With a unanimous decision by the Calgary Planning Commission to approve the Arts Commons Transformation development permit on Oct. 31, the process to transform all of Arts Commons into a campus for culture and entertainment has begun.

Phase one, the construction of a brand new theatre complex to be located on the northwest portion of Olympic Plaza next to Teatro, was approved on Thursday.

That approval comes with the faith and trust in the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation who have yet to reveal plans for the redevelopment of Olympic Plaza, commissioners said.

“I think it’s important to look at, it’s an overall block, and it’s an overall campus vision, and it’s a really important part of our downtown, but from a delivery perspective, parts of it come at different stages and different timing intervals,” said Clare LePan, Vice President of Communications and Strategic Partnerships at CMLC.

“So, while the Olympic Plaza team is underway with the design, the Arts Commons team was a little bit further ahead because that project was approved and funded earlier than Olympic Plaza was. It was important for us that those design teams could overlap and have some time to look at the relationship and efficiencies between the building to create that campus experience.”

Among the questions raised about that relationship between projects were those from Commissioner Jacob Weber, who asked about why the development permit for the theatre building did not include the grade around the building—something that would typically be included in other development permits.

“I don’t need to see the whole plaza. I do trust that a plaza could happen, but I do from a technical perspective looking at this, wonder with some of these access points and how the interface works, why didn’t we at least have four feet off of the building?” Weber asked.

“Why did we go right to the base of the building with the development permit and not show how we’re addressing CPTED around the building, access, egress, just the basics associated with that.”

Other concerns raised by commissioners included what would become of the trees at Olympic Plaza, what the lighting would look like around the new theatre, and access to the loading bay that would be situated along 1 Street SE.

Speaking as a member of the commission, Ward 9 Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra said that the questions asked by commission around the development permit were fair ones for a commission to ask, but not necessarily for this particular project.

“The idea that this building would open on to and address and interface with Olympic Plaza is obvious and elegant, and I think it’s the right thing to do, of course. The fact that it is absolutely going to happen is, you know, obvious,” he said.

“The line of question that you’re receiving is not because there’s any real challenges with a beautiful public building like this, interfacing with a beautiful public space. It’s because there is angst amongst this commission because what is easy for the public to do to the public [space] is not always easy for the private sector to do with the public [space].”

He said that issue was out of the scope of this one particular development permit application, but was something that the City of Calgary administration in the planning department needs to look at.

“This is a great application. I can’t wait to see it built,” Carra said.

Arts Commons Transformation another complex project for CMLC

LePan said that the Arts Commons Transformation project was a unique one given that this is an approval for a project on City-owned land, adjacent to City-owned land, and being created on behalf of Calgarians.

“What’s important to us is that the delivery is coordinated, that our design teams are integrated—which they are—that our governance is coordinated between our oversight committee with CMLC, the City, and Arts Commons at the table as the same team for both parts of the project, and so we can advance them collaboratively,” she said.

“But we have to work through some of the regulatory steps and the construction steps that sometimes aren’t always in lockstep with each other.”

That lack of lockstep, leading to the theatre construction portion of the project coming before Calgary Planning Commission, she said, had to do with the original way the project was envisioned.

The redevelopment of Olympic Plaza was not assured as part of the entire project when the vision for a creation of the new 1,000-seat venue with a 200-seat studio theatre.

“It’s a unique project, and it’s a unique site… but we also have to interface with Macleod Tail and with 7 Avenue and the LRT, and with the existing facility of Arts Commons and the other buildings on that block. So, it is an interesting design dilemma, and we want to make sure that the plaza creates an experience that’s active in response to the building and vice versa. So, it’s a tricky site,” said LePan.

“That’s kind of what CMLC is suited for. It’s the types of projects we’ve been assigned in the past. So, we’re excited about putting all those pieces together, and today was a step in recognition that we’re sort of on the right path with it.”

Construction is set to begin on the new Arts Commons Transformation in very early 2025, followed by a design reveal of a new Olympic Plaza in the spring.

The entire Arts Commons Transformation is set to cost $660 million, with approximately 66 per cent funded by the City of Calgary and the Government of Alberta, and 33 per cent by private donors, including the Werklund family.

Arts Commons will become known as the Werklund Centre in September of 2025, after a $75 million donation by the Werklunds in June.