Residents say scaled back redevelopment proposal for Viscount Bennett site is still too big

Karina Zapata · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 24, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

In mentation for a nationalist proceeding astatine metropolis hall, residents of southwest assemblage Richmond Knob Hill are reigniting their concerns implicit the projected redevelopment of the tract of the erstwhile Viscount Bennett School.

But arsenic Calgary grapples with an ongoing lodging crisis, 1 metropolis councillor wants some residents and the developers to beryllium unfastened minded erstwhile they perceive each other's cases adjacent month.

On a 4.6-hectare batch disconnected of Crowchild Trail, developer Minto Group is proposing to physique betwixt 1,231 to 1,509 lodging units crossed 8 buildings — up to 16 storeys precocious — for its project, 2501 Richmond.

Minto's onshore usage redesignation application, which would let for low- and medium-rise residential buildings, goes to metropolis assembly connected April 8.

Kevin Widenmaier, president of the Richmond Knob Hill Community Association, said residents privation assembly to ballot against the application.

"What's been projected by the developer successful the past 2 years is truly excessive and excessively dense for the area. Frankly, what's travel crossed is aggregate towers and precocious density buildings that are astir apt much due for a Beltline oregon downtown country and not a medium-density, inner-city neighbourhood," said Widenmaier.

He said residents are besides acrophobic astir a deficiency of greenish space, insufficient proscription readying and a deficiency of assemblage engagement from the developers.

Considering however galore radical would determination into the units, helium said they're besides acrophobic astir aging infrastructure.

Development plans scaled back

Minto purchased the onshore from the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) successful 2023. The Viscount Bennett Centre — erstwhile location to the CBE's Chinook Learning Services and Viscount Bennett High School — is presently being demolished.

Over time, Minto has scaled backmost its plans for the improvement significantly. Its archetypal conception from November 2023 included much than 2,500 units and up to 30 storeys. Its latest concept, from this January, slashes the fig of anticipated units and storeys astir successful half.

According to a written connection from Minto, it made those changes "based connected assemblage feedback" and evaluated the connection against aggregate existing metropolis policies.

"Minto is committed to liable improvement that is good supported by City infrastructure capacity. As with each projects of this scale, proscription and inferior readying volition proceed successful coordination with the City of Calgary to enactment existent and aboriginal residents," the institution said successful a statement.

But the assemblage isn't funny successful what was primitively proposed, according to Widenmaier, who said the task is inactive excessively large and would beryllium amended suited for a determination similar downtown.

After holding an unfastened house, the assemblage relation created its ain redevelopment connection for the site. Its options see a maximum of 400 units and 4 acres of parkland abstraction alternatively of the 1 acre Minto is planning.

Still, past month, Minto's latest program received unanimous support from the Calgary Planning Commission, with 33 conditions.

'Come successful with unfastened minds'

Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong, vice-chair of the city's assemblage improvement committee, said helium recognizes the community's concerns.

"It's similar saying if I've held connected to my cherished car for many, galore years and idiosyncratic said, 'I'm going to regenerate it with thing 21st century.' There is an accommodation arsenic to, what americium I giving up? What americium I getting?" said Wong.

He said yet it comes down to developers initiating meaningful engagement that volition physique spot among residents. He said the nationalist proceeding connected April 8 — erstwhile some sides are successful the aforesaid country — is an accidental to instrumentality a measurement toward that.

"What I volition promote some the developer … and the assemblage [to do] is to travel successful with unfastened minds and unfastened hearts and spot collectively what you tin build."

If the exertion is approved by council, Wong said everyone progressive tin sermon different sticking points, including what infrastructure improvements request to beryllium made and who's liable for them.