Community Location and
Analysis
Context
With the loss of the hospital it is incumbent on the city to provide
a redevelopment scheme that meets both community goals and citywide goals.
This report is an On the morning of October 4, 1998, the ‘Old
General’, Bow Valley Centre General Hospital was imploded, leaving a
30 acre hole in the heart of the community. Effort to give a general background
and explanation of a possibility for the site.
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Background
| Bridgeland-Riverside is an inner-city community located on the opposite
side of the Bow River just northeast of downtown Calgary. The community
boundaries are defined by a commercial development along Edmonton Trail NE
on its western edge, a 20 meter escarpment to the north, Tom Campbell’s
Hill to the east and the Bow River and Memorial Drive NE to the south.
Historically the community has been an entry point for immigrant Canadians.
As a result the mixed heritage of the area is reflected in its building types
and details. In addition, cultural influences are evident in murals found
on some of the ethnic restaurants and commercial buildings along 1st Avenue
NE. Furthermore, at one time the commercial strip along 1st Avenue was on
both sides of the street, but has been a hospital parking lot for a couple
of decades. Much of the housing found in the area are cottage and bungalow
style homes aligned along gridiron streets with gravel lane access, with
an increasing number of infills. The population of the area is significantly
older than that of the rest of Calgary. Although, within the last decade
there has been an influx of younger people and couples into the community
in part from the close proximity to the LRT and downtown. |
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Future
Challenges
| The Bridgeland-Riverside community faces some unique challenges in the
future due to its population demographics, and ensuing development pressure.
Much of the existing seniors, low income, disability foundation housing and
extended care facilities were located in the area because of the proximity
to the hospital. Now that the hospital is gone these facilities are left
without the support of a local hospital. In addition, a 30 acre undeveloped
site in the heart of their community created the immediate challenge of ensuring
that their goals for the community are not buried under an over ambitious
development plan. |
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