Transit concerns raised as Calgary's Quarry Park grows
Some are concerned transit won't be able to accommodate the large increase in population
A southeast neighbourhood in Calgary is quickly becoming the city’s newest hotbed for development.
Quarry Park, which is located between Glenmore Trail S.E. and Barlow Trail S.E., is the site of several condo and townhouse developments.
The neighbourhood is also the location of Imperial Oil’s new head office.
Some developers say they’re already seeing a boom in business.
"Massive increase in web traffic, sales volumes across all products has been very, very good," said Cody Clayton, president of Remington Development.
Many people have also visited the showhomes, which in some cases have translated into sales.
"We have had over a dozen sales in the past two weeks, with the excitement in the showhome the buzz that all of this has created … people are really seeing the urgency in buying now, so there's not going to be a shortage once Imperial Oil folks all move in," said Adele Kerr with Birchwood Properties.
The prices range from $400,000 to $1 million.
Transit concerns
When the development is finished, it’s estimated that 5,000 people will live in the area and another 15,000 will work there.
Ald. Shane Keating says the current transit service isn't up to par and a new LRT line should be a priority for the city.
"Can we do it on buses on the present roads that are congested because they're the only ones out of the southeast?" he asked.
"No, we can't. So how do we change it … and the only way is to get public transit on its own right of way.
"We're looking at the LRT right of way. We should be doing that today — getting that done and complete, putting buses on it — until we're able to fund the actual LRT down there."
There have been discussions around the southeast LRT, but so far no concrete plans for funding.