logo
Calgary plans to pave pothole-ridden Edworthy Park lot, then charge for parking

Calgary plans to pave pothole-ridden Edworthy Park lot, then charge for parking

CBC01-05-2025

The City of Calgary plans to pave the north parking lot at Edworthy Park at the end of Shaganappi Trail N.W., which it says is plagued with potholes, drainage issues and dust.
And to recoup the cost — and help manage growing demand — the city also plans to start charging to park in the lot.
"We always design it into a new lot, but, and we certainly want to be upfront with Calgarians that the payment is something that is potential for the site for sure, but we would not introduce anything until we've actually constructed anything," said Robb Whyte, coordinator of planning and operations for Calgary Parking.
He says the land recently went from being managed by the City of Calgary's parks department to its mobility unit, which includes Calgary Parking.
That change in management, as well as ongoing maintenance costs and increased usage, put these plans and a development permit in motion. It includes a resurfaced lot, designated parking spaces, better drainage, new lighting, EV chargers and a machine to charge for parking — all of which Whyte says would cost roughly $1 million.
Whyte says the most likely scenario would be to allow a period of free parking — two hours for example — and then charge a fee after that, which he says could amount to about a dollar per hour.
He says that revenue would help recover some of the city's costs and also ensure people are using the lot appropriately.
"People who use the park for a long time, whether they're commuting or parking and walking into the neighbourhood, that certainly adds to the amount of parking demand that we have in the area, and pricing is one of these tools that we can use help to address that," said Whyte.
Cathy Jacobs, who owns Angels Cafe in Edworthy park, says it's a rough ride reaching her cafe, and on a busy day people park haphazardly and block traffic. So she welcomes the prospect of a paved lot with designated spots. But she disagrees with the idea of charging people to use it.
Instead, she has suggested three hours of free parking.
"Because I get a lot of seniors that do walking down here … and by the time they make it back ... I just have a hard time with knowing that there's people paying to go to a park."
Greenspace concerns
Nearby residents say they are concerned about the potential loss of greenspace, if the city proceeds with another part of its development permit application.
It includes plans to resurface park land east of the main lot, closer to the Point McKay condos, to create overflow parking.
"We have bought here because of the beauty of this landscape area, we're looking at the river, and now with these plans it doesn't make sense, " said Point McKay resident Luis Narvaez.
But Whyte says those plans are only a design exercise and he doesn't expect to construct an overflow parking lot for several years, if at all, depending on demand.
"We would have to see a significant increase in parking demand to be able to justify adding the extra stalls," said Whyte.
For now Whyte says the city plans to re-seed the area, which was torn up last year for some underground utility work.
Still, these future plans are unsettling to Narvaez, who says residents were caught off guard.
"It will be great if they come forward and be clear, tell us what is the present project ... and whatever is future. Let's do it properly," said Narvaez.
Information sessions
Whyte says the city has been meeting with residents in the area over the past couple of weeks.
And he says city staff are hosting information and feedback sessions at the park and in the Parkdale community in the coming weeks:
May 5: 7:30-9:30 a.m. at the park, east of Angel's Cafe.
May 9: 5-7:00 p.m. at the park, east of Angel's Cafe.
May 28: 5-7:00 p.m. at the Nifty Fifties Seniors Association at Parkdale Community Hall.
"We certainly want to reassure everyone it's actually just on the existing footprint and we're not looking at removing parts of the river or Edworthy Park, which at a very quick glance, it might look like," said Whyte.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Opinion: Don't restrict ride-sharing — and eliminate cap on taxi licences in Calgary
Opinion: Don't restrict ride-sharing — and eliminate cap on taxi licences in Calgary

Calgary Herald

time14 hours ago

  • Calgary Herald

Opinion: Don't restrict ride-sharing — and eliminate cap on taxi licences in Calgary

Calgary city council wisely rejected a flawed proposal to restrict the number of rideshare drivers on platforms such as Uber and Lyft. Article content At stake was more than just passenger convenience or driver freedom. It was a fundamental question about the city's role in the local economy. Article content Article content Coun. Raj Dhaliwal, who introduced the motion, argued that there are too many ride-share drivers, making it difficult for both ride-share and taxi drivers to earn a living. He urged council to intervene. Article content Article content But this argument reflects a misunderstanding of both the ride-sharing industry and the proper role of the municipal government. Article content Article content Calgary's 16,500 ride-share drivers are independent contractors who decide for themselves when and where to work based on the fares offered. Many drivers value this flexibility and choose to drive part-time, especially during busy periods such as Stampede when ridesharing platforms typically raise their fares to attract more drivers and meet heightened demand. Article content If city hall capped the number of ride-share licences, it would deny these drivers an opportunity to earn money on their own terms and make it harder for passengers to get a ride when they need one. Article content Dhaliwal's proposal rested on the assumption that restricting the number of ride-share drivers would raise driver wages. The reality is more complicated. Article content Article content Restricting the number of drivers can mean more fares per driver and higher fares overall. But that extra money doesn't automatically end up in the pockets of drivers. Article content According to a study commissioned by the city, restricting the number of licences can instead increase profits for taxi companies and transportation network companies (such as Uber and Lyft) rather than benefitting drivers. And of course, restricted supply means higher prices, lower availability and worse service for Calgarians looking for a ride. Article content Moreover, as Coun. Jasmine Mian rightly noted during deliberations, influencing private wages in a particular industry isn't part of the city hall's mandate, nor should it be.

Parker: Jan Eden recognized as longstanding Calgary booster
Parker: Jan Eden recognized as longstanding Calgary booster

Calgary Herald

time2 days ago

  • Calgary Herald

Parker: Jan Eden recognized as longstanding Calgary booster

Last week, to a packed room in the Calgary Petroleum Club, an event was hosted by a group of Calgarians who felt it was time to honour Jan Eden for her longstanding commitment in promoting this city. Article content For the past 28 years she has organized lunches and dinners for executives who have moved to Calgary, to make them and their spouses feel welcome and to introduce them to people she felt they would benefit from meeting. Article content Eden's idea grew from her experience after moving here with her lawyer husband from Toronto and hosting his clients at their Riverdale Avenue home. A neighbour asked her if she would have a dinner party for a businessman moving here from Toronto to introduce him to some Calgary people he might enjoy meeting. It was quite the success as he met his future wife in Eden's kitchen. Article content Article content Eden is still the 'Queen of Connections' and every year she organizes welcoming lunches or dinners for new Calgarians to meet others. She stresses she is not an event planner, but rather when she hears of an executive moving here, she does some research into appropriate introductions for that person. Over the years, many who have been invited remain as friends or have benefitted from a business relationship, as well as having a good experience eating at places like Centini, Teatro and Hy's, as well as The Eden Bistro in Inglewood, opened eight years ago by her son Robert and his wife Nadine. Article content Article content Her work bringing people together deserves recognition as she's a real Calgary booster and one of the city's best communicators. Besides her New Calgarian events, Eden also arranges 'Conversations That Matter' lunches for her clients. At one, she had Jessica Faulds tell her story on conquering MS to 60 people at a Centini lunch. Eden is helping Faulds, a client, write a book about her 18-year MS battle. Article content After her marriage broke up and she was left to look after three children with no support, Eden needed to look for work. The Four Seasons Hotel (now Marriott Calgary Downtown) was opening, and with no experience in the hospitality industry, she talked her way into becoming the sales director, receiving six promotions within the year. Article content Having met with many business executives over the years, Eden knew she could be a successful executive coach and help business people think and execute their plans differently. Boldly, she picked Ottawa executives as a target and sent 100 handwritten letters to CEOs there inviting them to breakfast, lunch or dinner, and 50 came. Asking questions about the advice they needed, Eden signed up 10 on year-long contracts; they told others about conversations with Eden and she had 10 more within three months.

White: Downtown West End undergoing transformation to an urban village
White: Downtown West End undergoing transformation to an urban village

Calgary Herald

time4 days ago

  • Calgary Herald

White: Downtown West End undergoing transformation to an urban village

The 'in' word in city building these days is 'transformation' or 'transformative.' You will see it being used when it comes to Arts Commons' expansion and renovation plans, and the Glenbow Museum's transformation into the JR Shaw Arts Centre. It has also been associated with the city of Calgary's 'office to residential' conversions, which hopefully will transform downtown Calgary into a more attractive place for Calgarians to live. Article content Perhaps the biggest transformation in Calgary these days is what is happening in Downtown West End, the blocks west of 6th Street to 14th Street S.W. and from the Bow River to 9th Avenue S.W. By my count, there are at least 10 major 'community enhancing' projects either under construction or in the works that have the potential to transform it into a vibrant urban village. Let's have a look. Article content Article content Article content Toggle full screen modePrevious Gallery Image Next Gallery ImageToggle gallery captions View All 4 Photos 1 of 4 Article content Article content The majority of Calgary's downtown office conversions are within a few blocks of downtown's 8th Avenue S.W. corridor that is an important pedestrian link for those living in the Beltline to walk into downtown and access the LRT station, Bow River and other downtown amenities. The city has plans to enhance this important pedestrian corridor from the Bow River to 17th Avenue. There are eight conversions to residential and one to a hotel, which will hopefully add 1,500 more people living in downtown's west end. Will this be enough to transform it into an urban village? Only time will tell. Article content Article content Contemporary Calgary has major expansion plans for its building (formerly the Centennial Planetarium) as well as plans to create an art park between the gallery and the 4th Avenue freeway. It might even include the relocation of the Family of Man sculpture. The 21-foot tall, thin dancing figures would be a great gateway to the gallery and art park next to the former planetarium building, which coincidentally was also a 1967 Centennial project. Article content Backstory: After Expo '67 was over, the piece was auctioned off and Calgary businessman Maxwell Cummings purchased it and gifted it to the city. The city decided to place the figures on the lawn in front of the now empty Calgary Board of Education Building as part of a failed 1960s downtown revitalization scheme. Ironically, the sculptures are part of the Calgary Board of Education's logo even though its head office is now in the Beltline.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store