Purpose

This project supports The City’s long-term transit plans. Calgary Transit needs more bus garages to keep up with growth. The new South Central Bus Garage will replace the aging Victoria Park facility, providing more space for bus maintenance and storage. This upgrade will help expand and modernize transit services, ensuring reliable transportation for Calgarians for years to come.

Process

We’ve completed the first phase of the project, which assessed feasibility and City-owned land options. The planned South Central Bus Garage will provide the new transit infrastructure needed to support growth.

We are now in the Master Planning stage, developing a Land Use and Outline Plan. This plan sets out how the site can be used for bus maintenance and storage, Calgary Transit operations, and addresses environmental and technical requirements. This stage of planning includes preparing for the initial move of the bus facility and making space for future growth and added transit services in central Calgary. The study also includes a land use and outline plan application - which is the subject of this public outreach event.

The City has submitted a planning application to define a subdivision framework that establishes property lines, land uses, and internal roads for the development of approx. 97 acres (39 hectares) of City-owned land, in the Manchester/Bonnybrook/Alyth industrial area in southeast Calgary, as part of its planning for the South Central Bus Garage.

Land Use Application

map showing land use application

map showing land use application

This is a case of The City applying to The City for approval as a developer with a land use and outline plan application, with an arm’s-length review no different from any private developer’s submission, including oversight by Calgary Planning Commission (CPC) and a Public Hearing of Council for a decision.

As the applicant, we are here to inform the public of our land use and outline plan submission and share how people can get informed and participate.

We plan to subdivide the sites to maximize industrial uses of the land for City operations purposes.

  • ~ 97 acres (39 hectares) designated as a combination of Industrial-General (I-G) and (S-CRI) lands for major City infrastructure including:
  • South Central Bus Garage
  • Transit Depot
  • 50 Ave SE extension right of way
  • 53 Ave SE connector road
  • Roadways and pathways to support multimodal connectivity.
  • Storm Pond
  • 11 St SE widening
  • Residual/remnant parcels
  • Supports Calgary’s growth strategy by making smart investments in transit infrastructure.
  • Ensures efficient land use planning by following a clear, transparent review process.
  • Prepares for future network expansion, increased transit demand, and added bus infrastructure.
  • The City is now proposing a Land Use and Outline Plan for the future South Central Bus Garage to be located in the Alyth/Bonnybrook/Manchester area of southeast Calgary.
  • The proposed Land Use and Outline Plan seeks to facilitate the future development of new Calgary Transit bus maintenance and storage facilities, at 4974, 4998, and 5353 Burbank Road SE (Burbank Site) and a Transit depot at 1920 Highfield Crescent SE (Highfield Site).
  • Proposed plans have been designed to integrate with the future 50 Avenue SE Extension alignment, which will bisect the subject sites.
  • The South Central Bus Garage Land Use and Outline Plan is unique in that The City, rather than a private developer, is leading the redevelopment process. We believe the site provides an opportunity to:
    • Meet Calgary Transit’s need for new bus operations, maintenance, and storage facilities, to keep pace with city growth and increased transit demand and to enable the deindustrialization of the Rivers District.
    • Allow for future expansion and modernization of Calgary Transit’s bus fleet.
  • See the application review status, provide comments to the review team, follow the item at Calgary Planning Commission, speak for or against the proposal at the Public Hearing: Development Map Portal (application submitted Nov 18; pending upload). LOC2025-0229 and it will be posted soon on DMAP.

Project Summary

  • Calgary's public transit system is preparing for significant growth, including bus fleet growth. Calgary Transit must integrate new vehicle technologies, replace aging facilities, and develop new infrastructure.
  • Over the next 25 years, The City's population is expected to increase by over half a million people, significantly raising the demand for efficient and sustainable transit services.
  • A new bus garage in south central Calgary will replace the Victoria Park Bus Garage and enable the deindustrialization of that site to support Rivers District planning.
  • We’re making smart investments to keep Calgary running smoothly, today and for years to come.