An open letter to the City of Calgary, Council and Candidates

July 19, 2023

Mayor Gondek and City Council
Ward 7 Councillor Terry Wong
City Manager David Duckworrth
General Manager, Infrastructure Michael Thompson
Green Line Board of Directors
Green Line CEO Darshpreet Bhatti

Re: Crescent Heights Village Centre Street Improvements

To Whom it May Concern:

It’s been nearly two years since our request for an interim plan for Centre Street improvements in light of delayed Green Line construction north of the river. Despite numerous communications and meetings since then, there have been no concrete actions to address concerns raised by both the BIA and the Crescent Heights Community Association. Today, we submit this letter to express our disappointment in the City’s response to the needs of business owners in Crescent Heights and to renew our call for action on Centre Street. 

It is our position that given cost escalations and the political climate, construction of the Green Line north of the Bow is many years away, which means the promises of improved safety and public realm are also indefinitely on hold as Centre Street continues to deteriorate. The businesses along Centre Street have simple requests that would go a long way in making Centre Street safer, more accessible and reflective of its status as a designated Main Street.. They include:

  • Repairs to deteriorating sidewalks
  • Paving of rear laneways to mitigate dangerous driving conditions
  • Removal of the laneway gate behind 1000 Centre Street. to improve access to off-street parking and waste removal vehicles
  • 40 km/hour speed limit and installation of photo radar at Centre Street. and 7th Avenue N.
  • Enforcement of noise and stunting bylaws as related to racing, loud tuner cars and motorcycle stunting that endanger pedestrians 
  • Installation of pedestrian-level lighting to improve visibility and safety at night
  • Installation of pedestrian crossings at 9th and 11th Avenues to improve safe movement across Centre Street.
  • Running a pilot to test removing the rush hour lane reversal 
  • Creation of a true parking lane, wide enough to safely park and exit vehicles
  • Creation of public parking zones on all side streets for one block out from Centre Street plus inclusion of designated loading zones on each block or laneway for business deliveries
  • Provision of a minimum time frame to allow businesses to plan their futures.  

Two years is too long to wait for meaningful action and the small businesses at the heart of our community and economy deserve better.  We’re hopeful the City will affect real change in a far more timely fashion to the renewed requests we make today. 

Sincerely,

  

Camie Leard, Executive Director

On behalf of the ratepayers and board of directors of Crescent Heights Village BIA

 

Crescent Heights Village BIA Feedback on Streetscape Mobility Plans

There are many things the BIA loves about what we’ve seen so far including the inclusion of trees, street furniture, separated walking/furniture zones, pedestrian level lighting, parklets, planters, varied textures, safer crosswalks for pedestrians and more – we thank the project team for taking our wishlist and integrating it into the plan wherever possible.

We’ve also identified some areas we believe require further clarification/development to help ensure the vitality of the businesses impacted by construction and the eventual arrival of the Green Line along Centre Street. They are as follows:

  • Deliveries, loading/unloading zones: We’d like to see a comprehensive plan for dedicated loading/unloading zones on side streets and/or alleyways to ensure each property along Centre St. has safe, adequate space for these activities.
  • Alleyway Improvements: We foresee the new streetscape plan/mobility suggestions resulting in an increased need for alleyway use for vehicular traffic and parking where available. The current alleyways in Crescent Heights Village, particularly on the East side, are in poor condition, poorly lit and are sometimes used for illicit activities. Improved pavement, lighting and signage would go a long way in making the spaces behind the buildings more useable. In addition, as a part of the Taking Care of Business plan, we’d like to see some supports for businesses who require upgrades to their back entrances to facilitate deliveries and customer parking that may currently be happening on Centre St.
  • Integrated Parking Zones: Given that not just parking, but also deliveries currently happening on Centre St. will move to the side streets, we’d like to see a two-block integrated parking zone or another solution to ensure short-term parking is available for every business within a reasonable distance for seniors and those with mobility challenges. Other ideas include dedicated handicap street parking, integrated angled parking on 1st N.W. between 9th and 11th Avenues and finding a location for a surface lot. We very much respect the impact these changes could have on residents in the area and are committed to finding a solution that honours both the businesses and the residents that support them.
  • Left-hand Turns North of 12th Avenue: While we acknowledge that maintaining left-hand turns north 12th Avenue may not be possible, we request that every effort is made to avoid this scenario. There are currently 18 businesses located on those blocks within the BIA whose access will be impacted. Our fear is that by the time a driver has realized they can’t turn left for their Pho, it will be too late and they’ll not make the effort to turn around. If nothing can be done, our request is that a special marketing/ communications/signage program is provided for these blocks to re-educate drivers on the new access points to these businesses.
  • Incomplete Plan: While the streetscape plan is thorough in outlining the types of blocks we’ll see, it doesn’t tell us which style will be utilized where and those decisions may have impacts on BIA businesses.
  • Public Art: We would like to see plans for public art and creative lighting built into the design for Centre Street.
  • Crossings: We’d like to see creative crosswalks on Centre Street and a multi-use crossing and bike-activated signal should be added to the new bike route.
  • Pedestrian Safety: Curb extensions should be added for people walking north and south on Centre Street to improve safety by reducing crossing distance. Curb extensions provide an opportunity to introduce greenery and beauty into the project. A buffer space between the walking zone and moving vehicle traffic should be prioritized over space allocated to medians between vehicle traffic and the train where possible.
  • Speed Limit: The design speed for vehicles travelling on Centre Street should be 40 km/h or less. This will help to support businesses by slowing drivers to a speed that they can perceive and recognize the businesses they are travelling past, and maneuver safely to stop and support those businesses. It would also allow curb corner radii and lane widths to be tightened. Tight corner radii are an important feature for creating a village feel and ensuring the safety of people travelling on foot.
  • Vehicle Lane Widths: Tighter vehicle lane widths (3.3 m) will also reallocate some much-needed space to the pedestrian realm, particularly in constrained areas where pedestrian space is limited (more info: https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/street-design-elements/lane-width/).
  • 9th Avenue Station Design: While we acknowledge that the station design doesn’t necessarily fall within the scope of the streetscape plan, we are excited about the opportunity to make this unique neighbourhood-scale station an example of community/BIA brand integration. We are looking for ways to keep the station interesting, approachable, human-centric and integrated with the BIA brand and the natural setting/bluff passengers will have just seen coming from the south. Also acknowledging station naming is outside of the scope of this conversation, as always, we’re noting our wish that this station be called Crescent Heights Village station.
  • Property/Business Appropriation: As the Green Line may be appropriating two of our members’ properties and businesses, our request is that the business and property owners are offered fair and equitable value for their properties and businesses as well as any support the City can provide by way of relocation if desired.

Crescent Heights Village BIA Position: May 2020 Green Line Alignment

Centre Street lies at the heart of Calgary’s north and is one of our beloved (and designated) Main Streets. Described by the City as places where citizens come together, Main Streets are places where we want to go, we enjoy, and we coalesce as a community. Main Streets are resilient, adaptable, and attractive public spaces that, celebrate the character of the community, encourage diversity of local business and create a vibrant destination.

Centre Street has been left to languish for years of uncertainty as the City addressed other concerns in other areas. 

 Take a walk down Centre Street in 2020 and it’s abundantly clear that this historic and important mainstreet has been left behind. Crumbling sidewalks lined with neglected buildings are sparsely populated with nervous pedestrians – scared to cross four lanes of commuter traffic. Cars and busses full of Calgarans from all over the city (85% of whom are not local to the area) rush through the neighbourhood twice a day, leaving behind a desolate road intended to be the heart of a village community, but left to languish for years of uncertainty as the City addressed other concerns in other areas. 

Today’s Centre Street is home to an eclectic mix of diverse business owners from all over the world.

At the same time, intrepid small business owners have managed to eke out a living despite parking woes and dwindling pedestrian traffic – some have been here for decades. Founded as a village in 1901, Crescent Heights is Calgary’s first community outside the valley. Annexed in 1911 and established as a neighbourhood in 1914, Crescent Heights is steeped in the history (and built on the hard work) of Calgary’s Chinese community. Today’s Centre Street is home to an eclectic mix of diverse business owners from all over the world. It’s for these hard working, risk-taking, job-creating Calgary business owners that the new Crescent Heights Village BIA was formed in 2020 and on behalf of whom we offer this position on the proposed Green Line LRT alignment released on May 12, 2020. 

The Potential

 The Crescent Heights Village Board of Directors believe Centre Street’s time has come. Our community (and, indeed, all of North Calgary) has waited long enough for the City’s attention and investment. It’s time to shift the role of Centre Street from an unplanned and haphazard commuter traffic thoroughfare to a vibrant and colourful, people-focused local business hub where Calgarians from all over the city come to eat, shop, work and play – by foot, by bike, by car and, of course, by transit.

The proposed alignment of May 12, 2020 provides an unprecedented opportunity to rethink, reinvent and revitalize Centre Street by:

  • Reducing out-of-area commuter traffic while improving access to local businesses 
  • Slowing car traffic down with narrowed lanes 
  • Creating opportunities for city-funded sidewalk improvements, pageantry, trees, infrastructure and lighting we may not otherwise see
  • Creation of a 9th Avenue (Crescent Heights Village) station bringing foot traffic to area businesses


Of course, with this exceptional opportunity comes exceptional risk, including: 

  • Three to five seasons (or more) of construction disruption to small business owners who have already experienced the unprecedented and devastating effects of COVID-19.
  • The loss of a great deal of precious parking along Centre Street that business owners rely on for their customers, for pick-up/delivery services and for loading – parking that is already inadequate. 

 

Our job as the Business Improvement Area is to assess the needs of the businesses in our area in the short, medium and long term. Often, these are in opposition to one another – as is the case with the Green Line alignment. While there’s no doubt the long-term benefits of the development will be transformative for Centre Street Village, getting there will be difficult at best, calamitous at worst. Given the recent economic downturn, challenges seen in other BIAs under construction (17th Avenue S.W.) and now the impact of the pandemic – the risk to many of these small business owners is substantial.

Our Position

Trying to balance the opportunity and the risk results in our position of conditional support of the proposed Green Line alignment, contingent on:

1. A robust and material business support program which might include but is not limited to:

  • Grants, tax freezes and other financial support measures through construction and for a period following its completion.

 Additional consideration of: 

  • A policy of using local businesses for construction needs throughout the project (office rental, business services, insurance, food and beverage, etc.)
  • Marketing and advertising support (both financial and City communications channels) throughout construction (beyond on-site signage).
  • Strict protocols on maintaining access to businesses including pedestrian escorts, flagging, etc.
  • Managing parking of site workers and others.

 

2. Replacing lost parking in its entirety and adding additional parking capacity, potentially by: 

  • Building a CPA parkade
  • Buying existing surplus parking from landowners
  • Expanding two-hour parking into the residential streets
  • Finding areas for angled parking/parking nodes (1st Street W)

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. Never before has the City asked small businesses to make the sacrifice of enduring a long construction period after five years of  recession and a global pandemic that put them out of business for months. 

Likewise, there isn’t another BIA in the city that offers zero parking along the BIA’s main street with the possible exception of International Avenue, which enjoys ample opportunity on residential side streets and large parking lots.

But the Crescent Heights Village Board believes moving forward is more important than waiting for the perfect circumstances — this far along in the process, standing still is as good as stepping backwards. We want to step forward and create an exceptional future for Centre Street.

Additional Considerations

It’s important to note that our ratepayer community does not unanimously support this alignment, nor does our board. The project team has asked the business owners of Crescent Heights to take a major leap of faith with many unanswered questions. Given the long term potential benefits to the area, it’s a leap we’re willing to take with an understanding the Green Line project team and Council will continue to work with us to support the businesses in our area. In the spirit of that collaboration, we also request consideration of the following: 

Consultation and funding of public realm improvements including:
  • Public art
  • Trees and Greenery
  • Alley lighting/beautification
  • Interim traffic calming and parking measures such as a 4-to-3 lane conversion and permanent parking on both sides
  • Improved sidewalks and crosswalks
  • Pedestrian scale lighting
  • Use of character materials
  • Multi-use pathway on the train bridge
  • Bike parking (re-installation of existing CH branded racks)
  • Installation of benches and other streetscape enhancements that can be removed and replaced during and after construction
  • Maintaining permeability of centre street with no fences or arms dividing the street

 

Station Naming: It is our request that the 9th Avenue station be called Crescent Heights Village to give it a sense of place that celebrates Calgary’s history, to recognize it as a destination, and to give back to businesses in our area by promoting economic development once the project is complete. Input on the 16th Avenue station naming, design and public realm is also requested.

Traffic/speed Management including:
  • Lower posted and street design speed of Centre Street to 40 km/hour between 7th and 16th Avenues for both trains and motor vehicles to provide a “Main Street” feel, improve safety, and promote economic development (speeding vehicles don’t stop for coffee)
  • Dedicated left-turn lanes
  • Busses share LRT lane versus using the car lanes

Summary

The business owners in the Crescent Heights Village BIA have shown a tremendous amount of grit over the last decades as Centre Street sat in limbo. Dangling in the winds of politics, economics and public opinion, these restaurateurs, accountants, pharmacists, herbalists, retailers, dentists, barbers and grocers have continued to create jobs and serve their community with pride and resilience. Let’s reward their perseverance by giving them a Centre Street that works – during construction and for decades to come.