General.Manager

Replacement of 14th St W Pedestrian Bridge @ 7 Ave N with an At-Grade Crossing (July 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020)

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14 Street & 7 Ave NW Intersection Upgrades & Pedestrian Bridge Closure

Notice from the City of Calgary | June 2020 

This message is to inform surrounding Community Associations that The City of Calgary will be making upgrades to improve accessibility for pedestrians crossing 14 Street N.W. at 7 Avenue N.W.

The pedestrian bridge that crosses over 14 Street N.W. at 7 Ave. N.W. has reached the end of its service life and needs to be closed and demolished. Due to space and budget limitations and issues with traffic striking the bridge on occasion, the decision has been made to not replace the overpass bridge. Instead, an at-grade crossing, that is accessible to all users, will be installed at this location during the Summer of 2020.

To improve safety and consistency along the corridor for all road users, the speed limit on 14 Street N.W. from 8 Avenue to 20 Avenue N.W. will also be permanently reduced to 50 km/h from 60 km/h.

As this is a popular crossing spot for students coming and going from Hillhurst School, The City has committed to having the new at-grade in place for the 2020/21 school year which is expected to begin in September 2020.

Currently, with COVID-19 restrictions in place and schools closed, there is relatively low pedestrian traffic and motor vehicle traffic in the area. However, the decision has been made to keep the pedestrian bridge open and in-use until the at-grade crossing is complete.

Timeline

This project will begin on July 1, 2020 with completion on or before August 30, 2020.

  • Early July – Signal work and speed limit reduction signage placed
  • Early July to late August – Construction of at-grade crossing
  • Mid-August – Removal of pedestrian bridge

Traffic impacts

  • Permanent speed limit reduction along 14 Street to 50 km/h
  • Rotating lane closures throughout the project
  • Full road closure (overnight) for demolition of the pedestrian bridge

If you require further information or have questions about the proposed timeline, please contact Charmaine Buhler, Manager of Bridge Maintenance at The City of Calgary, atCharmaine.Buhler@calgary.ca.

New Local Area Plan for Hounsfield Heights – Briar Hill

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The HH-BH Area Redevelopment Plan is Being Replaced

 

Many residents may be familiar with the Hounsfield Heights-Briar Hill Area Redevelopment Plan (HH-BH ARP), a document created by the City in the late 1980s with strong input from local resident volunteers.  This document contained a number of recommendations to be implemented in HH-BH (most of which were carried out in the early 1990s) and also set out Land Use, Transportation and Social Planning considerations.  At the time this document was envisioned to cover a planning horizon of ten to fifteen years, however the City has not undertaken any meaningful consultation and revision in the past 30 years and as such we now have a planning document that does not fit well with the current methods the City uses for planning and redevelopment.

 

At the HH-BH Annual General Meeting last November, the Ward 7 Councillor’s office announced the City’s intention to create a new Local Area Plan to replace the current ARP.  This new Local Area Plan (LAP) would cover the communities of Hounsfield Height-Briar Hill, West Hillhurst and Hillhurst-Sunnyside.  Currently West Hillhurst does not have an ARP, and Hillhurst-Sunnyside has an ARP from the 1980s with a significant Transit Oriented Development (TOD) revision from ten years ago.  The City intends to kick-off the engagement process in April, with public awareness and engagement events throughout the three communities until June.  For more information on Local Area Plans, visit the City website Calgary.ca/LAP .

 

This new approach to local planning has started with the North Hill Communities Local Growth Planning pilot project.  This covers the communities of: Highland Park, Mount Pleasant, Tuxedo Park, Winston Heights-Mountview, Crescent Heights, Renfrew, Rosedale, Capitol Hill and Thorncliffe Greenview (south of Mcknight Blvd) and will replace existing City policy documents covering those areas.  For more information on the North Hill LAP, go to engage.calgary.ca and scroll down to Ongoing Projects, the North Hill Communities Local Growth Planning project is listed and updated here.

 

The HH-BH Community Association is actively participating in this City initiative and will be setting up electronic communication channels for residents to subscribe to, but we need all residents to become aware and involved with this City effort.  This one project, covering the next 18 to 24 months, will set the tone for redevelopment in our community over the next few decades.  This is our chance as residents to have the City hear our voices, it does not mean the final plan will include all our concerns, but the City has committed to listen to us before drafting the LAP.

 

For more information, please contact the HH-BH Community Association Director of Strategic Planning: Jeff Marsh at strategic.planning@hh-bh.ca

 

Community Crime Prevention

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Thank you to everyone who attended the Community Safety Meeting just prior to the November 20th AGM. Based on the turnout, it is clear crime and safety is a major concern for residents of Hounsfield Heights and Briar Hill and this was a good first step in coming together as a community to fight the issues affecting our neighbourhood. Some of the issues brought forward include safety in Lion’s Park and around the LRT station and mall, a lack of lighting, intoxicated people in the park and at the playground, found needles and general theft.

The HH-BH Community Association is creating a Safety Committee to look further into these issues and is actively recruiting members from the community to sit on the committee. Please contact Michelle LeGrandeur or Jason Scratch at community.safety@hh-bh.ca to find out how you can help.

In the meantime, there are a few steps we can all take to protect ourselves and our community:

– Get to know your neighbours and look out for each other

– Make sure your outside lights are working

– Lock your doors

– REPORT, REPORT, REPORT – the more calls police get, the more resources will come our way.

So how do you do that?

9-1-1: If you believe that anyone’s safety is in jeopardy and/or if you see a violent or criminal situation occurring.

Calgary Police Services Non-emergency Line (403) 266-1234: If for any reason you feel that the situation would be better dealt with by the police but there are no threats to anyone’s safety. Police will attend on a lesser priority response time and address the situation.

Alpha House – DOAP Team (403) 998-7388 (Operates 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. (22 hours/day; 7 days a week): If you observe individuals who appears to be intoxicated, loitering, trespassing, or sleeping in an area that they should not be but otherwise appear peaceful and not aggressive.

 If you find a NEEDLE:

In January 2019, Alpha House launched their Needle Response Team that can be reached at 403-796-5334 or needle@alphahousecalgary.com. The needle response team will respond to needles on public and private property Monday-Friday 0800-1800.

Calgary Fire Department continues to respond to needle debris on public property or needles that pose safety risk on private property (school yards and playgrounds). Calgary Fire Department can be contacted by calling 9-1-1 or the non-emergency line at 403-264-1022.

Crime Stoppers if you want to remain anonymous: 1-800-222-8477

Please pass on to any neighbours!