You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Now with 3x more gears...

[Wormius]

Well, I agree about Tim Horton’s.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by curves2000

Calgary's East Village when it was envisioned was a once in a generation opportunity to rebuild an area on prime real estate. Downtown, next to the water, transit, walkable, live, work, play, vibrant. Real estate with this much potential usually isn't available for complete redevelopment of an entire neighborhood in large Canadian cities. It was suppose to be Calgary's version of Yaletown in Vancouver and other hip, happening and vibrant areas in Toronto/Montreal etc.

Sure there is some vibrancy with people walking around and grabbing a coffee on a warm day etc, but is that really the end goal here? We have all been on vacation and been to cool cities with cool areas, the definition isn't strollers, babies, walking and coffee.

Where is the really cool shopping? Must try restaurants, bumping nightlife, unique independent businesses? All the great job opportunities and thriving start ups? There is a Superstore, Winners, Subway, Dominos Pizza. Lot's of chain places.

If any posters have friends/family coming into town, is that the place you take them out to show them the hottest area in Calgary? If you rented an Air B&B in that area as a tourist, is that really the area for the slogan "More City. More Life!" that they show everywhere. It is disappointing to me as Calgarian. I too frequent the area on car, foot and cycle but not as much as I would if there was some life there.

The lack of current development compared to other areas is very noticeable. I thought at first it was the lack of growth in Calgary post 2015 energy crash but even nearly 10 years later, there isn't an explosion considering the growth Calgary is experiencing.

Every other city is awesome. Because you're on vacation. So of course it is.

EV is pretty good...it's alright...it's not great...but it's fine.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Every other city is awesome. Because you're on vacation. So of course it is.

EV is pretty good...it's alright...it's not great...but it's fine.

Was it even promised as anything more than simply being revitalized from it’s former state? I dunno why people fixate on the stuff they don’t want to do there? Yeah, there’s a Superstore. Don’t go inside. There’s Sunterra a few blocks away to nerd out in.

[topfiverecords]

It’s a neighborhood for people to live in before it’s a neighborhood for locals and then before a neighborhood for tourists. That’s why there’s a Superstore. People need food. That’s why there’s a Winners. People need clothing. That’s why there’s a Domino’s. People like pizza.

[Zary's-Mustache]

I love East Village. Took a scooter ride there from Pearce estates park last week and it very busy and vibrant.

[chaoticmonk]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

That’s why there’s a Domino’s. People like pizza.

let's get it right. we don't have a dominos in east village for pizza. it's connie & john's, panago or freshslice.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by chaoticmonk

let's get it right. we don't have a dominos in east village for pizza. it's connie & john's, panago or freshslice.

You can’t see Connie & Johns from you car so it doesn’t count.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by chaoticmonk

let's get it right. we don't have a dominos in east village for pizza. it's connie & john's, panago or freshslice.

Thanks for the correction.

Where’s Connie & John’s?

[ZedMan]

They're on the Simmons building rooftop now.

[Ped]

Called 911 this morning for a suspected impaired driver. On hold for 9 minutes. Luckily the guy got on the hightway (well not so lucky if he hits somenoe at higher speeds) so I hung up and called OPP instead.

[fotze2]

You down with OPP?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by fotze2

You down with OPP?

Yeah You know me

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Yeah You know me

Who down with OPP?

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Yeah You know me

Check the OR. You like it so far?

[PepsiFree]

On hold for 9 minutes with 911?

Ban WhiteTiger for this incompetence.

(sorry didn’t mean to interrupt whatever schtick you old nerds are doing)

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

On hold for 9 minutes with 911?

Ban WhiteTiger for this incompetence.

(sorry didn’t mean to interrupt whatever schtick you old nerds are doing)

OPP means it is Ontario People Problems. WhiteTiger is off the hook here.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by curves2000

The overall lack of development and progress in Calgary's East Village downtown. It's been over 10 years now and there hasn't been the growth that I anticipated or expected. It's kinda dead down there from a business perspective, even on weekends. This was suppose to be a happening downtown urban revival and it hasn't turned out like that.

I work next to Fort Calgary and bike through EV most days. It's still a cool neighborhood, and the river pathway is awesome. But it's clearly a stalled neighborhood and that reason for that stall is apparent after 5 minutes of being there. Pretty much every where you go, from the river to the library to the streets around...you're around drug use and homelessness.

Few people want to live in, or hang out, or do business in an area with such an obvious problem. People don't want to live there because they have to be hyper vigilant as soon as they step outside. Businesses don't to want to commit long-term to a neighborgood where they know they'll have theft/break-in issues, and Developers don't want to invest in an area where they know they'll need to spend more on security and will have an uphill battle with moving units. And all these people know there's no clear or quick fix. It will always be an issue as long as the DI is there...and it probably always will because you need to have something.

At the end of the day, whether for residents, business or developers...there's just too many other better options. Why go through the trouble of living or investing in EV, when you can go elsewhere without the added risk? You can go to the Beltline, or Inglewood, or University District, or Marda Loop, or Bridgeland/Renfrew etc. Those areas aren't without faults, but they are clearly better alternatives, and are all booming with activity. The only people investing in EV are probably out of town investors being duped.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Was it even promised as anything more than simply being revitalized from it’s former state? I dunno why people fixate on the stuff they don’t want to do there? Yeah, there’s a Superstore. Don’t go inside. There’s Sunterra a few blocks away to nerd out in.

But the renderings showed a bunch of rooftop gardens and trees!?!?!?! It's a complete failure!

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I work next to Fort Calgary and bike through EV most days. It's still a cool neighborhood, and the river pathway is awesome. But it's clearly a stalled neighborhood and that reason for that stall is apparent after 5 minutes of being there. Pretty much every where you go, from the river to the library to the streets around...you're around drug use and homelessness.

Few people want to live in, or hang out, or do business in an area with such an obvious problem. People don't want to live there because they have to be hyper vigilant as soon as they step outside. Businesses don't to want to commit long-term to a neighborgood where they know they'll have theft/break-in issues, and Developers don't want to invest in an area where they know they'll need to spend more on security and will have an uphill battle with moving units. And all these people know there's no clear or quick fix. It will always be an issue as long as the DI is there...and it probably always will because you need to have something.

At the end of the day, whether for residents, business or developers...there's just too many other better options. Why go through the trouble of living or investing in EV, when you can go elsewhere without the added risk? You can go to the Beltline, or Inglewood, or University District, or Marda Loop, or Bridgeland/Renfrew etc. Those areas aren't without faults, but they are clearly better alternatives, and are all booming with activity. The only people investing in EV are probably out of town investors being duped.

Should we just start referring to it as the Downtown East Side?

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Should we just start referring to it as the Downtown East Side?

We could call it the Lower East Side, where lower has a different meaning.