East Village Heats Up in 2019
Are we the only ones shaken by the fact that it’s almost March? If you’re the person still dating your documents with the year 2018, we know you feel us on this one. The first couple months of 2019 have blown by faster than the -30 wind chill on our faces. But even though we can’t predict the weather, or what date you can stop wearing three layers of pants, we can say that things will be heating up in East Village, with a 100% chance of really exciting progress. Read on to see what’s in the forecast for the rest of the year!
New Retail Openings
In addition to the storefronts that have recently opened their doors in East Village (Panago Pizza! Raw Canvas! Barber Culture! Randell’s Drycleaning!), there’s a whole slew of new retail on the docket for 2019.
Alt Hotel East Village recently announced several exciting restaurant concepts coming this year. Connie DeSousa and John Jackson (of EV’s own Charbar) will open Chix Eggshop, and Darren MacLean (of Final Table fame on Netflix, and the chef behind Calgary’s Shokunin) will bring his new concepts, Barshoku and Nupo.
Verve’s retail podium will also continue to populate with businesses like Good Earth, The Painted Bottle, and Hart Healthy Food and V Medi Spa.
Hat @ East Village
Renters, rejoice! East Village’s first purpose-built rental project means that EV living will be easier than ever. Set to welcome residents this summer, the 221-unit building by CIDEX Developments will offer one- and two-bedroom units, plus a handful of family-friendly three-bedroom apartments.
The Final Year of Construction for RioCan’s 5th & THIRD
Groceries in EV are so close, we can almost taste it! 5th & Third – located, unsurprisingly, at 5th Ave and 3rd St SE – is a 230,000 square foot retail centre that’s set to open in Q1 2020. Confirmed tenants include Loblaws City Market, Shoppers Drug Mart, Olympia Liquor and Scotiabank.
Cycle Tracks at 4th St SE and 9th Ave SE
Here in East Village we’re all about a walkable, bikeable lifestyle – which is why we’re making the neighbourhood even more cyclist-friendly. Improvements will be made to the east–west connection between Macleod Trail S and the Elbow River pathway along 9th Avenue SE, and a new north–south route along 4th Street SE will be established to connect cyclists to RiverWalk.
Completion of M2
Main floor restaurants that spill out onto RiverWalk – accompanied by village-format retail shops, office space and large terraces – will define the zig-zagging building that’s next-door to the Simmons Building. Designed by XYC Design + Development, the building’s restaurant tenants are expected to open their doors in 2019.
Construction Progress at the 9th Avenue SE Parkade & Innovation Centre
After breaking ground in December 2018, this future-forward project is on track to be completed in Q4 2020. Beyond accommodating hundreds of vehicles, the parkade will include bike parking, an outdoor sport court at ground level and a café space. Platform’s innovation space, fully integrated into the design of the parkade, will provide multi-use space for learning, projects, makers and community.
Neighbourhood Programs and Events
Between Calgary Public Library’s never-ending list of programs and Studio Bell’s calendar of concerts, you could say it’s pretty busy in the neighbourhood. But add to that almost daily shows at the King Eddy, paint nites at Raw Canvas, workshops and cultural salons at the Simmons Building, runs through St. Patrick’s Island AND pop-up markets and festivals in our urban plazas? That’s a jam-packed calendar if we ever did see one.
The best way to stay in-the-know? Our weekly round-up of community happenings over on our blog.