the land-use change has to be approved by the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board before it returns to council for second and third reading.

Alongside amendments to the MDP, the Heritage Communities Local Area Plan and Calgary Transportation Plan would also need to be amended.

Development would house more than 10,000 people

Renderings for Midtown Station reveal plans for 27 new buildings ranging in height from three to 42 storeys. The buildings would include a mix of residential, office, hotel, retail, restaurant, fitness, professional and other commercial uses, spread out across 34 acres in the Fisher Park area just south of Glenmore Trail and east of Macleod Trail.

The site currently comprises an array of single-storey office buildings and warehouses on short-term leases.

The property owner and applicant for the project is Cantana Investments Ltd.

Applicant representative Ben Lee, of Arcadis Group, said Midtown would be a short walk from CF Chinook Centre, as well as a plethora of other commercial amenities along Macleod Trail.

“Those future residences will have . . . the luxury of having all the services you see along Macleod Trail immediately outside their doorstep,” he said.

Lee said the developer is projecting a 25-year build-out, with full occupancy not anticipated until 2050. With more than 6,200 residential units proposed, Midtown Station would most likely house more than 10,000 residents, depending on the configuration of units. Ten per cent of the units would be rented at below-market rates.

“This is about creating a sense of place and a new community for people who want to live and not depend on having a car,” Lee said.

New LRT station included in proposal

A condition of development is that Cantana will be responsible for funding and building a new infill LRT station along the Red Line near 71st Avenue S.E., between Heritage and Chinook stations.

It would be Calgary’s first developer-funded CTrain station, Lee said.

“It creates the opportunity to do something really customized and integrated with the development adjacent to it, versus the existing stations you see in the city where you have to contend with the components and infrastructure of those LRT stations, which are a little bit different,” he said.

Project has been in works for nine years

Midtown Station was first proposed in 2015, according to lead development consultant George Reti, who spoke on behalf of the project with Lee at the May 7 public hearing.

The developer originally filed its formal application in 2018, Reti said, but has since worked with the city’s planning team to tweak the plan before presenting it to council last week.

From a tax perspective, Reti predicts the city will ultimately recover $40 million to $50 million a year in taxes from Midtown Station when it’s completed.

“It’s clearly a unique development,” he said. “Even though it might be large, it’s going to have a really nice feel to it. It will be very intimate, both for the residents who live there and for people in the surrounding communities.”

Area rep on council says Midtown could ‘set the bar’ for TOD in Calgary

The area’s representative on council, Kourtney Penner, said council’s unanimous approval of first reading is likely due to the applicant’s diligence and willingness to incorporate the city’s feedback over the past nine years.

“I think one of the reasons council can get behind and support it is because of the number of years it’s taken to get to this spot, and because of the ongoing conversations and the commitments that are built into the deal around capital upgrades that will be part of the different phasing,” she said.

“I think (council recognizes) when you have a willing private-sector partner who is willing to contribute that, you have to find a solution that works for both of you.”

The evolution of Midtown has come a long way since the first conceptual renderings were released, Penner added, particularly in terms of public realm integration.

In addition to the future CTrain station, the proposal also includes a pedestrian overpass over the existing CP Rail line and a new 73rd Avenue alignment that features an “integrated multi-modal complete street” as the site’s “spine,” according to Lee’s presentation.

The project could set the standard for what other transit-oriented developments in Calgary could aspire to, Penner argued.

“Whether that’s developer-led or city-led, this is now setting the bar as a reference point for conceptual design,” she said. “And that’s a good thing.”