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A group of organizations representing businesses, property owners and Calgary’s construction industry are raising concerns over the proposed alignment for the Green Line LRT above the downtown core.
In a letter to the province, NAIOP Calgary, BOMA Calgary, the Calgary Construction Association (CCA) and the Calgary Downtown Association (CDA) said it would be “reckless” to support the proposed elevated alignment based on a lengthy list of concerns.“Based on the report delivered to the community, we’re not seeing any new information, data and/or financial details that would negate the previously identified challenges with an elevated alignment in the Beltline and the downtown core,” said the letter, addressed to both Premier Danielle Smith and Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen.Impacts to downtown property values, loss of tenants, shadowing and vibrations, impacts to the Plus 15 network, and a lack of information on costs are among the list of concerns outlined by the quartet of organizations. The consortium also said the proposed provincial plan would leave Eau Claire “stranded” due to its termination at 7 Avenue and 2 Street S.W.Mark Garner, the CDA’s executive director, said city council can’t make an informed decision based on the information provided by the province to date.
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“There hasn’t been a full cost analysis, we haven’t done any obligations or risk liability around property values dropping, or specifically what the retail impact is going to be,” Garner told Global News. The province’s proposal, through third-party engineering firm AECOM, would see the Green Line travel above 10 Avenue S.E., turning north above the CPKC Rail tracks to 2 Street S.W. and stopping above 7 Avenue S.W., where the Red and Blue lines travel at-grade through the core.According to CCA president Bill Black, the late changes to the city’s alignment unlock “a very real danger” the Green Line project could be halted in its tracks.
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“We inherited a downtown that was not readily designed for this kind of connectivity through it,” Black said. “Now we have some very difficult options and affordability concerns around how we do it; but we cannot abandon downtown.”Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek told Global News she doesn’t disagree with the concerns outlined by the group of organizations, noting the importance of “getting it right” as the $6.2 billion project can’t be re-done.“We have to make sure we are not going to damage our downtown,” Gondek said. “We’ve got so many people who have invested heavily into our downtown with their own businesses, nevermind the fact that we have invested over half a billion dollars into downtown revitalization.”
Gondek, who has met with several businesses along the proposed alignment, said there is uncertainty as just five per cent of the downtown alignment has been designed through the AECOM report. In a statement to Global News, Dreeshen said he met with representatives from the various organizations to consider their perspectives in the AECOM alignment.“Many of the challenges identified regarding downtown alignment can be addressed through progress of the design,” Dreeshen’s statement said. “Delays or re-evaluations risk jeopardizing federal funding, increasing costs, and leaving Calgary without the transformative transit solution it urgently needs.”In their letter, the organizations said they support construction on the Green Line from Shepard to Victoria Park, but that support is conditional on an understanding the Beltline and downtown alignment is “revisited with a detailed review” with input from all stakeholders.“It cannot happen without a very firm commitment to continue to arrive at a proper solution for downtown,” Black told Global News.The province and city came to an agreement on the southeast alignment outside of the downtown core, in which design work continues.“Build what you can build today,” Garner said. “Start in the south and work your way towards downtown, and then include all the partners and stakeholders in a more fulsome conversation.Calgary city council is set to get a closed door briefing from city administration on the Green Line on Tuesday, with hope there will be recommendations on a path forward.
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