Calgary’s East Village will soon have the capacity to house thousands more than it currently does, as a $300-million development project gets underway.
The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation yesterday announced two developers have won the bid to begin developing Calgary’s “oldest, newest, coolest, warmest community,” said Chris Ollenberger, the corporation’s president.
“We’ve already got 2,000 residents here. We need to add about another 8,000,” he said. “I think we’ll see a village that looks like it grew up over time, and that’s the way it should be.”
As a resident for 10 years and chairman of the East Village Action Committee, Ned Shillington said the community has needed to develop for a while.
“The failure to develop over the years has caused a number of problems,” he said. “In the past, there has been a prostitution trade and a drug trade that has largely been shut down.”
Ward 7 Ald. Druh Farrell said she, too, has seen a change in the area since the revitalization began.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Farrell. “We’ve got a fantastic vision.”
