New Land Parcel Sale Signals Continued Development Momentum in Calgary's East Village
New developer partner to build contemporary mixed-use building on
one of downtown’s last remaining riverfront parcels
Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC)—the organization tasked with revitalizing Calgary’s Rivers District—is pleased to announce the successful developer partner who will soon be adding an exciting new building to the maturing East Village neighbourhood.
Winnipeg-based Alston Properties—known for bringing creative and unique developments to urban settings throughout Western Canada—has purchased parcel M1 for a proposed six-storey mixed-use building. Located at the intersection of Riverfront Avenue and Confluence Way, immediately west of the iconic Simmons building—one of CMLC’s successful historic building restorations—M1 is one of only two undeveloped riverfront parcels remaining in East Village.
For this premier lot that fronts onto the popular RiverWalk multi-use pathway, Alston and its project team have envisioned an exciting and energetic development dubbed EV606. Totalling 53,000 sq ft, EV606 will add 44 residential rental units over its upper five storeys and 9,300 sq ft of street-level retail space to this lively section of East Village riverfront.
CMLC President & CEO Kate Thompson notes the project’s significance to the neighbourhood’s evolution. “In the 14 years since CMLC began our revitalization work in East Village, we’ve had our eye on this small but strategic piece of land as one whose development will signify a key step in realizing our master-plan vision for the district.”
She adds, “The announcement of M1’s sale and impending development is a testament to the success of this whole neighbourhood: private developers are showing continued interest here, and we also see that interest and attention as a positive sign for Calgary’s downtown as a whole.”
The EV606 project aligns with CMLC’s master-plan vision thanks to its creative and conscientious design that incorporates ‘active edges’ at the street level, where the development purposefully interacts with and builds upon an area’s physical features, community amenities and pedestrian flow. The building’s design will also incorporate heritage elements to ensure visual continuity with the Simmons building next door.
According to Bryce Alston, Director of Alston Properties, “One of our top priorities for EV606—our first build in Calgary—is to introduce something new and exciting that considers the macro and the micro scales of its surroundings and that respects the growing energy and diversity of this incredible neighbourhood.” He adds that EV606 will seamlessly integrate into its surroundings through architecture that reflects existing neighbourhood features and interacts with the surrounding public realm.
Alston Properties has extensive experience building complex, mixed-use buildings in master-planned, design-conscious communities like East Village. Alston’s extensive experience working with multiple stakeholders to create community-specific buildings that complement unique neighbourhoods—as in Winnipeg’s Exchange District, a National Historic Site—makes the company a natural fit.
Alston will fill out its project team roster with Winnipeg-based AtLRG Architecture, Abbotsford, BC’s StructureCraft and additional consultants in energy modeling and mechanical, electrical and civil engineering—including Calgary- and Alberta-based partners wherever possible.
Alston has already initiated the development approvals process for EV606. CMLC expects the project to break ground in summer 2022 and to be ready for new residents in 2024.
