News & Events

East Village and the Saddledome have, well, hooked up. And you win – not only will you get to the games faster, and you might even win free tickets for the Nov. 1 matchup with the Canucks. Click here to enter the Straight Shot contest.

The 4th Street Underpass is on the verge of being complete. Which means that Flames fans, in cars or on foot, will imminently be able to pass from 4th Ave. SE in East Village underneath 9th Ave to Stampede Park and the holy grail of Flame-dom, the Scotiabank Saddledome. As everyone with a heart knows, our team has nowhere to go but up. We’re thinking the new underpass might be just the ticket. To enter, simply register at the link below and the winner will be announced on October 31st.
www.evexperience.com/register

The “Brownies” is CUI’s term of endearment for brownfield redevelopment, ie. projects that seek ways to reuse and reignite underutilized property. The Brownie Awards recognize leadership and innovation in brownfield redevelopment, particularly projects that contribute to the community at large.

East Village shared the esteemed company of other Brownie finalists, including: The London Optimist Sports Centre (London, Ontario); The West Don Lands Pan/ParaPan Am Athletes’ Village Project (Toronto,Ontario); and Quarry West (Calgary, Alberta). “The jury decisions get harder every year as the range and scale of projects continue to grow,” said Glenn Miller, vice president of education and research, CUI. “East Village has demonstrated excellence in large scale community development and we are pleased to be acknowledging the CMLC team for its efforts.”

Our new Brownie is another happy milestone for East Village. As readers of this blog know, CMLC recently announced $600 million of mixed-use private investment in the area, RiverWalk Phase II opened in September, and the East Village Experience Centre, an 8,000 sq. ft. sales and marketing hub, is being readied for the launch of residential sales early in 2012.

The Canadian Urban Institute is a Toronto-based not for profit that works to create “a world of thriving, sustainable, harmonious and engaged urban regions.” The CUI first honoured CMLC in 2008 in the category of Sustainable Remediation for work on the East Village Stormwater Wetland project.

When you think about it, East Village is kind of a Canadian SoHo – a once-bustling downtown neighbourhood that fell on hard times and is now experiencing a resurgence fueled – at least in part – by art and culture. New York’s SoHo went from pleasant ‘hood to ‘Hell’s Hundred Acres‘ over the course of a century. Then, in the 1970s, artists and musicians took up residence. SoHo was the perfect live-work – big spaces, low rents, like-minded neighbours.

Artists tend to have a civilizing effect on neighbourhoods; fearless, they instill confidence, and soon enough, development follows. It’s happened in New York’s Meatpacking District, Le Marais in Paris and on Vancouver’s Granville Island, to name a few places. The artists, musicians and independent-minded are often first in. Indeed, the awesome National Music Centre was the first cultural deal struck for East Village way back in 2009.

And so a name was born for FRAM+Slokker’s first building, an 18-storey development on Confluence Way at 5th Street. FIRST. “FIRST mirrors the artist’s courageous first step when faced with raw clay, a blank piece of paper or canvas,” says Bruce Kerr of Slokker. “These are the people who are intrigued by the unknown and create based on their own beliefs, the leaders. This is the kind of person we think will be at home at FIRST.” Sound like you? Check it out: www.thenewcalgary.com.