Downtown East Village | |
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Neighbourhood | |
The East Village during Canada Day 2016
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Location of Downtown East Village in Calgary | |
Coordinates: 51°02′46″N 114°03′11″W / 51.04611°N 114.05306°WCoordinates: 51°02′46″N 114°03′11″W / 51.04611°N 114.05306°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Alberta |
City | Calgary |
Quadrant | SE |
Ward | 7 |
Established | 1900 |
Government | |
• Administrative body | Calgary City Council |
• Councillor | Druh Farrell |
Area | |
• Total | 0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi) |
Elevation | 1,043 m (3,422 ft) |
Population (2016) | |
• Total | 3,242 |
• Density | 6,484/km2 (16,790/sq mi) |
• Median Income (2005) | $17,253 |
Time zone | Mountain Time (UTC-7) |
• Summer (DST) | Mountain Daylight Time (UTC-6) |
Area code | 403 |
Website | Downtown East Village Info Site |
The Downtown East Village more commonly known simply as the East Village, is a mixed-use neighbourhood within the eastern portions of downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is contained within the city's Rivers District. Containing the earliest-settled land in the Calgary area - Fort Calgary - the East Village was for years a mixture of high-rise residential, commercial, and industrial development. Much of the parkland currently surrounding Fort Calgary was industrial as recently as the 1960s. Construction of the city's light rail transit Blue Line, coupled with the closure of 8th Avenue at Macleod Trail in the early 1980s by construction of the massive Calgary Municipal Building, resulted in East Village being "cut off,” figuratively speaking, from the rest of downtown. As a result, it became home to many rundown properties and vacant lots over the years, and a severe crime problem.
Plans to reshape this neighbourhood were approved by Calgary City Council in March, 2005 (East Village Area Redevelopment Plan ). In Spring 2007, Calgary City Council approved the formation of a wholly owned corporation known as the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation with the mandate to revitalize and redevelop the Rivers District, which includes the East Village. Construction began in earnest within the Rivers District by the new corporation in 2007 with the undertaking of a rare downtown Calgary stormwater treatment pond in the NW corner of Fort Calgary. Many of the dilapidated buildings were torn down, to be replaced by modern structures, and the Jack and Jean Leslie RiverWalk along the south bank of the Bow River was completed in the summer of 2012. As of January 2017, several luxury condominium towers have been completed, along with two new hotels, while construction is underway on several more condominium towers, retail buildings, and two institutional buildings, with additional commercial and residential development planned. In total, there are 11 buildings under construction in the East Village as of January 2017, including the National Music Centre of Canada, and the New Central Library. So far, the neighbourhood has attracted $2.7 billion worth of investment.