The Inglewood Station project team has wrapped up its public outreach on the proposed Land Use Redesignation application. The Applicant-led Outreach Summary gives the public information about what we heard from citizens, neighbours, and community groups, as well as how we responded. Thank you to everyone who took part in this outreach. The project team will continue to respond to questions from interested parties during the rest of the project timeline. We look forward to engaging with the community soon throughout the upcoming Development Permit application for Inglewood Station.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Integrated Civic Facility Planning
In 2015, Council directed Administration to adopt a strategy to build multi-service and mixed use facilities to utilize City-owned land more efficiently and allow multiple providers to operate one location to benefit communities. As a result, the Integrated Civic Facility Planning Program was created.
Previously, City facilities were often planned independently according to single service needs. By shifting to an integrated facility planning approach through the Integrated Civic Facility Program, The City of Calgary has been able to increase efficiencies, investment and partnerships, and better collaborate with community partners to build facilities that are truly reflective of thriving and evolving neighbourhoods.
Council Direction & Project Delivery
The Calgary Fire Department received Council-approved funding and direction in the 2019-2022 budget for constructing and operating a new Fire Station on the project site leading to a public selection process for a delivery partner through the Integrated Civic Facility Planning Program. In July 2020, in accordance with Council direction, The City of Calgary initiated a public competition through a Request for Proposals, inviting proponents to submit proposals to purchase the four parcels of City-owned land that make up the project site and lead the financing, planning, design, and development of the new Inglewood Station Mixed Use Facility.
Project Site
The project site is located at the corner of 12 ST and 11 AV SE, in the inner city community of Inglewood, just two blocks south of the 9 AV SE Main Street and one block north of the future Ramsay-Inglewood Green Line LRT Station.
The project site has been an integral part of Calgary Fire Department's long-term planning for growth and change for over 30 years. The original western portion of the site was purchased by The City of Calgary in 1986, recently supplemented by an additional land purchase in 2010 for the delivery of a new priority Fire Station.
Following the closure of the Request For Proposals submission period and a City-led review and evaluation of proposals based on established selection criteria, RNDSQR emerged as the highest rated proponent.
RNDSQR has considerable experience in delivering inner-city developments ranging from affordable and family-oriented rowhomes that meet the growing demand for walkable urban living; to mid-rise, mixed-use developments that offer a range of housing and employment options.
The City and RNDSQR are working with a multi-disciplinary team of local planning, design, and engineering professionals. Core team members include CivicWorks, a planning and urban design firm specializing in inner-city redevelopment; and S2 Architecture, an architectural firm with a track record of designing mixed-use developments in Calgary and over 20 Fire Station and emergency service projects throughout Alberta and British Columbia.
The ownership-partnership group involved in the planning and development of the Inglewood Station project consists of:
1. Calgary Fire Department
2. RNDSQR
The City’s key goals for the Inglewood Station project are:
1. Realize a new modern two bay Fire Station that will be funded, owned and operated by the Calgary Fire Department, as part of a medium to high density mixed-use transit oriented development.
2. Deliver an appropriate mix of housing, commercial / retail or other private use(s) to be financed, designed, constructed, owned and operated by a private entity (RNDSQR).
Why do we need a new fire station? Why can’t we just fix the current fire station?
A replacement station is needed for the existing Fire Station 1 found in the downtown core. The timing is critical to replace the station and to address the increase in response times due to the closure of the 8 ST rail crossing.
Demolishing and rebuilding Station 1 is not a feasible option from a cost or service-level perspective. The building has a Plus 15 connection and a public park on the roof and an adjacent hotel parkade entry at the rear, as well as the following considerations:
• Key struggles with this facility are insufficient bay height (which is restricted by covenants), inadequate parking space for staff (currently provided by the fourth bay), and unsuitable building layout.
• Originally built in 1973, the building is at the end of its lifecycle.
• While it is in a good location for response, it is in the downtown core where fire risk is lower because commercial buildings have fire plans, sprinklers, and fire suppression systems in place.
• Moving resources to new community-scale, Bridgeland and Inglewood Stations will expand coverage within the seven-minute response timeframe.
Why does a new fire station need to be a multi-use facility? Can’t it just be a fire station?
The City has moved to a coordinated approach of planning and delivering civic facilities that optimizes the use of City-owned land and better serves benefitting communities.
Council has directed that in constructing civic facilities, Administration consider the possibility of multi-use construction, in addition to opportunities for partnership with the private sector, to maximize the utility of City lands where appropriate. The proximity of Inglewood Station to the future Green Line LRT station, makes this an appropriate location for both intensification of use beyond a single use fire station and development partnership to achieve an Integrated Mixed Use Facility with residential, commercial and emergency response uses all housed in one building.
How was this site chosen?
The original site was purchased by The City of Calgary in 1986 and supplemented by an additional purchase in 2010 for the purposes of an emergency response station. Calgary Fire Department obtained Council-approved funding from the 2019-2022 budget cycle to construct and operate on the site.
In 2016, the Calgary Fire Department worked with an external consultant to create a long-term plan to guide the future growth and development of response stations in Calgary’s inner city. The number one recommendation was to build two smaller, two-bay stations, one in the Bridgeland zone and one in the Inglewood zone to replace Station 1. This decentralized approach provides excellent coverage and works well with the Calgary Fire Department's current operational model with sites secured within the downtown core with suitable response times.
What is being developed on the site?
While the final mix of uses will be determined through a Development Permit application, conceptual building plans and the supporting Land Use Redesignation allow for residential, street-level commercial and emergency response uses to be housed in the same building. These combined uses are what gives the development its mixed-use character. The uses will be combined and designed to ensure that users of the site can co-exist and meet their respective needs.
What will be the impact of this proposed development on parking in the community?
A traffic study will be completed as a part of a Development Permit application process; however, any proposed designs will include parking on site and is subject to standard review by the City of Calgary Application Review Team and subject to Land Use Bylaw requirements.
What will happen to the temporary park space? Why is the space considered temporary?
The original site was purchased in 1986 and added to in 2010 as a new fire emergency response location. In 2019, The City of Calgary partnered with the Inglewood Business Improvement Area, local businesses and artists to enable a community-led Temporary Public Space Activation on the site of the future Inglewood Station through a temporary License of Occupation of the City-owned lands.
As per the License of Occupation agreement between The City and the Inglewood Business Improvement Area, the space was intended and conceived as a temporary use, and no continuation of that use or replacement was agreed to in the License.
PROJECT PRINCIPLES
Optimize
Optimize Strategic Growth & Investment
Support compact strategic growth economic resiliency, and multi-modal connectivity by locating new residential and commercial intensity in proximity to the MAX Purple BRT and future Green Line LRT.
Integrate
Integrate Diverse Public & Private Uses
Deliver a fully integrated building program that considers the functional needs and preferences of future building users, residents and visitors while supporting the goals of the Integrated Civic Facility Planning Program.
Enhance
Enhance The Public Realm
Introduce a high quality public realm and people-friendly destination through thoughtful building interface design that complements the 9 Avenue Streetscape Master Plan and planned Ramsay-Inglewood Station Area Improvements.
Lead
Lead With Great Architecture
Design a visually and physically attractive building that uses building form, materials, texture, and colour to create positive complementary impacts on the streetscape and public realm.
Introduce
Introduce Diverse New Housing Options
Create new, diverse and community focused housing options for Calgarians of all ages, wages and stages; including those who opt for vehicle-free lifestyles in transit-supportive and amenity-rich communities like Inglewood and Ramsay.
Connect
Connect Calgarians To Local Amenities
Strengthen the connection between people and where they live by introducing new neighbourhood-focused retail and amenities that promote walkability and local connectivity.
PROPOSED LAND USE CHANGE
Proposed Land Use Redesignation & Minor Policy Amendment
C-COR2f2.8h12 to MU-1f6.5h45
To realize a strategic transit-oriented development and align with the draft Historic East Calgary Local Area Plan (2020), the project team is targeting a mid-rise, high density mixed use building with a maximum height of 12-storeys (45m), transitioning to a lower nine-storey scale along the western portion of the site to provide a varied arrangement of mass and scale and accommodate common outdoor rooftop amenity spaces for future residents. Additional details about the Inglewood Station concept and development vision are available in the Inglewood Station Land Use Redesignation Application Brief. To enable the proposed development vision, the project team has submitted a Land Use Redesignation application to transition the site:
From: Commercial - Corridor 2 District (C-COR2f2.8h12)
Maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR): 2.8 | Maximum Building Height: 12m
To: Mixed Use - General District (MU-1f6.5h45)
Maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR): 6.5 | Maximum Building Height: 45m
A supporting Minor Policy Amendment to the Inglewood Area Redevelopment Plan (1993) is required to add the subject site as a Proposed Commercial/Industrial Redesignation, with associated design guidelines to guide a future Development Permit process.
NEXT STEPS
In early 2023, the Land Use Redesignation application will be presented to Council and Council will make its decision. After that, the project team will submit a complete Development Permit application that will outline details of the architectural building and public realm design for the new Inglewood Station Integrated Mixed Use Facility.
As with the Land Use Redesignation application, any members of the public who are interested in this project will have the chance to review the Development Permit application after it is submitted and give their feedback to the project team and the City of Calgary Planning staff as part of the outreach process for the application review.
