CrossIron Mills Shopping Centre - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Resolute 14 · 03-06-2008, 06:32 PM

On my way to and from the Lloydminster area yesterday, I noticed that some of the barns for the horseracing track are up, and the superstructure for the Balzac megamall is up... freaking HUGE. With the water issue resolved, it's full steam ahead, it seems.

The MD of Rockyview has put up a website for the development: http://www.eastbalzac.ca/

On top of the mall and race track, there are plans for a casino, a 3000 seat theatre complex, a 5-star hotel (in Balzac, lol), and a golf course. Two business and one industrial park as well. Once it's done, Airdrie and Calgary will pretty much be one continuous metropolitan area.

Apparently this is designed around a similar complex in Vaughan, Ontario. Much larger metro, of course, but it is similarly north of the population mass. I gotta wonder though. Can this thing work in Southern Alberta?

Slava · 03-06-2008, 09:01 PM

I wonder the same thing, specifically about the hotel! Who comes to Calgary and wants a hotel all the way out there?

I don't know about this....it could do very well I guess, but it does seem like a white elephant in some ways!

HotHotHeat · 03-06-2008, 09:03 PM

The horse racing alone will make the hotel work. Personally I think the whole project is gross. Who wants to drive all the way out there for shopping? Building it somewhere on the way to Banff seems to make more sense.

Or they could realize we don't need anymore malls in this city and just not build anything.

KevanGuy · 03-06-2008, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slava

I wonder the same thing, specifically about the hotel! Who comes to Calgary and wants a hotel all the way out there?

It also doesnt help that people staying there basically have to go through the city to get to the mountains. Does anyone know how many '5 star' hotels there are in Calgary?

Burninator · 03-06-2008, 09:08 PM

Well some people feel the need to drive north and go to large malls. Well now a lot of driving and mullets can be avoided.

Slava · 03-06-2008, 09:15 PM

Not only is the hotel near nothing that people want to come here for (save for the new big mall and horse-track, I suppose), but does anyone come here for business and want to be in Balzac?

4X4 · 03-06-2008, 09:30 PM

Firstly, Burninator's post was gold.
Next, I think this might severely affect the business center on the south end of Airdrie. This is like building a Wal-Mart in Banff for them.
But the other thing that sort of strikes me is that it doesn't really service the City of Calgary all that well. If you look at a map and consider which neighbourhoods would be inclined to go there, it's really just a portion of north central Calgary. The NE, not so much, and certainly not the NW.

jolinar of malkshor · 03-06-2008, 09:37 PM

First of all it is on the busiest road in Alberta, close to the airport, lots of parking and once the ring road is open straight to the mountains. I think it is a really good idea.

KevanGuy · 03-06-2008, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

First of all it is on the busiest road in Alberta, close to the airport, lots of parking and once the ring road is open straight to the mountains. I think it is a really good idea.

Ahhhhh, yes, the ring road. Forgot about that. Well, thats not too bad I guess.

llama64 · 03-06-2008, 09:49 PM

It's like West Edmonton Mall. Except you don't have to go to Edmonton.

Seems like a winning situation to me

Hemi-Cuda · 03-06-2008, 09:51 PM

i'm thinking the reasoning for the hotel may be a "build it and they will come" mentality. megamall, horse racing, gambling. if this thing does take off then we'll probably see a lot more development in that Calgary-Airdrie conduit. maybe they're hoping the attractions come to them

flamey_mcflame · 03-06-2008, 09:57 PM

The smart person would have bought land between the Airdrie and Calgary corridor. Lets hope the mall and horse track is a huge success.

I-Hate-Hulse · 03-06-2008, 11:45 PM

I've been to both Vaughn Mills and Southpark Center in Cleveland, recipients of the 'build em cheap' school of design. Assuming they follow a similar design to Vaughn, it's a rather sterile design inside - corrugated metal ceiling with exposed girders, with lots of concrete. Chinook has a much more 'deluxe' feel to it.

At the end of the day, no matter how big it is, it's just a freaking shopping mall. There's only so many stores around that can fill the place and a really big Gap doesn't mean I'll find that much different from stuff in Calgary. Don't expect crazy stuff like a theme park or waterworld like West Ed - stuff like that doesn't generate sales, so it's just acres of stores. Add to that a crazy drive out there, and as long as there's a store from that chain in Calgary there's no freaking way I'm going out there just to shop. Then again I'm a guy...I was amused by the Bass Pro Shops place for about 2 hours even though I don't fish...

I've been to Stampede Park a few times and had fun, but when I looked around it was filled with your stereotypical tired looking 50 something men with long faces. Are these the guys that are going to fill the stands of the new track? I think they'll go to the OTB at Schanks instead.

The Chinook expansion and the Eatons Center revamp they started (Southcenter too?) are going to take some serious wind out of the sails of CrossIron if they can get unique stores, only in their respective locations.

jolinar of malkshor · 03-07-2008, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

I've been to both Vaughn Mills and Southpark Center in Cleveland, recipients of the 'build em cheap' school of design. Assuming they follow a similar design to Vaughn, it's a rather sterile design inside - corrugated metal ceiling with exposed girders, with lots of concrete. Chinook has a much more 'deluxe' feel to it.

At the end of the day, no matter how big it is, it's just a freaking shopping mall. There's only so many stores around that can fill the place and a really big Gap doesn't mean I'll find that much different from stuff in Calgary. Don't expect crazy stuff like a theme park or waterworld like West Ed - stuff like that doesn't generate sales, so it's just acres of stores. Add to that a crazy drive out there, and as long as there's a store from that chain in Calgary there's no freaking way I'm going out there just to shop. Then again I'm a guy...I was amused by the Bass Pro Shops place for about 2 hours even though I don't fish...

I've been to Stampede Park a few times and had fun, but when I looked around it was filled with your stereotypical tired looking 50 something men with long faces. Are these the guys that are going to fill the stands of the new track? I think they'll go to the OTB at Schanks instead.

The Chinook expansion and the Eatons Center revamp they started (Southcenter too?) are going to take some serious wind out of the sails of CrossIron if they can get unique stores, only in their respective locations.

If there is more room, more parking, more space and less people. I would go there over anyother mall in Calgary. I hate going to Chinook Centre at any time of the year. Market aint to bad on weekdays and non-holidays but if you go when it is busy, I just can;t stand the people packed in there like sardines.

Ro · 03-07-2008, 12:51 AM

While I agree with much of what you have to say IHH, Vaughan Mills is a pretty freaking awesome mall. Almost every time I drive to TO I stop there, and I'm not a huge mall guy. You're right, at the end of the day it's just a mall, but a high-end supermall like that is always nice to have around as an option.

Resolute 14 · 03-07-2008, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4X4

Firstly, Burninator's post was gold.
Next, I think this might severely affect the business center on the south end of Airdrie. This is like building a Wal-Mart in Banff for them.
But the other thing that sort of strikes me is that it doesn't really service the City of Calgary all that well. If you look at a map and consider which neighbourhoods would be inclined to go there, it's really just a portion of north central Calgary. The NE, not so much, and certainly not the NW.

I don't think it would affect the south Airdrie buisness centre that much, really. CrossIron Mills doesn't plan on putting in any big box stores, perhaps because they are all less than five minutes away in Airdrie.

On a semi-unrelated note, hopefully they extend Main Street in Airdrie to Highway 566 as an alternate access to the shopping centre. Might help relieve some of the burden on Big Springs Road until the province gets off it's ass and twins the road under Hwy 2.

What I think it will severely affect, however, is Deerfoot Mall. That place is already completely dead most days, and I think I read that CrossIron was going to go with an outlet type idea as well.

I guess the big question is whether the horse track and casino can make the rest of the development work.

JohnnyFlame · 03-07-2008, 08:22 AM

I don't think you can underestimate how that ring road is going to change the way people make choices. I'm pretty close to it and I know I'm looking forward to it as an option. Rather that fighting traffic/parking/crowds if I can hop on that road and motor to a spot more convenient it's a slam dunk.

If it works properly I'm using it to escape town and it will change my shopping/entertainment habits. Just the drive turns me off of places now but if I can get there as quick as muddling through the inner core then my choices just increased.

fredr123 · 03-07-2008, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

First of all it is on the busiest road in Alberta, close to the airport, lots of parking and once the ring road is open straight to the mountains. I think it is a really good idea.

All of those things suggest the choice in location isn't as dumb as some would suggest. Personally, I'm a heck of a lot closer to this new uber-mall than I am to Market or Chinook.

Does Airdrie really have any decent shopping? I was at the mall their a couple years ago and was really underwhelmed. If residents of Airdrie tolerated that because Calgary was so close, this new mall will be even more convenient.

Resolute 14 · 03-07-2008, 09:41 AM

Airdrie is just finally getting big box stores - Walmart, Home Depot, Superstore and a new Canadian Tire all just opened up within the last two years - so no, the shopping has long been horrible. Though, oddly enough, Airdrie did get the first Walmart Supercentre in Alberta. Go figure.

And yeah, Towerlane Mall is pretty bad. But then, it was built for a town of 5000, not a city of 30,000. I remember hanging out there 15 years ago, and it was a dump back then.

Teh_Bandwagoner · 03-07-2008, 11:08 AM

I live in Coventry Hills, so CrossIrons is going to be one of the closest malls around. Actually I'll consider it THE closest mall around, since I don't count Deerfoot "Mall" as a mall...blech.