| Mission residents are becoming increasingly concerned about their community losing its character and soul due to intense redevelopment pressure.
The possible demolition of the 95-year-old, Edwardian, Aberdeen Block on Fourth Street, which houses Aidas Mediterranean Bistro, Sushi Kawa, Bistro 2210, Antonio’s Garlic Clove, the Gallery of Canadian Folk Art and 14 apartments, is garnering the most concern at the moment. Its owners, Gail and Stan Carscallen, have applied for a demolition permit, but as of press time they were still in talks with the city about the future of the building. Fast Forward was unable to reach the owners for comment.
Meanwhile, Rob Jobst, director of the Cliff Bungalow-Mission Community Association’s development committee, says the association is also concerned about various proposals to knock down old houses and replace them with townhouses or condos. He says the association is worried that as the neighbourhood gets increasingly gentrified, lower income residents will be pushed out.
"There’s always going to be evolution in communities and the city, but right now the pace is kind of overwhelming," says Jobst. "We’ve just got so much coming at us so fast."
Douglas Ferguson, who has lived in the Aberdeen Apartments for 11 years, is horrified that the building may be torn down. He says the situation illustrates the negative impact of redevelopment pressures in Mission.
"I don’t want to live in a city where that can happen," he says of the possible demolition of his apartment building. "It’s been home to a lot of musicians and writers… just to see that possibly gone speaks volumes about the city itself."
Ferguson says he loves Mission because "it’s one of the few places in Calgary left that still has a soul." However, he says, the neighbourhood he loves is under threat.
"It seems like all the architecture is going and all the urbanites are being forced to live in the suburbs, and to me that doesn’t make a city," he says, explaining that people who want to live downtown are getting forced out of the inner city because there are no apartments they can afford to rent.
Jobst agrees that redevelopment in Mission is leading to a loss of rental apartments as houses with rental suites are torn down and apartment buildings are turned into condos.
"We value the richness of the different kinds of people in the community and part of that is young people and lower income people," says Jobst. "We certainly don’t want to see a situation where people can’t afford to live here anymore."
Jobst says redevelopment is threatening the entire character of the community. He’s particularly concerned about the loss of old, character homes in Cliff Bungalow – an area of the community that doesn’t have as many condos and apartment buildings.
"By and large we’re very distressed at the rate these houses are being torn down and particularly in Cliff Bungalow," he says. "They’re just disappearing too fast."
The possible loss of the Aberdeen Block has residents questioning the city’s ability to protect heritage buildings from redevelopment pressures.
Gary Klassen, director of development and building approvals with the City of Calgary, says if the owners of the Aberdeen Block decide they want to knock the building down there’s little the city can do despite the fact that the building is listed in the city’s inventory of historic sites. He says the city has never had a building designated as a heritage building without the consent of the owner. If the city did so it would be required under the provincial Historical Resources Act to compensate the owner for the "economic value" of the property, which he says could mean the value of the property if it was developed to its greatest economic potential, including a highrise condo building.
"It could be very, very expensive and that is something that is in fact probably creating a barrier to perhaps protecting more of the historical resources in our city," he says.
Senior heritage planner Darryl Cariou says the province should update provincial legislation to make it easier for municipalities to protect heritage buildings.
"It’s an issue that’s never had a full airing or discussion: How do you balance private property rights versus heritage values?" says Cariou. "The way the act is written it seems clear that economic value trumps heritage value in a sense and maybe that’s changed a bit in 20 years."
Cariou says he’d also like to see the municipal, provincial and federal governments enter into discussions on tax incentives to promote preservation of heritage buildings.
Jobst, who lived in the Aberdeen Block building for 13 years, says its loss would be a "tragedy." He’s hopeful that *some of the character of Mission can still be saved from the wrecking ball.
"I wouldn’t be surprised if there are parts of the community that are unrecognizable ten years from now," he says. |
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