The announcement today that StoneGate Landing would commence construction in northeast Calgary, east of Deerfoot Trail and north of Calgary International Airport, in 2009 for completion by 2016 speaks to the importance of effective mass transit to the northeast sector of the city. The Calgary Herald’s Mario Toneguzzi reported that the 455-hectare site would be built out over the course of the next eight years to encompass roughly one million square metres of light industrial development, a 200,000-square-metre midrise office campus, and 150,000 square metres of retail and entertainment services incorporating some pedestrian amenities (Toneguzzi, 2008). Moreover, Toneguzzi’s report (2008) referred to StoneGate Landing’s proximity to lands that would accommodate 60,000 residents. Based on these development indicators alone, a horizon is now in sight for the development and completion of C-Train Line 202, primarily from its projected northeast terminus at Saddletowne Station but additionally from its projected western terminus at 69 Street Station, by 2020 — a mere four years after StoneGate Landing and its adjacent residential lands achieve full occupancy.
Light rail extensions of Line 202 to the northeast and to the west have been anticipated in several statutory planning documents. The western extension of the line from 69 Street Station would be relatively short, consisting of 1.60 kilometres of electrified double track at grade paralleling 17 Avenue SW and curving northwest past the intersection of 85 Street SW to a terminal facility at Aspen Woods Station to serve the East Springbank neighbourhood of the same name (City of Calgary, 2005f:I.3). The longer Line 202 extension would be to the northeast, following the 60 Street right of way from Saddletowne Station at grade for roughly 800 metres to 88 Avenue Station (City of Calgary, 1984:19) and a further 2,400 metres to arrive at Country Hills East Station at the junction of 60 Street and Country Hills Boulevard NE (City of Calgary, 2007d:21). This route would continue toward a westward turn at 128 Avenue NE and arrive after a net distance of 2,400 metres at Northpointe Station (2007d:21), where 128 Avenue intersects with 52 Street NE. From this location, Line 202 would continue west along 128 Avenue NE and then turn north to its terminus at Stonegate Station, a transit-orientated retail and commercial development node at the approximate intersection of a reconfigured Barlow Boulevard and the decommissioned 36 Street NE right of way (City of Calgary, 2007e:13).
The total capital investment required for both extensions of Line 202 comes to $364-million, a figure that could be carried over thirty years in instalments of $18-million from 2021 onward, or financed through an MSI-equivalent funding mechanism from 2018 to 2020 in three instalments of $121-million. The details of the necessary capital investment are identified as follows:
Northeast Surface Track and Way of 8.40 km @ $25-mil per km: $210-mil
plus four surface stations (88 Avenue, Country Hills East, Northpointe, Stonegate) @ $10-mil each: $40-mil
West Surface Track and Way of 1.60 km @ $25-mil per km: $40-mil
plus one surface station (Aspen Woods) @ $10-mil each: $10-mil
Rolling Stock of 8 LRVs (SD-160) @ $4-mil each: $32-mil
The northeast extension of Line 202 would be particularly valuable to residential passengers in that area of the city travelling to destinations on the C-Train system, and indeed, this function would be the almost exclusive benefit of the western extension of the line. At the same time, the transit-orientated retail and commercial development node at Stonegate Station, and to an appreciably lesser extent the adjacent commercial and light industrial uses envisioned for the remaining portions of StoneGate Landing, afford opportunities for passengers from other precincts of the city to travel northeast along Line 202 counter to predominant traffic flows to downtown Calgary, and thus allow for the possibility of maximising overall use of this capital transportation investment.
Works Cited
City of Calgary (1984). “Saddle Ridge Area Structure Plan”. URL as of 24 Apr 2008 http://www.calgary.ca/DocGallery/BU/planning/pdf/saddle_ridge_asp/saddle_ridge_asp_one.pdf
City of Calgary (2005f). “Report to Council from Calgary Planning Commission: East Springbank Area Structure Plan (Aspen Woods).” URL as of 23 Apr 2008 http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/BU/planning/pdf/cpc_agendas/2005_may_05/m2005_015.pdf
City of Calgary (2007d). “Northeast Community A Area Structure Plan”. URL as of 20 Mar 2008 http://www.calgary.ca/DocGallery/BU/planning/pdf/northeast_community_a_asp.pdf
City of Calgary (2007e). “Northeast Industrial Area Structure Plan”. URL as of 20 Mar 2008 http://www.calgary.ca/DocGallery/BU/planning/pdf/northeast_industrial_asp.pdf
Toneguzzi, Mario (2008). “$3B project city’s biggest ever: Development planned for northeast”. The Calgary Herald, 23 Apr 2008, p. D1. URL as of 23 Apr 2008 http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/story.html?id=95e8a25d-c28f-471a-b857-1689c638f4df&k=62155
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