ECCA AGM October 19, 2022 – Recap
Eau Claire Community Centre held a live AGM at the Sheraton Eau Claire on Wednesday, October 19, 2022. It was great to see people in person again after two consecutive AGMs over Teams. We started the evening with a number of very informative guest speakers; the residents in attendance were extremely happy to hear details of upcoming projects.
Eau Claire Public Realm – Eau Claire Improvement Projects
Dennis Hoffart (Program Lead) and Natalie Coombs (Program Communications Lead) gave us an update on where we are at and what you can expect for the remainder of the season and into 2023. Below you will see a brief overview of each project:
Eau Claire Plaza Redesign: The Plaza team is making progress on hardscaping and landscaping elements. You will have seen much of the area taking shape this season with the permanent sections for the pathway and tie-in connections. Next season, you can expect to see more groundwork, furnishings, utilities, and lighting in early 2023.
Play Structure and Neighbourhood Hub: The play structure and future of the Neighbourhood Hub location are being determined, and we will be able to communicate more information in the new year.
The Downtown Flood Barrier and Eau Claire Promenade: Much of the pathway connections from Jaipur Bridge to the Reconciliation Bridge are complete and we anticipate opening more of those connections later this fall. With that, we expect to see the Centre Street underpass and 2 Street bridge connection open later this fall. No major ground works are expected throughout the winter, while work in the spring will be focused on landscaping, hardscaping, furnishings, utilities, and lighting in the remaining areas.
Centre Street Pedestrian Ramps: Handrail installation and tie-in connections are being made and we expect to see the pedestrian ramps complete later this fall.
Eau Claire Neighbourhood Hub: The Hub is open with a rotating artist in residence. For more information on the Hub, visit Calgary.ca/EauClaireHub and a future event calendar will be available on the cSPACE website.
Timeline
You will start to see many of the Eau Claire area improvements open next year. This means that landscaping and hardscaping, lighting, and utility work will be the focus for the spring and finishing work, such as furniture, will be completed in the spring and summer.
Eau Claire Plaza Redesign: Phase 1 and 2 completed in 2023, Phase 3 to be completed in 2024.
The Downtown Flood Barrier and Eau Claire Promenade: To be completed in Fall 2023.
Centre Street Pedestrian Ramps: Expected to open later this fall.
Jaipur Bridge Replacement: Opened in June 2022.
Eau Claire Neighbourhood Hub: Opened in September 2022.
For more information, please visit Calgary.ca/EauClaire.
Councillor Terry Wong and Coco Yuen, Community Liaison, Ward 7
Terry gave us a summary of his priorities over the near (4-year budget is being done right away) and longer term, including his personal goal of making Calgary like Disneyland: a safe, clean, fun destination for all ages. Terry uses the analogy of a Rubik’s cube being turned by committee to discuss the complexity of reaching goals while helping all stakeholders meet their own goals too; some things are just going to take time but are worth working towards incrementally. He spoke about livability and about balancing the needs of safety and security with humanity. There was active engagement with the audience and Terry heard the residents’ perspectives. You can contact Terry at [email protected].
Ashley Teixeira, on behalf of Greg McLean, MP Calgary Centre
Ashley mentioned the work that she did for us in trying to reach Transport Canada to get permission for ECCA to install a mural on the round building at the helipad. She also reminded us that Greg is available to assist with supporting letters when we pursue grant money at any level of government. You can contact Greg at [email protected].
Joe Ceci, MLA Calgary Buffalo
Joe Ceci was not able to attend, but he sent a letter of support for the ECCA’s work. He and his staff are always ready to offer support, advice, or any other assistance. Contact them at [email protected].
Juliet Pitts and Adam Noble-Johnson, Green Line LRT
Adam gave the room an update on construction on the Green Line and both Adam and Juliet responded to questions. There is a lot of construction going on in Eau Claire and in the greater downtown area in preparation for drilling underground. Right now, road closures on 3 and 5 avenues and 1 and 2 streets are all related to clearing out the surface and deep utilities by Atco, Telus, and Enmax, so the space will be free of impediments – as Adam said, “construction on the Green Line has already begun.” Learn more at calgary.ca/GreenLine.
Dru Mohler, Neighbourhood Partnership Coordinator
Eau Claire extends its thanks to Dru Mohler, our Neighbourhood Partnership Coordinator from the City of Calgary. Dru is an integral part of our community association, attending all of our board meetings, helping us to interface with all departments of the City, and he provided all of the AV equipment for the AGM. Dru is always the first person to offer help and always follows through.
Constable Anthony Au, Community Resource Officer
We’re also happy to welcome Constable Anthony Au as our brand-new Community Resource Officer. He has just been assigned so we haven’t met him yet, and he was out of town for the AGM, but we want to acknowledge the importance of the CPS CRO program in keeping us informed about public safety trends in the central city and advising us on measures to help keep our community safe. We value our relationship with the Calgary Police and are glad to see it continue.
Residential and Commercial Development
ECCA reviews all development permits from the largest towers to the smallest patio extensions and submits a written response to every one of them. The Chair gave a quick run-down on them for the AGM:
- 101 – 3 Street SW (former YMCA)
- Kris Van Greiken, President of Telsec, had a conflict and wasn’t able to attend but he gave us a statement: “Telsec and the City continue to work back and forth on the Land Use and ARP amendments and will share the eventual document and solicit feedback from the community one last time before submitting to council for approval.” They hope to have the building active with various user groups effective January 1, 2023.
- Eau Claire Market – There is a major project planned with great potential for becoming an important retail/entertainment/service hub with significant additional residential space – truly transformative for the community and one we’ve been following closely.
- There’s an important update at Calgary.ca/EauClaireStation. They will be having a public information session on November 1, 2022, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Eau Claire Market on the main floor – please try to attend to give them resident perspectives.
- Of interest to the neighbourhood will be the definition of TOD: transit-oriented development. It has the unwelcome word “offices” in the definition, but given the current vacancy rate, we can hope that that won’t be a priority for the developers.
- LaCaille’s Kings on Fourth Project – 4 Avenue and 5 Street SW. LaCaille group, who is responsible for other residential buildings in the community, has applied for a development permit to build a mixed-use tower with offices, a hotel, and residences all in one building. It’s on the NE corner of 4 Avenue and 5 Street, where there is a convenience store and other small retail and dining outlets. They also hope to have a major restaurant and patio at ground level, all helping to add vitality to the area.
- 501/601 – These are the two large parking lots between Eau Claire and 2 Avenues and between 4 and 6 streets. An ambitious DP was approved several years ago for a major residential development of eight towers in all, including a hotel and retail amenities with construction scheduled to begin in 2015. We’ve recently established email communication with the current owners and will let the community know when we’ve talked to them about what their plans are.
- Graywood’s First and Park Project – 6 Street and 2 Avenue SW. 90% sold.
- ECCA is generally in favour of increased residential development but did express concern about the set-back from LaCaille Park Place which seems a little too close for comfort.
- Concord Pacific – There is no new update on the East Tower timing.
- 395 to 7 Street – There is a project to convert unused office space to residential. Development Permit in place to change use to dwelling unit, child care facility, and restaurant. ECCA will continue to follow this development and provide updates as we get them.
Mandates
Eau Claire community centre’s primary mandates are review, speak, and gather. We review all development proposals submitted to the City and we stay on top of proposed projects coming to our neighbourhood. We speak for our community perspective on everything that can impact our residents. We gather to foster a sense of community and collegiality.
We appreciate everyone who was able to come out for our AGM, it was wonderful to see the lively conversations among residents both during the formal event and at the wine and nibbles event afterwards. We look forward to being able to kick-start our social events next year and meet more of our neighbours. In the meantime, we’ll be moving forwards on some beautification projects such as a mural on the building at the helipad and enhancing 7 Street as a main street for residents to gather casually. Stand by for more information as these projects are developed.
Contact us as [email protected].
