Pumphouse Park is located on the south side of the Bow River, east of the Crowchild Trail bridge, by the Pumphouse Theatre. The park attracts recreational users and commuters of the Bow River Pathway system as well as theatre goers.

We are looking to make improvements to this space to increase activity and mobility in the area and create a comfortable park to host everything from intimate private gatherings to larger community events.

Improvement of this park and surrounding area will also provide new connections for the Bow River Pathway system, cycle track users, and the inner city communities of Sunalta, Hillhurst and Scarboro.

Program funding

This project is part of the Established Areas Growth and Change Strategy, a program that supports projects focused on our existing communities so they can continue to be vibrant and successful for decades to come. The program provides funding to support short-term (1-3 years) public realm improvement projects in established communities where growth and change are happening.

Comments are moderated to ensure a productive and respectful environment for everyone.

Provide Your Input

In Phase 1, we learned about how Pumphouse Park is currently used and what people like and dislike about the park.

Based on the public input collected in August and September of 2021, technical analysis, and internal stakeholder feedback, the project team divided Pumphouse Park into three Zones and developed two concepts for park improvements. The concepts are not meant to be a choice of A or B. They are to give a general idea of how the elements and amenities can influence how the park is used and the public's experience of the space.

Phase 2 includes engagement with the public and with event organizers for feedback on the two concepts. The final design will blend features from both to best reflect what we understand the desired experience of the park to be as well as technical and functional considerations.

Concept A shows open large areas for flexible programming and medium event space, as well as smaller areas for physical recreation and small gatherings.

Concept B shows some flexible programming spaces and small to medium event spaces, as well as multiple areas for physical recreation and family gatherings.

Provide your feedback on all three Zones!

This zone stretches from the western end of the park where the Crowchild bridge connection intersects the existing South Bow River Pathway to the bottom of the hill at the centre of the park.

This zone is the open space at the top of the Pumphouse Park hill. The hill is in the middle of the park and overlooks the Bow River to the north. Currently there is a full size beach volleyball court that is open to the public for casual use.

This zone is in the central part of the park extending from the east edge of the hill to the Pumphouse Theatre. The space between the hill and the theatre is full of large existing Poplars that provide shade and pockets for visitors to have smaller gatherings.

Your input, and the input of other citizens and stakeholders, helps The City understand people’s perspectives, opinions, and concerns. Input collected in this phase of the project will be compiled and shared through a What We Heard report. Personally identifying information, profanity and comments that do not meet The City's Respectful Workplace Policy or the Online Tool Moderation Practice will be removed.

Although it would be a great outcome, the goal of engagement is not to reach consensus or make everyone happy. Engagement is also not about voting or collecting representative information. Public engagement is about considering the input, ideas and perspectives of people who are interested or impacted by decisions, before decisions are made.

To learn more about engagement at The City, visit engage.calgary.ca/about.

WHAT WE HEARD

Phase 1 of the engagement was from August 25, 2021 to September 13, 2021. We asked about how you use Pumphouse Park and what people like and dislike about it. You can read the What We Heard cover report here. Your input was used to help put together some design concepts for different areas in the park.

Phase 2 of the engagement asked what people think about the different design concepts. From March 1 to March 14, 2022, we asked groups who organize events in other City parks or buildings to tell us about how the different design concepts for the park could work for gatherings and activities. From March 15 to March 27, 2022, we asked the public what you like and dislike about amenities that are in the different concepts for areas in the park. You can read the final What We Heard cover report here.

Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas with us!

The project team reviewed all feedback and developed a design that considers features from both concepts as well as technical, functional and budget considerations.

Although construction is always weather-dependent, we anticipate starting construction in Fall 2023.

You can view the design and check for construction dates here.