Calgary Openings, Closings, and Developments

[Misterpants]

Grandma Lee's $1.50 Cinnamon Bun FTW. GTFO with your $4 Cinnabon.

I loved the San Francisco that had a going out of business sale every 6 months. Also that period of time when they had a Future Shop and a Best Buy 100m from each other even as Best Buy owned FS.

Banger Pops at the Kernels. (Those were the popular lunch choice of discerning headbangers -a giant 1L fountain pop for like a buck o nine and a couple darts in the smoking section).

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Misterpants

Grandma Lee's $1.50 Cinnamon Bun FTW. GTFO with your $4 Cinnabon.

I loved the San Francisco that had a going out of business sale every 6 months. Also that period of time when they had a Future Shop and a Best Buy 100m from each other even as Best Buy owned FS.

Banger Pops at the Kernels. (Those were the popular lunch choice of discerning headbangers -a giant 1L fountain pop for like a buck o nine and a couple darts in the smoking section).

You're confusing this with the "We're having this sale so that we're not Going out of business!" sale that they would run every 6 months.

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I know Northland is a dump, but this seems worse. The central area is totally hostile to pedestrians, which is ironic considering it used to be an indoor pedestrian area.

Yeah assuming it’s still going to be surrounded by car dealerships and boxed in by stroads it really doesn’t seem like an upgrade at all. Just a different rearrangement of typical car centric thinking.

[Ashasx]

I don't really understand these outdoor strip malls popping up.

I enjoyed Deerfoot for what is was. I haven't gone since they changed it. It sucks for cars and pedestrians now.

[Bigtime]

Will have to dig up the link on Skyrisecities, but the long term plan for Northland has a lot more residential density and towers.

https://skyrisecities.com/forum/thre...5/post-1560056

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

Yeah assuming it’s still going to be surrounded by car dealerships and boxed in by stroads it really doesn’t seem like an upgrade at all. Just a different rearrangement of typical car centric thinking.

At least the stroad on the east side has a bike lane now. The long term plan actually includes more residential condos over time in the parking lots as well as a future LRT stop.

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I don't really understand these outdoor strip malls popping up.

I enjoyed Deerfoot for what is was. I haven't gone since they changed it. It sucks for cars and pedestrians now.

I think these designs are an attempt to shoehorn “human scale” design into previous car dependant locations. It does end up being horrible for both cars & humans as a result.

The thinking seems to be “let’s keep the big box stores, but slap some pedestrian infrastructure bits and sidewalks to create the illusion of walkability, it’ll be charming.”

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

I think these designs are an attempt to shoehorn “human scale” design into previous car dependant locations. It does end up being horrible for both cars & humans as a result.

The thinking seems to be “let’s keep the big box stores, but slap some pedestrian infrastructure bits and sidewalks to create the illusion of walkability, it’ll be charming.”

Charming or in other words, less depressing and less maintenance cost of running a dead mall. Even during better times for this mall, people would drive to Best Buy and then get back into their car and drive to Walmart.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

I think these designs are an attempt to shoehorn “human scale” design into previous car dependant locations. It does end up being horrible for both cars & humans as a result.

The thinking seems to be “let’s keep the big box stores, but slap some pedestrian infrastructure bits and sidewalks to create the illusion of walkability, it’ll be charming.”

Indoor malls are pretty much dead in the U.S. They’ve been replaced with this ‘town square’ model of a bunch of stores connected by sidewalks with planters and benches. And now Canadian retail property designers are following suit.

The problem is it’s winter half the year here.

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Indoor malls are pretty much dead in the U.S. They’ve been replaced with this ‘town square’ model of a bunch of stores connected by sidewalks with planters and benches. And now Canadian retail property designers are following suit.

The problem is it’s winter half the year here.

I feel like a town square model could work regardless of the winter climate, but the key is keeping walkability & human scale at the forefront… which isn’t really compatible with big box stores and retrofits.

But I’m getting deep into the urban design rabbit hole at this point.

[KTrain]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I don't really understand these outdoor strip malls popping up.

I enjoyed Deerfoot for what is was. I haven't gone since they changed it. It sucks for cars and pedestrians now.

If it's anything but money, you're looking at the wrong reasons.

It's cheaper for developers to build and maintain these instead of traditional malls. You don't have to hire the same amount of staff to manage and maintain them once they're built. There are bigger retailers/fewer stores so you don't have to deal with leasing turnover as often.

Money is the only reason these are built instead of traditional malls.

[Joborule]

Westbrook is suppose to be getting similar treatment at some point (this century?), but with a much higher height in density. Marlborough Mall is also another one that's likely to get the switch in the future.

Are there any other indoor malls that likely would get transformed to mixed used outdoor centres?

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Joborule

Westbrook is suppose to be getting similar treatment at some point (this century?), but with a much higher height in density. Marlborough Mall is also another one that's likely to get the switch in the future.

Are there any other indoor malls that likely would get transformed to mixed used outdoor centres?

Westbrook already has a ctrain station on site though, so more density seems reasonable.

[calf]

Originally Posted by Joborule

Westbrook is suppose to be getting similar treatment at some point (this century?), but with a much higher height in density. Marlborough Mall is also another one that's likely to get the switch in the future.

Are there any other indoor malls that likely would get transformed to mixed used outdoor centres?

I could see Brentwood Mall and North Hill Mall undergoing that type of switch

[Knightslayer]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I don't really understand these outdoor strip malls popping up.

I enjoyed Deerfoot for what is was. I haven't gone since they changed it. It sucks for cars and pedestrians now.

$$$$$. So much wasted space got turned into lease money.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by calf

I could see Brentwood Mall and North Hill Mall undergoing that type of switch

Brentwood Mall has pretty much been torn apart 20 years ago.

[Hack&Lube]

https://dailyhive.com/calgary/cinepl...strict-calgary

First VIP only Cineplex, adults only, lounge, drinking, restaurant, etc. opening in the University District (north of Children's Hospital).

This is going to be interesting competition as Landmark Cinema's is only a major intersection away in Market Mall.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Indoor malls are pretty much dead in the U.S. They’ve been replaced with this ‘town square’ model of a bunch of stores connected by sidewalks with planters and benches. And now Canadian retail property designers are following suit.

The problem is it’s winter half the year here.

I think it'd be neat if we did an outdoor mall on Stephen Ave, like in Sapporo.

[burn_this_city]

Midnapore Mall turned into one of these a while back, kind of miss the old mall but it was dying for 20 years.

[Firebot]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

https://dailyhive.com/calgary/cinepl...strict-calgary

First VIP only Cineplex, adults only, lounge, drinking, restaurant, etc. opening in the University District (north of Children's Hospital).

This is going to be interesting competition as Landmark Cinema's is only a major intersection away in Market Mall.

I love Landmark, but so annoyed that Market Mall's has a horribly dumbed down menu and no freestyle machines compared to other ones in the city.

Cineplex VIP is marketing towards a different crowd, 25$ for tickets is very high for a movie where you are not getting a necessarily better screen. Will be checking it out over the weekend.