Plan to replace old Viscount Bennett School with housing project gets council's OK

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 1:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: 20 minutes ago

Calgary metropolis assembly has agreed to move forward with plans to physique 8 residential buildings connected the tract of the erstwhile Viscount Bennett School, aft a lengthy nationalist proceeding connected Tuesday.

The developer, Minto Group, applied to rezone the abstraction to accommodate 1,231 to 1,509 lodging units crossed 8 buildings. The program includes three 16-storey towers.

Council voted 9-5 successful favour of the onshore usage redesignation application for the 4.6-hectare batch on Richmond Road and Crowchild Trail S.W.

"This is precisely the spot that we request to enactment this, successful presumption of meshing with different halfway metropolis priorities and the mode that our strategy is built to operate," said Ward 12 Coun. Evan Spencer, who voted to enactment the project.

The tract is "steps" distant from a autobus accelerated transit halt connected Crowchild Trail and a superior motorcycle pathway, the Minto Group says.

Some residents accidental improvement plans are excessively dense

At the metropolis assembly meeting, much than a twelve Calgarians spoke retired against the project, dubbed "2501 Richmond."

"The Viscount Bennett tract offers an accidental for smart, sustainable growth. But the Minto connection is not it," said Richmond nonmigratory Marnie Evans. 

"The density is excessively high, the greenish abstraction excessively low, infrastructure investigation incomplete and the assemblage has not been heard. This is not the mode we should beryllium gathering Calgary's future."

Speakers besides expressed concern over the potential traffic impacts of the redevelopment project.

The Richmond Knobhill Community Association published its ain redevelopment program successful January, based connected assemblage feedback gathered astatine an unfastened house. It recommended gathering a maximum of astir 400 units connected the site. The connection besides called for maintaining four acres of greenish space. 

Meanwhile, Minto Group said it went supra and beyond with assemblage outreach.

"What we did is we went beyond gathering the emblematic expectations for backstage developments and onshore usage applications successful presumption of the extent of transparency, successful presumption of accusation sharing," said Martha McClary, who worked with Minto Group connected the project. 

Coun. Andre Chabot was among those who voted successful opposition, citing immoderate of the concerns raised by residents.

"There volition beryllium a greater and greater request for greenish space, and trying to bargain it successful the aboriginal volition beryllium impossible," said the Ward 10 representative.

The improvement institution has importantly scaled backmost from its archetypal plans for 2501 Richmond. In 2023, it projected gathering much than 2,500 units connected the tract and buildings up to 30 storeys tall. According to a written connection from Minto, it made those changes "based connected assemblage feedback" and evaluated the connection against aggregate existing metropolis policies.

Minto purchased the onshore from the Calgary Board of Education successful 2023. The schoolhouse gathering was shuttered by the CBE in 2018.

Minto Group's adjacent measurement is to use for a improvement permit.