The Beltline Neighbourhoods Association (BNA) is moving forward on a plan to potentially open up 17 Avenue SW to pedestrians next summer, and it’s gathering information on how best to do it.
They’ve launched community and business engagement surveys to help inform a potential pilot project in the summer of 2025.
Peter Oliver with the BNA said that it’s become almost a perennial story, with rumblings about closing the street to traffic to allow for a more pedestrian-friendly area.
“It’s been talked about for years on 17th. There’s tons of interest both from business and residents and visitors, especially coming from other cities now that are already leading the way on doing this,” Oliver told LWC.
“What we’re looking to figure out, is what people would like to see and what they think would work best for piloting an open street or series of open streets in the summer of 2025.”
They’re looking for information on programming, how people are arriving at 17 Avenue, and what will/won’t work for local businesses in the area. Further, Oliver said they’ll be looking for opinions from different parts of the city, as people living near 17 Avenue SW will have a different perspective than those coming from other parts of Calgary.
LWC contacted the 17th Avenue SW Business Improvement Area for this story but haven’t yet received a response to a request for an interview. The story will be updated once one is received.
Oliver said that while it may be seen as a closure to cars, something that could frustrate people trying to access the area, it’s not much different than what the strip is like on any given Saturday night in the summer.
“When you look at 17th Avenue on a busy Friday or Saturday night during the summer, it’s gridlock. It effectively is closed to cars because it’s clogged with cars, and the sidewalks are clumped, too, and people who are trying to get there by bicycle or scooter don’t really have space either,” he said.
“We know that the street isn’t functioning as optimally as it could be at peak times during the summer and so this is an opportunity to look at what we could do differently to make it a better experience for everyone.”
Open street an enticing option, says area councillor
Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott, who represents the area around 17 Avenue SW, said that people frequently talk about how the strip should be a pedestrian-friendly environment.
“People are supposed to come there, they want to sit on the patio, they want to enjoy their time, they want music, they want life,” he said.
“But at the same time, the road is still treated as a major thoroughfare and so there is natural conflict about the environment that everybody wants to create.”
17 Avenue SW, between 4 Street and 14 Street sees between 12,000 to 14,000 cars on the weekdays, according to 2022 City of Calgary traffic counts. Making accommodations like parking for people still trying to get to 17 Avenue via car will have to be considered, Walcott said.
“You’ve got to make sure all the different ways people can get there are available. It’s a question of proportion,” he said.
“Obviously, we’ll want more people to take the train because by that time next year, I believe Victoria Park station will be reopened. There’s lots of options, but nonetheless (cars) has to be considered.”
Oliver said that for now, they want to keep the pilot project small. Ideally, it will happen somewhere between 4 Street and 11 Street, and maybe just for a block or two.
“It’s about concentrating it where we know it’s already the busiest and we see the most congestion and we have the most kinds of businesses that are attracting large crowds of people,” he said.
Beyond that, both he and Walcott see a potential opportunity to expand it. With the opening of the free-flowing LRT station at Stampede Park, it would be natural to invite the tens of thousands of Stampede-goers into a pedestrian-friendly retail area.
“I think that is probably a really exciting opportunity that might not work exactly perfectly for next year, but in the years to come,” said Walcott.
“That would be a dream. It’s like the return of the Red Mile.”
