Major Milestone in Development of Village Commons in East Village
A major milestone has been reached this spring in the development of carya’s Village Commons at East Village Place.
Calgary Housing Company (CHC), Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) and carya are pleased to announce the completion of construction on the project to develop carya’s Village Commons - an exciting new community hub where Calgarians can come together. This is a major step toward the day when Village Commons will open its doors to the community, when it is safe to gather.
Village Commons is a new hub located in the heart of the rapidly developing East Village. It will be home to a wide range of programs in flexible spaces for community meetings, wellness classes, financial planning, empowerment, and more. Exciting and innovative features include a new art studio, family counselling centre, and an industrial-sized state of the art community kitchen. The space is also equipped with video and streaming capabilities to ensure programs and events continue to be accessible online.
Village Commons is the result of significant consultation and cooperation. In 2016 CHC purchased the property to preserve more than 160 affordable homes. Work began immediately to explore options for redeveloping the former Golden Age Club site to offer a space that would serve the residents of East Village Place and the broader community. In 2017, carya came on board as the partner with which this vision would be developed.
“Partnering with carya was the ideal solution,” says CHC President Sarah Woodgate. “This is an agency that has been supporting Calgarians for over 100 years and has both a history in this community and a vision for how to deliver that support for the future.”
“Our vision for Village Commons has always been a space where all Calgarians can come together and feel like they belong,” says Theresa Watson, CEO of carya. “While we can’t gather in this space just yet, we are thrilled it is now complete and ready for us to come together when it is safe to do so.”
To complete the partnership, CMLC was signed on as the project manager to lead the construction. As a driving force behind the overall East Village Master Plan, CMLC brought the expertise and vision to help realize this important community-focused project. In just 11 months and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the team completed the design and construction of the project under budget which allowed the team to open the scope to additional add-ons.
“East Village is the place where Calgary’s future continues to unfold and we see that with opening of Village Commons which invites current residents and supports the evolving needs of the neighborhood,” says Kate Thompson, CMLC President and CEO.
With construction complete, carya has begun moving into Village Commons and will soon be operating virtual programs for all ages from the space. On-site programming and a Grand Opening event will be planned for later this year when public health and safety permits.
This month’s milestone is not the only development at East Village Place. Whitebox construction is nearing completion on commercial space on the ground floor of the building and CHC is actively exploring leasing opportunities with potential commercial tenants. More information on leasing opportunities can be found at: https://calgaryhousingcompany.org/.
More information about the programs and services that will be offered at the Village Commons can be found at: https://caryacalgary.ca/about-carya/village-commons/
You can learn more about CMLC and its work in East Village at: https://www.calgarymlc.ca/east-village-projects-page#projects-area-featured
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