Latest news with #CMLC
CBC
02-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Deal struck for new hotel with approximately 320 rooms at Calgary's Stampede Park
A new hotel with approximately 320 rooms is set to be built at Calgary's Stampede Park, the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) announced Monday. The city-owned CMLC the and Calgary Stampede say they've struck a partnership with local developer Truman to build the first full-service convention hotel in downtown Calgary in a quarter-century. Kate Thompson, president and CEO of CMLC, said the hotel development has been a "key priority" for years and will help meet growing demand for accommodations near the expanded BMO Centre and the city's evolving culture and entertainment district. "This hotel agreement and land sale/purchase represents a substantial private investment in Stampede Park, and demonstrates a significant confidence in the emerging culture and entertainment district," Thompson told reporters on Monday. The hotel, which has a development value of approximately $330 million, including the value of the land, is to be built on an 85,000-square-foot parcel near the expanded BMO Centre. Joel Cowley, CEO of the Calgary Stampede, told reporters that the Weadickville property, where the hotel will be built, is about 1.8 acres in size and was obtained by the Stampede through a trade with the City of Calgary as part of the deal to build a new arena and event centre that will replace the Saddledome. After receiving the city's approval, the Stampede was able to sell the land, Cowley said. "Truman will purchase the land, develop, own, and operate the hotel," he said. The plans include 15,000-square-feet of ballroom and meeting space, a rooftop lounge with city views, restaurants, a coffee shop, and wellness amenities such as an indoor pool, jacuzzi, and fitness club. Officials said Truman is working with an international hotel brand to operate the property, with details expected to be announced in the coming months. Tony Trutina, chief operating officer of Truman, said the company believes the new hotel will be built in an "exceptional location." "[It will allow] guests to just stay steps away from the action of the culture and entertainment district — whether it's a convention, meeting or event held in the BMO Centre, a hockey game in Scotia Place, a concert in The Big Four Roadhouse, or the Calgary Stampede's annual celebration of western heritage and community spirit each July," Trutina said in a written statement. Construction is expected to begin in late 2025, and the hotel is scheduled to open in 2028.
CTV News
02-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
New hotel coming to Calgary's Stampede Park
A hotel set to be built on Calgary's Stampede Park by Truman. (Source: CMLC) A new hotel is set to be built right on the grounds of Calgary's Stampede Park. The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) and the Calgary Stampede announced Monday that Truman will be developing a 320-room hotel in the park. The building, located on an approximately 85,000-square-foot parcel of land, will be a full-service, 13-storey boutique hotel. Stampede Park Hotel (Source: CMLC) The hotel is meant to accommodate growing demand for hotel space due to meeting and convention bookings at the expanded BMO Centre. 'Hotel development has been a key priority for CMLC and the Calgary Stampede, and we've seen development interest in the district surge with the completion of the BMO Centre expansion, the groundbreaking of Scotia Place and the opening of the new 17 Avenue S.E. extension,' said Kate Thompson, president and CEO of CMLC. It also will feature 15,000 square feet of meeting and ballroom space and 14,000 square feet of food and beverage offerings, such as restaurants, a lobby bar, a coffee shop and a rooftop lounge. Stampede Park Hotel (Source: CMLC) Additionally, a south-facing 'leisure terrace' will include an activity pool, jacuzzi and outdoor bar. There will also be an indoor swimming pool and fitness club. Truman will spend approximately $330 million to build the hotel, including the land sale and development. 'This is an exceptional location for a hotel, allowing guests to just stay steps away from the action of The Culture + Entertainment District – whether it's a convention, meeting or event held in the BMO Centre, a hockey game in Scotia Place, a concert in The Big Four Roadhouse or the Calgary Stampede's annual celebration of Western heritage and community spirit each July,' said Tony Trutina, chief operating officer of Truman. Construction is expected to begin in late 2025, with completion anticipated in late 2028. CMLC said since the expanded BMO Centre opened in June 2024, it has hosted 409 events, and 205 major events are booked between now and 2032.
CBC
07-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Olympic Plaza redesign includes skating rink and 12-metre-tall gold fountain
The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) has released long-awaited design plans for the Olympic Plaza Transformation project. Among the features included in the plans are a winter skating rink, a 12-metre-tall fountain the colour of an Olympic gold medal and an indoor pavilion with food and drink service. The design, inspired by the "sunflake" iconography of the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics, also includes a flexible outdoor gathering space that can accommodate up to 5,000 people. "You want to take something that works and build on it. And I think that's what the team's done here," said CMLC president and CEO Kate Thompson. "It was important to integrate the pieces of the [last] plaza that worked and also build off making it more flexible, more adaptable for pieces in the future, for different uses that maybe we don't even know about yet." Revamping the downtown plaza is expected to cost $70 million, with funding coming from the province, the City of Calgary and philanthropist Dave Werklund and family. Public engagement helped shape the design, according to the CMLC, with a skating rink and green space being two of the most requested features. The reimagined plaza will "seamlessly" connect with a brand new performing arts building that will go up as part the $660 million Arts Commons Transformation project. Alex Sarian, president and CEO of Arts Commons, said the new Olympic Plaza will provide better opportunities for event organizers, who made use of the old plaza space in spite of its design, not because of it. "We'll be able to have giant events without having to shut down, you know, lanes and lanes to bring in additional resources," said Sarian. "It's exciting because of the flexibility it will allow the community for decades to come." Ground broke in December on the $270-million first phase of the Arts Commons Transformation. Once complete, a new building, adjacent to Olympic Plaza and across Eighth Avenue S.E. from the current Arts Commons building, will house a new 1,000-seat theatre as well as a 200-seat theatre. It will be a three-level, 162,000-square-foot structure that features a curved exterior, inspired by Alberta's landscapes, according to the CMLC. Demolition of Olympic Plaza began in January as part of Phase 1 of the project. The current Arts Commons building, built in 1985, will be modernized in Phase 2. Both the Olympic Plaza and Arts Commons transformations are key to revitalizing downtown Calgary, according to Coun. Terry Wong, representative for Ward 7. "When you take a look at the centrepiece of what the Olympic Plaza Transformation is all about, it is a place where people can flourish," he said. "People can see the vibrancy, the viability of being able to raise a family as well as run a multi-national corporation here." In a nod to the space's Olympic roots, the design team has included one of Calgary's '88 Olympic cauldrons in the plans. As well, part of the arch that bears the Latin motto of the Olympics — "Citius, Altius, Fortius" (Faster, Higher, Stronger) — will be reincorporated in the new plaza. The International Olympic Committee was consulted during the design process, according to the CMLC, and has endorsed the new plans as aligned with its expectations for the celebration of Olympic legacy. Construction work on the new Olympic Plaza is set to start in 2027 and wrap up the following year.
