Centre City Annual Report 2011 2012

7/31/2019 Centre City Annual Report 2011 2012

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CENtRE CitY PlANN iNg & iMPlEMENtAtiON

lANd UsE PlANNiNg & POliCY

2011/2012 ANNUAL UPDATE

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CALgArys CENTrE CiTy

It is through the collaborative eorts o City o Calgary business

units and community and industry partners that the vision

o the Centre City Plan can be realized. This annual update

eatures a snapshot o 2011 business unit and partnership

achievements in Centre City and planned activities or 2012.

Onward/A vibrant city depends on a vibrant centre. | imagineCALGARYvision: 90 per cent of Calgarians agree that there is a strong sense ofcommunity in Calgary.

calgary.ca | call 3-1-1


2/12

2 0 1 1 H i g H l i g H t s

City design

An Urban Design Framework and Centre CityUrban Design Guidelines were developedto support the planning application andpolicy development process to promote

corporate collaboration, excellence, creativityand innovation in architecture and overallcommunity design and sustainability.A new Downtown Land Use district andbonusing system was initiated to reect anincreased ocus on creating high qualitypublic open space and public realm.

As a legacy o the Chinatown Centenary,The Sien Lok Park Drat Concept Plan wasdeveloped to enhance the public greenspace and better allow or multi-use activities.

The St. Patricks Island Master PlanFramework was created to guide the designand development o the island as a parkspace or all Calgarians to enjoy.

The Poetic Plaza Design Development Plansupports the transormation o an empty spaceinto a park where Calgarians and visitors canengage in passive recreational activities.

Approved by City Council, Bird Friendly UrbanDesign Guidelines provide strategies or

the creation o bird-riendly developments,buildings and structures.

Visitor experienCe

Working with community partners, 46 newower planters were installed across theCentre City adding an inusion o colour andvibrancy to sidewalks, parks and open spaces.

A Food Truck Pilot Program was launched.Data was gathered to determine whatpolicies, guidelines and regulations are

required to make ood trucks viable inCalgary. Art in the Park at Shaw Millennium Park

reected the sites growing popularity as anurban gathering place.

RiverWalk Plaza opened, providing a newrecreational estival, events and programmingamenity along the river in the East Village.

eVents and festiVals

Calgary Street Festival Strategy: Principlesor Great Public Experiences was developedto support event organizers in providing animproved experience or attendees.

The City programmed and supported anumber o estivals and events attractingCalgarians to the Centre City, such as:

> Art City 2011 Festival. > A Freeze Mob re-creation o

the Conversation by artistWilliam McElcheran.

> Canada Day Celebrations attractedover 100,000 Calgarians.

> Citytv New Years Eve Bash oered reeamily entertainment.

> High Noon Music Series oered Calgariansthe opportunity to enjoy the music olocal artists.

awards

Recently restored and reopened to the publicin 2010, Central Memorial Park receivedmultiple honours in 2011:

> Planetizen and People or Public SpacesTop 100 Public Spaces in the United Statesand Canada.

> The Alberta Recreation and ParksAssociation Parks Excellence award.

> Honourable mention the 2011 MayorsUrban Design Awards.

> 2010 Calgary Heritage Authority LionAward: Landscape.

The Americans or the Arts - Public ArtNetwork recognized Calgarys Public Artsprogram or commissioning one o the 2010Top 50 Public Art projects in North America:

Sources: River o Light.

Vibrant PLaces


3/12

2 0 1 2 O U t l O O K / V i B r a n T P l a c e s

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> Centre City Retail Strategies development.

> Big Box Urban Format Guidelinesdevelopment.

> Urban Design Framework implementation.

> Centre City Urban Design Guidelinescompletion.

> Centre Street Bridge Lighting Projectimplementation.

> Calgary 2012 Cultural Capital o Canada.

>

New Central Library unctional program andplanning work.

> Poetic Plaza construction (Fourth Avenue

S.W. and Ninth Street S.W.).> Century Gardens Conceptual Design/Design

Development Plan fnalized.

> Design Development Plan or Sien LokPark fnalized.

> New Park or East Victoria Park (12th Avenueand Macleod Trail) Design DevelopmentPlan completed.


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2 0 1 1 H i g H l i g H t s

The 2011 Centre City Citizen PerceptionSurvey reported that a strong majority(86 per cent) o Calgarians eel that saety inCentre City has either improved (24 per cent)

or stayed the same (62 per cent) in the last12 months.

late night eConomy

A collaborative approach by the LicensedEstablishment Multi-Agency Group toresolve issues with problem licensedestablishments resulted in a signifcantdecrease in complaints and incidents.

The Downtown Entertainment EnorcementProgram oered a late night dedicated

team to investigate complaints and ensurecompliance o licensed establishmentsin Centre City, allowing noise and socialdisorder issues to be addressed asthey occurred.

Regulations were changed to allow taxis topark at fre hydrants in the downtown coreincreasing available taxi stalls rom 61 to 135,which supported more opportunities or latenight patrons to fnd a sae ride home.

reCreational safety

The installation o our saety call boxesequipped with closed circuit TV camerasalong RiverWalk provided an immediate lineo communication to The Citys CorporateSecurity team 24/7.

Multi-agency operations continued totackle water saety (Operation Weboot) andsocial disorder (Project Best) issues alongthe Elbow River.

Visibility and enforCement

Animal & Bylaw Services Centre CityBeatTeam maintained a presence in thedowntown entertainment district providing

enorcement and response to noise andpublic behaviour complaints.

The Park/Mountain Bike Unit rom Animal& Bylaw Services provided a dedicatedpresence in parks and natural areas withinCentre City by conducting 3,189 bike patrolsand 700 oot patrols in 2011.The Calgary Police Service Beat Teamprovided a high-visibility presence day andnight along with the Mountain Bike Team,

Gang Suppression Team, and other rontlineofcers, and developed relationships withbusinesses and residents in order to addressissues and concerns.

Additional Transit peace ofcers joined thePublic Saety and Enorcement section totarget social disorder and improve customersaety and security on the transit system.

An upgraded closed-circuit television systemwas installed on Seventh Avenue CTrainstations to provide an improved ability toidentiy persons o interest.

Vulnerable populations

Operation Sweep, a partnership with theDowntown Outreach Addiction Partnership,conducted regular park patrols to ensurevulnerable persons were assisted in fndingmore appropriate housing accommodationsor access to resources i needed.

Calgarys Community Addictions Strategy

moved into the implementation phase.

safetY


5/12

2 0 1 2 O U t l O O K / s a e T y

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> Calgary launch o the Best Bar Noneaccreditation program.

> Licensed Establishment Multi-AgencyGroup policy review.

> Continued collaboration to increase saeaccess to taxis in the late night hours.

> Calgary Transit bylaw review.

> Deployment o Calgary Transit mountainbike units along the Seventh Avenuecorridor.

> A ocus on initiatives working withvulnerable populations in the Centre City.


6/12

2 0 1 1 H i g H l i g H t s

Customer/user experienCe

For the frst time in Calgarys history, halo all trips to the downtown (morning peakhour) were by public transit.

The 2011 Centre City Perception Survey

reported that the use o light tail transit as aprimary travel mode or Centre City residentsrose by 10 per cent since 2009 (rom 13 percent to 23 per cent) with a correspondingnine per cent drop in use o personal vehicles(rom 64 per cent to 55 per cent).CTrain real-time inormation system siteswere installed at all platorms to enhancecustomer experience.

Corridor enhanCements

City Hall twinned gateway and reurbishedFourth St. SW CTrain stations opened tothe public.

Seventh Avenue reurbishment continued,accommodating increased ridership anduture our-car trains, and creating a morebarrier ree environment.

transportation network

The opening o the Fourth Street S.E.Underpass provided a critical link betweenEast Village and downtown Calgary tothe Beltline community and beyond. 2011

average weekday trafc = 7,000 vehicles/day. Construction continued on the West LRT

and the new Downtown West - KerbyGateway Station.

pedestrian and biCyCle network

13th Avenue Heritage Greenway, Phase 1 (FirstStreet S.E. to Fourth Street S.W.) constructioncreated the beginnings o a recreational,multi-modal transportation corridor.RiverWalk Phase 1 opened to the public,

providing an innovative promenade andpublic gathering place with convenientaccess to the Bow River.

The Council approved Cycling Strategyresponded to an increasing need to providetransportation choices and help make cyclingan option or more Calgarians in Centre City.

awards

Downtown Underpass Urban DesignGuidelines received the Canadian Institute oPlanners Planning Excellence Award in UrbanDesign and Honourable Mention at the 2011Mayors Urban Design Awards.

RiverWalk Phase 1 and RiverWalk Plazareceived the Civic Design Project Award,2011 Mayors Urban Design Awards.

Fourth Street S.E. Underpass garnered CivicDesign Project: Honourable Mention at the2011 Mayors Urban Design Awards.

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7/12

2 0 1 2 O U t l O O K / G e T T i n G a r O U n d

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> 13th Avenue Heritage Greenway Phase 1

continued construction and potentialconstruction o phase 2A (First Street S.E.to Macleod Trail).

> RiverWalk Phase 3 detailed design andconstruction.

> Proposed Sixth Street S.W. and SeventhStreet S.W. on-street bike lanes developmentbetween First Avenue and Eighth Avenue.

> Public art installations at new Gateway CTrain

stations on Seventh Avenue.> +15 Skywalk policy amendment, urban design

strategy and wayfnding improvements.

> First Street S.W. Underpass Enhancement

Project implementation.> Volunteer Way Master Plan development.

> Centre City Wayfnding Program Pedestrianand Transit Wayfnding Signage installation.

> Peace Bridge opening.

> Stampede Area sidewalk mobility andpedestrian improvements.

> Eighth Street S.W. corridor visioning.


8/12

2 0 1 1 H i g H l i g H t s

Community engagement

The New Park or the Beltline DesignDevelopment Plan received an 85 per centsupport rating rom the responding public.

The Beltline Clustering Policy developmentprocess engaged over 4,000 businessowners, land owners and residents whooverwhelmingly rejected consideration toincluding restaurants within the existingpolicy that limits the number o drinkingestablishments to 50% o a block ace along17th Ave. S.W. and 1st St. S.W.

The 2011 Centre City Citizen PerceptionSurvey engaged Calgarians to gauge their

perception o Centre City, including sense ocommunity: > 90 per cent o Centre City residents

agreed that the Centre City is a desirableplace to live.

> 95 per cent o Centre City residentsagreed that they are proud to live in theirneighbourhood.

The 2011 Centre City Congress hosted over300 Centre City stakeholders who cametogether to swap ideas and share plans or

our Centre Citys uture.

programs and serViCes

A smart phone app was developed orthe Street Survival Guide which identifedprograms/services that support Calgarianswho are living on the street.

Family and Community Support Servicesprovided over $3 million in unding tosupport initiatives working with vulnerablepopulations in Centre City.

The Mayors Poverty Reduction Initiative,jointly unded by The City o Calgary andUnited Way o Calgary and Area, wasestablished to improve the quality o lieor all citizens o Calgary and make positiveand lasting changes to reduce the impact opoverty in our city.

cOMMUnitY

building Community

City Council approved the Calgary PublicLibrary Boards recommendation or a newCentral Library site in East Village.

With The Citys support, the East VillageNeighbourhood Association was establishedby residents o the community.Amendments were made to the Beltline AreaRedevelopment Plan to better implementthe vision o a walkable, vibrant, pedestrian-riendly community.Approved development permits or 1,370residential units in Centre City represented a17 per cent increase over 2010.Development permits were approved or

51,885 square metres o non-residentialdevelopment in Centre City.

Council approved the Beltline CommunityInvestment Fund Terms o Reerence whichwill support public realm enhancementopportunities within the community.

Six historic sites within Centre City wereadded to the inventory o evaluated historicresources. This included: The original CentreStreet Lions, The Canton Block extension,The Davis Residence, the Edmonds Block,

Langevin Bridge and the Saddledome 111,483 square meters o mixed-use

development was confrmed or the EastVillage, supporting the vision o a thriving,mixed-use, inner city community.

awards

Calgary Municipal Land CorporationEast Village Redevelopment received theCanadian Urban Institute, 2011 BrownieAward, Best Overall Large Scale Project.


9/12

2 0 1 2 O U t l O O K / c O M M U n i T y

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> Engagement o Centre City vulnerable

populations.

> Downtown West community buildinginitiatives.

> Downtown West Policy/Land Use Review.

> 2012 Centre City Congress.

> sPark (street park) pilot in Downtown West.

> Construction o the New Park or theBeltline at 13th Ave. and 9th St. S.W.

> A completely renovated Devonian Gardensopens to the public.

> Humpty Hollow Community Garden pilot.

> Completion o a Design Development Planor a new park or East Victoria Park.

> Downtown o-leash site identifcation andconstruction.

> First Calgary Police Service District 1Community Inormation Fair.

> Engagement o Faith Based Organizations todiscuss amendments to the Centre City Plan.


10/12

2 0 1 1 H i g H l i g H t s

Community enhanCement

Calgarys frst 20-Minute Makeover involvedCity sta, Centre City organizations andbusinesses pitching in to clean up the

Centre City. Through the Community Standards Fund,

The City continued to partner with businessrevitalization zones to enhance streetscapesthroughout Centre City.

Citizen volunteers donated hundreds ohours to cleanup initiatives in Centre Cityparks and open spaces.

programs/initiatiVes

The 2011 Centre City Citizen PerceptionSurvey reported that a majority (89 per cent)o Calgarians think the overall cleanliness

o the Centre City in the last year has eitherimproved (21 per cent) or stayed the same(68 per cent) over the past year.

The Corporate Co-ordinated GraftiAbatement Program supported rapid graftiremoval in the Centre City.

The annual litter survey continues toidentiy trends and hot spots so Cityresources can be allocated where they willhave the most impact.

Small litter bins on CTrain platorms reducedcigarette butts by 40 per cent.

Newspaper and recycling bins continue tobe added to reduce the amount o garbageheaded to the landfll. More than 100garbage cans are emptied twice daily in theCentre City with an average o 775 kilogramso garbage a day.400 pounds o newpapers were collecteddaily rom new recycle bins on CTrainplatorms.

Hanging ower baskets enhanced CTrainplatorms along Seventh Avenue.

cLeanLiness


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12/12

2012-0965

The Centre City Implementation section, Centre City Planning & Implementation,

Land Use Planning & Policy collaborates with City o Calgary business units to alignwork plans, co-ordinate eorts and acilitate opportunities to build a livable, thriving

and caring Centre City. City o Calgary partnerships with external stakeholders, such as

business revitalization zones, community organizations and private industry are critical

to achieving the goals o the Centre City Plan.

t c c

c v, C C.

Animal & Bylaw Services Fire Department

Calgary Municipal Land Corporation The Calgary Police Service

Calgary Transit Community & Neighbourhood Services

Corporate Properties & Buildings Corporate Security

Development & Building Approvals Land Use Planning & Policy

Ofce o Land Servicing and Housing Parks

Recreation Roads

Transportation Inrastructure Transportation Planning

In 2009, Centre City Implementation administered the frst Centre City Citizen

Perception Survey. In 2011, Calgarians were re-engaged to understand their opinions

and perceptions about our Centre City; to develop a series o measurements against

previously established benchmarks; and to generate inormation to help assess

progress and inorm uture actions. The survey fndings suggest that the eorts

undertaken by The City o Calgary are making a dierence. It is important to sustain

the momentum to continue to build a sae, clean, vital and vibrant Centre City. As we

celebrate the achievements o 2011, we look orward with work plans and initiatives that

will continue to build on the successes and learnings to date.

f C C C, v Calgary.Ca/CentreCity.

f , v CentreCitytalk.Com.

Documents

Centre City Annual Report 2011 2012