Calgary Openings, Closings, and Developments

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Lived there for 35 years. Continue to come back and visit home.

But do go on, the weight of all that humility must be fatiguing.

That’s even worse, how do you know so little about it with that much experience?

[Ozy_Flame]

Been to bigger cities with more foot traffic and bigger projects. Kensington can be so much better. Guess you have to leave town to see it.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Been to bigger cities with more foot traffic and bigger projects. Kensington can be so much better. Guess you have to leave town to see it.

Grew up in the Bay Area, but glad to see that Toronto self-importance has rubbed off on you real quick.

[timun]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Closing Kensington Crescent is of little value. It's basically a road used as a parking lot, very little foot traffic to justify that (what retail are you going to need to have no cars to access there? It's a spit and smoke zone for Side Street and Freehouse). This would just allow cars to continue unabated in the area, but now you're taking away a parking lot and forcing them back onto Memorial and more congestion on 10th/K Road intersection.

The vast, vast, vast majority of people are walking Kensington Road and 10th. They're not ducking into that alcove for much.

This is like a timid pilot project idea. I mean sure, go for it, but it's kind of pointless and does nothing to enhance the experience for actual pedestrian traffic. Moves the needle insignificantly.

You say closing Kensington Crescent "... would just allow cars to continue unabated in the area, but now you're taking away a parking lot and forcing them back onto Memorial and more congestion on 10th/K Road intersection". What the #### do you think closing Kensington Road and 10th Street is going to do for congestion?!?!


"The vast, vast, vast majority of people are walking Kensington Road and 10th"? The vast, vast, vast majority of people are DRIVING Kensington Road and 10th!

[Ozy_Flame]

Small potatoes.

People don't come to Kensington to drive. They come to walk.

As a lifelong Calgarians and resident urban planning expert, I suspect you know that.

[timun]

If you don't let 'em drive to Kensington, they don't come at all!

Like I said: pants-on-head stupid. I have no idea what the #### crack you've been smoking, but it's potent.

[Hack&Lube]

A banff style closure of Kensington for pedestrials and patios would be awesome, but the biggest challenge already faced by most of the businesses there is parking. Until every block of Kensington is a 16 story condo and it's more like the condo dense vibrant areas of Toronto or Vancouver, this is probably bad for business who still rely on the traffic from suburbs.

[timun]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

A banff style closure of Kensington for pedestrials and patios would be awesome, but the biggest challenge already faced by most of the businesses there is parking. Until every block of Kensington is a 16 story condo and it's more like the condo dense vibrant areas of Toronto or Vancouver, this is probably bad for business who still rely on the traffic from suburbs.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by timun

If you don't let 'em drive to Kensington, they don't come at all!

Like I said: pants-on-head stupid. I have no idea what the #### crack you've been smoking, but it's potent.

"Crack smoking" and "pants on head stupid"

- I imagine this felt excellent when you posted this. I might just come around to your side with this kind of rebuttal.

[Muta]

Can we get some calm in this thread? Some of you need to chill the #### out, geezus. Y'all seem to be embodying the facial emotion of my fave mascot (for Patrick Thistle F.C.) - and that's not a good thing!

[Bigtime]

All this fighting but the most serious thing is I have to revoke Fuzz's membership in the All-Powerful Bicycle Lobby for siding with cars. Dark day for me.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Muta

Can we get some calm in this thread? Some of you need to chill the #### out, geezus. Y'all seem to be embodying the facial emotion of my fave mascot (for Patrick Thistle F.C.) - and that's not a good thing!

Let's all go get a dirty chai latte at Aggudo and chill. But you can't drive down here...

[PepsiFree]

The biggest benefit of pulling traffic off Kensington Cres is that the stretch gains all the benefits you’d want from pulling traffic off Kensington road. Big, open area for street festivals/farmers markets, you can redevelop things like the parkade and other parts of the area to add more “street-front” retail, etc. It’s a lot of potential. As Ozy said, basically a wasted space in the heart of one of the more interesting areas of Calgary.

Pulling parking off Kensington road and potentially 10th creates more traffic consistency. Less in and outs, less jostling for spots, better flow.

None of that works without 2-3 major parkades because you need to give people places to park but I think you can look at Platform and do something so much more interesting that the typical multi-level parkade.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

All this fighting but the most serious thing is I have to revoke Fuzz's membership in the All-Powerful Bicycle Lobby for siding with cars. Dark day for me.

I'm ashamed too. Let's hope for warm weather for Critical Mass Feb 2024. F___ cars (but feel for businesses).

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Let's all go get a dirty chai latte at Aggudo and chill. But you can't drive down here...

Ozy can’t come. Not because he’s being the rudest but because he’s the only one who doesn’t live here.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

The biggest benefit of pulling traffic off Kensington Cres is that the stretch gains all the benefits you’d want from pulling traffic off Kensington road. Big, open area for street festivals/farmers markets, you can redevelop things like the parkade and other parts of the area to add more “street-front” retail, etc. It’s a lot of potential. As Ozy said, basically a wasted space in the heart of one of the more interesting areas of Calgary.

Pulling parking off Kensington road and potentially 10th creates more traffic consistency. Less in and outs, less jostling for spots, better flow.

None of that works without 2-3 major parkades because you need to give people places to park but I think you can look at Platform and do something so much more interesting that the typical multi-level parkade.

Parkades are an eyesore and you still need all the feeder roads for them. We just need millions of condos for density. Hopefully the new arena entertainment district can become something like this.

[Ozy_Flame]

Aggudo is good. I'd walk there again.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Parkades are an eyesore and you still need all the feeder roads for them. We just need millions of condos for density. Hopefully the new arena entertainment district can become something like this.

Osteria site redesigned as a modern Kowloon Walled City. Let's do this. We can be a truly global city and host the Kumite there.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

All this fighting but the most serious thing is I have to revoke Fuzz's membership in the All-Powerful Bicycle Lobby for siding with cars. Dark day for me.

I figured my idea of 4 lanes worth of bike infrastructure wouldn't have been taken seriously, but we can visit that one, too!

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Parkades are an eyesore and you still need all the feeder roads for them. We just need millions of condos for density. Hopefully the new arena entertainment district can become something like this.

Have you seen Platform? I’ve mentioned it a couple times not because I think it should be copied exactly, but I do think we can think about parkades differently and make them both visually appealing and incorporate retail, office space, and other aspects directly into them.

Parkades are eyesores if you build eyesores.