Calgary Minute: Archives Portal, Arts Commons, and Megaproject Application Withdrawn

Calgary Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Calgary politics

This Week In Calgary:

• The Multisport Fieldhouse Committee will meet this morning at 9:30 am. The Committee will hear an update on the Amenity Refinement Study. This study "aims to ensure that the amenity mix at the Fieldhouse reflects the needs of sport and the community, aligns with requirements for hosting competitions and events, and advances the project goals of equity, affordability and long-term sustainability". Some core amenities have already been identified, including a track, gymnasia, and an artificial turf field.
  
  
• On Tuesday, at 9:30 am, there will be a City Council regular meeting. There are many items on the Consent Agenda (the stuff that doesn’t get debated or discussed). One of these items is the creation of YYC Matters, a supposedly non-partisan information campaign to highlight local priorities in the lead-up to the 2023 May 29 provincial election. At 3:45 pm, Council will hear the Annual Presentation by the Calgary Airport Authority.
  
  
• The Community Development Committee will meet on Thursday at 9:30 am. No agenda is available for this meeting yet.

Last Week In Calgary:

• The cost of upgrading Arts Commons has increased by $30 million. A Council Committee voted to allow the Calgary Municipal Land Corp. to borrow an additional $75 million, partially to fund the “escalations” in those upgrades. This puts the estimated cost of the Arts Commons Transformation Project’s first phase up to $270 million. Council still needs to give final approval for the additional funds at an upcoming meeting.
  
  
• Permits for the Stephen Avenue megaproject have been withdrawn by developer Triovest. The three-tower project would have included a 66-storey condo tower, a 54-storey rental tower, and a 24-storey office tower, but plans were put on hold in February after a request by the Province for a heritage assessment. Triovest is not abandoning the project, but will revise their plans at a later date with an eye to how best to preserve the heritage integrity of the original buildings.
  
  
• The City of Calgary has launched a new Archives Research Portal that allows people to search archival material dating back to the 1870s. The popular items have been fully digitized, while other items lead to a description of the file so that people can request more information if they are interested. The City’s collection includes photographs, Council minutes and bylaws, building history and land use research, and more. The portal can be viewed online from anywhere.

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