OMG, they are letting Chinook Mall expand - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

OracleOfCalgary · 07-17-2007, 07:52 AM

On the radio yesterday, they said the city has granted the mall permission to expand by adding another level onto the mall. Please tell me that the big money we just dropped on the Glenmore Causeway wasn't exclusively for the benefit of the mall owners.

You can forget about trying to drive up Macleod trail during Xmas shopping season. As if the current traffic nightmare wasn't bad enough.

They should never have allowed the mall to get as big as it is in the first place.

llama64 · 07-17-2007, 08:00 AM

Are they adding more parking? Unless they are, I doubt there will be much of a difference when the reno's are done. What is wrong with a large mall? It's not like they are putting a waterpark, amusement park and a lame hotel in there as well...

No, that road work was done to solve the problem of the Elbow Drive and Glenmore traffic light controlled intersection. At the same time, they are widening the road to allow for more traffic to flow in an east/west direction. It's something that Calgary has needed since the early 90's.

Slava · 07-17-2007, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by llama64

Are they adding more parking? Unless they are, I doubt there will be much of a difference when the reno's are done. What is wrong with a large mall? It's not like they are putting a waterpark, amusement park and a lame hotel in there as well...

No, that road work was done to solve the problem of the Elbow Drive and Glenmore traffic light controlled intersection. At the same time, they are widening the road to allow for more traffic to flow in an east/west direction. It's something that Calgary has needed since the early 90's.

Oh C'mon. Who doesn't want to stay in a "circus" theme room with a trapeze above the bed right after a couple from Ponoka?

Agamemnon · 07-17-2007, 08:14 AM

They could probably just redevelop some of the existing parking into an 8 level behemoth parking garage that, while impractical, might keep them legal.

It seems like only a few years ago that whole place was shut down for the last massive reno... I think that was in 99/00?

J pold · 07-17-2007, 08:39 AM

Clearly we need another FCUK store in the same mall

Reaper · 07-17-2007, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotze

Exactly our primary concern must always be for those that live 300 km from work to have the fastest commute to downtown as possible.

Oh, you inner city dwellers and your disdain for suburbanites. You're so cute in your exclusive, closed off sort of way.

I-Hate-Hulse · 07-17-2007, 08:43 AM

They ought to just kick out Sears and redevlop the space... I'll bet the GAP there takes in more in a day than all of Sears.

Reaper · 07-17-2007, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

They could probably just redevelop some of the existing parking into an 8 level behemoth parking garage that, while impractical, might keep them legal.

It seems like only a few years ago that whole place was shut down for the last massive reno... I think that was in 99/00?

They didn't shut the mall down during the big reno. Ledcor simply ran day and night construction crews. The anchor tenants would have freaked if the mall would have been closed during the renos.

Reaper · 07-17-2007, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotze

I knew that would get a rise out of you.

I don't live in the inner city any more.

So, you're one of those people who are part of the commuting problem then?

CaramonLS · 07-17-2007, 08:52 AM

As long as they don't expand on to 58th ave and push me out and they aren't too noisy with night construction then its all good.

Muta · 07-17-2007, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reaper

Oh, you inner city dwellers and your disdain for suburbanites. You're so cute in your exclusive, closed off sort of way.

LOL!

Well, enjoy the traffic. Personally, I'd rather slit my wrists than live in the suburbs, but that's just me.

J pold · 07-17-2007, 08:56 AM

I can’t even imagine parking once there is another level

Resolute 14 · 07-17-2007, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by llama64

Are they adding more parking? Unless they are, I doubt there will be much of a difference when the reno's are done. What is wrong with a large mall? It's not like they are putting a waterpark, amusement park and a lame hotel in there as well...

According to the Wikipedia article on Chinook Centre (yes, one exists), the plan includes two new underground parkades.

Reaper · 07-17-2007, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muta

LOL!

Well, enjoy the traffic. Personally, I'd rather slit my wrists than live in the suburbs, but that's just me.

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to live in the inner city. The relative scarcity of inner city homes on the market has done a good job of keeping the prices higher than the average person can afford.

ken0042 · 07-17-2007, 09:01 AM

My issues with Chinook are that parking is near impossible since they removed the south parking lot. So I pretty much never go there. The other thing is that because traffic moves so slow inside the mall parking lots, it spills over onto MacLeod and pretty much kills MacLeod as a major thorofare. Adding more to that mall would just make the situation worse.

OracleOfCalgary · 07-17-2007, 09:25 AM

Regarding the comments against suburban commuters, this is like the pot calling the kettle black. Chinook is a commuter mall and people drive across the city to get to the stupid place.

SeeGeeWhy · 07-17-2007, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotze

Exactly our primary concern must always be for those that live 300 km from work to have the fastest commute to downtown as possible.

llama64 · 07-17-2007, 09:52 AM

Chinook is a great place on a weekday evening or before 11:30 on the weekend. Past that, it's a gong show. I refuse to go to the Paramount Cinema anymore either. It's just not worth dealing with that many people.

SeeGeeWhy · 07-17-2007, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reaper

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to live in the inner city. The relative scarcity of inner city homes on the market has done a good job of keeping the prices higher than the average person can afford.

Not true. I just bought a 1.5 story house on a 100' x 60' lot in the inner city for 455k. Yes, I had to look for two months, but they are out there.

There are also condos, townhouses, and semi-detached single family homes aside from infills as well. Plenty of them. There are 9000+ listings on MLS for Calgary right now, and tonnes of for sale signs everywhere I go.

Oracle, your original comments made it seem like your opinion is that there should have been no other benefit to doing the Glenmore/Elbow overpass and widening than to improving commuting times into/out of downtown... so to me, Fotze's comments don't seem out of place at all.

In fact, my LOL emoticon shows just how much I support said comments.

Now, back on topic... I am not surprised that Chinook is expanding, but I am surprised that the owners of Southcentre continues to crap the bed in the battle of the Southern malls.

Agamemnon · 07-17-2007, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reaper

They didn't shut the mall down during the big reno. Ledcor simply ran day and night construction crews. The anchor tenants would have freaked if the mall would have been closed during the renos.

Well, I knew that given I worked in that mall throughout the entire reno's... I guess I meant 'huge portions shut down' rather than the whole thing. I got transferred to Southcentre the day the new foodcourt opened