Regina-based Harvard Developments Inc. and Perkins+Will Canada have unveiled renderings for the redevelopment of the Eau Claire Market site in downtown Calgary. The ambitious mixed-use development would include five towers, 1,000 residential units, 800,000 square feet of office space, and 550,000 square feet for retail. The 2.5-million-square-foot project is proposed to be developed over three phases. Pending approvals, construction is planned to begin in fall 2014, with completion anticipated over seven to 10 years.
During the first phase, a podium with retail and a hotel and potentially apartments above would be built in an existing parking lot, allowing the current shopping centre to remain operational. In the final phase, the shopping mall would be replaced by a new structure that would accommodate retail use. The existing Eau Claire Market was developed in the 1980s. The site sits immediately north of downtown Calgary, adjacent to the Bow River.
The City of Calgary has also long been planning redevelopment of the Eau Claire Plaza site, located to the west of Eau Claire Market and just south of Prince’s Island. Between 2006-2009, a great deal of public engagement, planning and design work took place. The City and local consultants IBI/Landplan and The Marc Boutin Architectural Collaborative worked with representatives from key stakeholder groups to develop a concept plan that promised to transform Eau Claire Plaza. According to the City of Calgary website, neither funding nor a construction timeline for the plaza redevelopment proposal is yet in place.
For more information on the firms involved, please visit www.ibi-landplan.ca and www.the-mbac.ca.