Below-market housing to replace LRT parking lot in southeast Calgary

Brendan Coulter · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 8:06 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

The City of Calgary is moving guardant with plans to physique a lodging analyzable successful spot of a park-and-ride batch beside the Franklin LRT Station successful the southeast.

Onward Homes has been selected to pb the Franklin Station Area Improvements Project, which volition spot astir 350 lodging units spell up beside the transit stop.

The non-profit developer specializes successful lodging for low-income Calgarians, and said astatine slightest fractional of the units volition beryllium provided astatine below-market rates.

"These homes are conscionable steps distant from transit, from schools, from services and from a batch of employment centres," said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek astatine a media availability connected Wednesday.

"It volition not lone bring caller homes, but it volition besides bring upgrades to nationalist spaces, to pedestrian pathways and transit connections to make a safe, vibrant and walkable neighbourhood."

Onward Homes plans to physique a premix of bachelor and one-to-three-bedroom units astatine the site, conscionable southbound of Memorial Drive successful Radisson Heights. 

The developer's committee chair, Bryan Romanesky, said elaborate plan plans apt won't beryllium finished until adjacent year, but according to the city, they could see a pedestrian-focused plaza, nationalist art and thoroughfare furniture.

"This is the benignant of spot wherever a azygous ma tin bring their kids to schoolhouse and perchance spell to enactment without needing a car," said Romanesky.

"Our clients mostly don't person a car. So we ever effort to prime sites that volition springiness them the accidental to locomotion to market stores, appointments and truthful on."

The developer owns and operates much than 30 buildings astir Calgary. Some of its tenants who are successful request of affordable housing.are referred by groups similar the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Onward Homes operates immoderate units designed to accommodate tenants surviving with encephalon injuries oregon people who request different accessibility supports.

City assembly approved a land-use alteration for the tract past November pursuing a nationalist hearing.

The metropolis has besides gathered feedback connected the task done an online survey and in-person events, but Onward Homes said it volition motorboat its ain engagement process successful the coming months. 

"What we're creating here is going to beryllium determination for different 50 years, if not more," said Romanesky. "We privation to marque definite that we tin bring to Calgarians thing they'll beryllium arrogant of."

The task is portion of Calgary's Transit-Oriented Development program, which aims to marque it easier for residents to usage nationalist transportation.

The redevelopment project is supported by $9.5 million from the national Housing Accelerator Fund.

Onward Homes aims to commencement operation successful either the 2nd oregon 3rd 4th of 2026. Once shovels deed the ground, Romanesky expects operation volition instrumentality 14 to 20 months.