| An abandoned construction project in Mission is increasing crime in the neighbourhood and creating an eyesore in the trendy district, says the local community association.
The Cliff Bungalow-Mission Community Association is hoping the City of Calgary will step in and do something with the stalled project.
Ingersoll 10 Development Corporation won city approval in 2002 to put up an eight-storey building called The Colonnade on the corner of 21st Avenue and 4th Street S.W. The building was supposed to include retail on the first floor, offices on the second floor and six floors of condos. Currently the site is a large hole in the ground with only the parkade completed. Even the crane that was towering over the construction site for months has been taken away.
The project was controversial from the start because Ingersoll knocked down a variety of popular businesses, including Burger Inn, The Flower Shop, Paros and The Kremlin, in order to make way for the development, and some locals were concerned that it would negatively impact the character of Mission.
Eilish Hiebert, president of the community association, says there’s been an increase in crime around the construction site, including drug dealing and prostitution. She says the back alley behind the site has been blocked for the duration of the project, creating an ideal place for criminal activity.
Hiebert says adjacent businesses and residents are very concerned and at least one family has moved to another community because of the increased crime.
"We’re all just frustrated to hell," says Hiebert. "The site in itself is an absolute eyesore and a disaster and a total bungling by everyone involved, but the most pressing concern is the crime."
The community association is also concerned about several abandoned houses which Ingersoll bought on 20th Avenue S.W. Rob Jobst, the community association’s director of development, says the company was planning two other projects on 20th Avenue but nothing has happened and the houses they bought haven’t been demolished yet, leading to worry that transients could start living in them.
"Really if you add it all up, one developer is pretty much responsible for ghettoizing what probably comes to a full city block of the Mission district," says Jobst.
Alderman Madeleine King says she’s aware of the issues and the city is looking into its options.
"We approve a project like this because we believe it’s going to be an improvement to a neighbourhood, bring benefit and more vibrancy. When something happens like this we get exactly the opposite and so it’s very sad," says King. "It’s being looked at at the highest levels. This will be addressed as soon as possible."
When Fast Forward told Frank Klaassen, of Ingersoll 10 Development Corporation, that the community association is blaming increased crime in the area on his company’s stalled construction project, he said, "I’ll blame the community for costing me a million dollars for screwing around with me."
However, Klaassen said he couldn’t answer any further questions and referred Fast Forward to CEO Gary Vanderpol, who did not respond to repeated phone calls. |
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