No end in sight for Marda Loop construction
The city's revamp of Marda Loop's business district is on track to be completed by the fall, but with several private development projects underway and more awaiting approval, there's no end to the construction in sight for the area's businesses and residents.
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The revitalization project is part of the city's Main Streets initiative, which aims to develop infrastructure to accommodate growth in more established communities throughout the city. Construction on the project began in June 2023, but private development projects have been ongoing in the area for years as well.
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'There's a lot going on, but it's been like that for a while,' said Bob van Wegen, executive director of the Marda Loop BIA. 'There's been a lot of development here over the last few years, so it's more of the same.'
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One major project that could be coming down the pipeline is Marc and Mada Block, a 0.7-hectare development between 33rd and 34th Avenues that would include a Co-op grocery store and two residential towers. The proposed project, which is a collaboration between Calgary Co-op and Truman Homes, would add more than 400 homes to the area.
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According to the Marda Loop Community Association's planning and development committee, the development's land use change was passed in June, and is now awaiting a final decision from the city's planning commission, expected this month.
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'It'll be private development and the inconveniences that go with that, rather than the excavation of the streets and the redoing of all the sidewalks that we've had with the Main Streets project,' van Wegen said.
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'It'd be a little more conventional.'
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In a letter to the city, the MLCA's planning and development outlined some of the residents' concerns about the project, which included the proposed height of the towers, parking a traffic in the area, the sustainability standards of the project and its overall contribution to the public realm.
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Last month, two Marda Loop business owners filed a lawsuit against the city over the construction in the area, claiming the Main Streets project has caused debilitating losses to their patronage and revenues. The city's statement of defence has yet to be filed.
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