David Parker: Minto to develop former Viscount Bennett lands

Minto is wanting ahead to revitalizing nearly 11.5 acres which are basically inside metropolis

Article content material

The previous Viscount Bennett Excessive Faculty website — that has been such an eyesore for the neighbourhood and travellers alongside Crowchild Path for thus lengthy — is within the planning levels to be reworked into multi-residential buildings that can join with the present neighborhood.

Constructed within the Nineteen Fifties, after the Calgary Board of Schooling (CBE) closed the college it was the house of Chinook Studying Providers. However since 2018, it has been a vacant property and it progressively deteriorated into an ugly group of buildings.

Commercial 2

Article content material

Article content material

CBE contracted Marco Rosso and Brad Kroeker of Cushman Wakefield to promote the property and the profitable purchaser is Minto Communities, a division of Minto Group.

Greg Mills, president of Minto Western Canada and former division president right here with Mattamy Houses for 15 years, says the corporate is worked up to have the ability to create a brand new imaginative and prescient for the positioning to remodel it right into a residential neighborhood with distinctive inexperienced areas, making certain that buildings and areas in between coalesce into a spot of consolation, comfort, usability and pleasure.

Recognized in the intervening time by its municipal handle as 2501 Richmond, Mills says, “At Minto, we see the event as a possibility to boost the Richmond Knob Hill inexperienced area, whereas bringing a lot wanted housing to Calgary throughout such a vital time.” With town anticipating to achieve round 68,000 new residents this 12 months alone, 2501 Richmond goals to supply 2,500 residences to assist fulfill the demand.

Norah Fraser, a member of the senior management workforce at Minto as vice-president improvement — armed together with her BA from McGill and an MBA from the Haskayne Faculty of Enterprise, and 17 years of expertise in constructing grasp deliberate communities — is the important thing Minto government accountable for directing the brand new improvement.

Article content material

Commercial 3

Article content material

“The proposed plan is predicated on the assumption that various and linked locations contribute to resilient communities and neighbourhoods,” she stated. “Introducing a higher number of housing varieties will entice completely different demographics and create extra housing choices throughout a time when residential housing is extra pressing than ever.”

Mills added that driving by, individuals are not capable of respect the dimensions of the positioning. Minto is wanting ahead to revitalizing nearly 11.5 acres which are basically inside metropolis.

B&A Studios has been engaged on the grasp plan. Managing associate Kathy Oberg says, “The 2501 Richmond Street website is likely one of the only a few re-development alternatives of this scale inside Calgary’s established communities. It’s thrilling to be a part of Minto’s workforce and the applicant of this significant redevelopment alternative for our metropolis.”

The properties will embrace multi-family residences from four- to six-storey buildings on the south of the positioning to high-rise on the northeast nook going through onto Crowchild Path.

The placement is right with a 10-minute commute for individuals working within the downtown core, steps away to Bus Speedy Transit and strolling distance to the Marda Loop Excessive Road purchasing district.

Commercial 4

Article content material

Presently the unsafe playground gear on the land is being moved, home windows are securely boarded up, and full-time safety presence is in place that features cameras.

Supplying new properties is what Minto does nicely; it not too long ago celebrated the design and building of 100,000 properties in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and South Florida. However it’s within the creation of high-quality and sustainable city developments that has made Minto an trade chief.

2501 Richmond Street will present 40 per cent of the positioning as public meeting area for gathering, enjoying and passive enjoyable, enhanced strolling and biking pathways, enhancements to roads and intersections and considerate streetscape design.

Minto is inviting close by residents and different events to a digital open home on Nov. 29 and a stay session on Nov. 30.

With obligatory approvals obtained, Minto expects to start website work in 2024 and get shovels within the floor to start the primary part of the decrease buildings on the southern finish of the positioning in late 2025.


Calgary researcher Dr. Ketul Patel has been awarded the Mitacs Award for Excellent Innovation-Postdoctoral, for his work to develop non-opioid, non-addictive, ache treatment. Working beneath the supervision of professor Darren Derksen within the college of medication on the College of Calgary, Patel was acknowledged for making a serious development in ache administration. Collaborating with Calgary-based Zymedyne Therapeutics, the objective is to convey safer,  more practical ache therapies to market.


David Parker seems commonly within the Herald. Learn his columns on-line at calgaryherald.com/enterprise. He might be reached at 403-830-4622 or by e-mail at [email protected]

Article content material