Received in Council Chamber Sep 2 1 2016 Neighbourhoods O1q Beltline Item

CITY OF CALGARY RECEIVED IN COUNCIL CHAMBER SEP 2 1 2016 NEIGHBOURHOODS O1Q BELTLINE ITEM. 3. it7 TT2.OIr s ASSOCIATION iya}yiht.vicasJ CITY CLERK'S DEPARTMENT ----STp-reThrer21,271376 Re: 12 Avenue Underground Beltline Green Line Alignment Attn: City of Cal gary Transportation and Transit Committee The Beltline Nei g hbourhoods Association is excited b y the opportunity presented by the Green Line project to make our nei g hbourhoods better connected to the rest of Cal gary by public transit. The Beltline is home to thousands of businesses, man y important Cal gary destinations and over 22,000 residents, an above avera ge percenta ge of which rel y on public transit. We recentl y found out about City Administration's plans to shortlist the ali g nment options for the Green Line in the Beltline at last week's open house and were deepl y concerned to find out that the remainin g three options exclude 12 Avenue Underground, the option we believe by far best serves the Beltline's residents, businesses and destinations as well as all Calg arians who travel to the Beltline and Downtown. Our Best Option: 12 Avenue Underground We believe the best option for the Beltline ali g nment is 12 Avenue Underg round because it would have the best overall accessibilit y of service and the best inte g ration with existin g travel modes in what is alread y a challen g ing environment for mobilit y . Best Accessibility The Beltline is home to over 22,000 residents, thousands of office and commercial businesses, social a gencies as well as important Cal gary destinations like the Sheldon Chumir Health Centre, Memorial Park, Cal gary Stampede, BMO Convention Centre, Saddledonne, and a potential future replacement arena and field house complex. A 10 Avenue ali g nment would essentiall y bypass the Beltline alon g its northern peripher y and be the furthest possible distance from the majorit y of Beltline residents and destinations. It is also just two blocks awa y from the planned future reali g nment of the Red Line under 8 Avenue S, which will have overlappin g catchment and diminish the benefit of a new LRT line. In terms of accessibilit y, 10 Avenue is the least desirable ali g nment corridor and sq uanders the g reat potential for the Green Line in the Beltline. An ali g nment throug h the heart of the Beltline on 12 Avenue would most effectivel y serve the 10/11/12 Avenue corridor while providin g the g reatest proximity to the majority of the over 22,000 residents and the major destinations that all lie to the south. This ali g nment corridor has the potential for the hi g hest ridership and g reatest benefit to the Beltline and all Cal gary Transit passen gers. 12 Avenue ali g nment would also allow for a critical transfer/connection point to be accommodated at the intersection of the Red Line and the Green Line on the north end of Stampede. By contrast, a 10 Avenue ali g nment would re q uire passen gers transferrin g 0 0 0 NEIGHROURFIIIOUS BELTLINE ASSBCIATION between the two lines to walk almost lkm between the Victoria Park/Stampede station (Red Line) and the 4 St SE station (Green Line). The Beltline is serving an important role in leading Calgary's push for more economically sustainable growth through greater density, diverse land use and viable transportation options. To this end, the City should be focusing on how accessible we make the Green Line through the Beltline, not how efficiently we can bypass it. Best Integration With Other Transportation Modes The Beltline and the Downtown have the highest traffic densities in the entire city. In addition to the 22,000 residents, thousands of businesses and major destinations, the Beltline also serves as an important corridor into the Downtown, Calgary's economic engine. The Green Line is being designed for train lengths of up to five present-day LRT cars. A surface crossing of the Green Line on 10 Avenue or 12 Avenue would significantly impact vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic east/west flows as well as major intersecting north/south streets: 2 Street SW, 1 Street SW, Centre St S and Macleod Trail North and South. Adding up even just the vehicular traffic volume that would be impacted on these streets we see comparable traffic volumes along the 2 Street SW route and intersecting avenues the Green Line will be traversing Downtown, where administration is already recommending the underground option to avoid disruption. There has also been considerable opposition to the disruption of traffic into the Downtown that would be caused by running the Green Line down the Centre Street Bridge, which by comparison serves only half the traffic volume as Macleod Trail North/South through the Beltline into Downtown. By this measure, running the Green Line at surface across Macleod Trail North/South through the Beltline would have double the potential disruption. Surface level alignment through the densely travelled Beltline would also come at a price of reduced speed and reliability for the entire Green Line. Service disruptions would be more frequent leaving commuters stranded on a more regular basis. Running the Green Line underground through the Beltline is right for the same reasons administration is recommending the Green Line be run underground through Downtown. Request to Continue Investigation of 12 Avenue Underground Alignment As of today, we do not believe City Administration has given the 12 Avenue Underground alignment option the level of consideration and investigation an option of this merit should warrant, especially given the magnitude of Green Line project. NEIGHBOURHOODS BELTLINE ASSOCIMION The Beltline Neighbourhoods Association would like to respectfully ask the City Transit & Transportation Committee to direct City Administration to further investigate this option and share more details with the community so that we can serve as meaningful partners in making the Green Line a success for the Beltline and for all Calgarians. Additionally, we have a number of important questions we would like to put forward to City Administration. 1) The current design does not show a connection station at the intersection between the Red Line and the Green Line at the north end of the Stampede. Why is this not being considered and what does this mean for people accessing the Stampede, Saddledome and Convention Centre from the southeast end of the Green Line? 2) Has the proximity of the adjacent Red Line on 7 Ave (which is planned to be moved under 8 Avenue in the future) been factored into the consideration of the Beltline alignment options along 10 Avenue given the redundant/overlapping catchment areas? 3) With near/medium term plans to relocate the Calgary Transit East Victoria Park bus garage, has the project team investigated the potential to accelerate this relocation for a better long term alignment through Victoria Park? 4) How do the Beltline alignment options fit within future Stampede and Victoria Park redevelopment plans? Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Beltline Neighbourhoods Association Peter Oliver Tyson Bolduc President Director of Planning 0 0 0 BELTLINEYYC.CA CITY OF CALGARY RECEIVED IN COUNCIL CHAMBER 21 September 2016 SEP 2 1 2016 City Council, City of Calgary ITEM . Office of the Councillors 3 Trlot le, • 0105 _IY5h4b14.1i010 700 Macleod Trail SE CITY CLERK'S DEPARTMENT Calgary, AB T2P 2M5 Re: Report to Standing Policy Committee on Transportation and Transit: T12016-0705 Honourable Mayor Nenshi and Members of City Council, We the undersigned are pleased to present our support for an underground alignment of the Green Line LRT through the Bow River Valley and Calgary's Centre City. We see the Green Line LRT as fundamental to Calgary's continued move to expand transportation options for Centre City employees and visitors. In addition to walking and cycling improvements, we support the City of Calgary's efforts to enable more people to travel to and within the Centre City by alternative transportation. Our organisations collectively represent billions of dollars in existing and future investment in the Downtown, Eau Claire, and Chinatown areas. Our buildings provide employment, retail, tourism, hospitality, and residential spaces for thousands of Calgarians and visitors every day. The selection of an underground alignment is essential in ensuring the greatest public and private benefit from Green Line's significant investment. An underground alignment will have the least disruptive impacts on access to our buildings, as well as on grade-level commercial spaces. The desirability and marketability of grade-level commercial would suffer in particular from an elevated option. Grade-level and above-grade level residential would become unviable with an elevated option. We look forward to working further with the City of Calgary on the Green Line LRT and area public realm improvements. Together, we can ensure the greatest public benefit from our respective investments. Sincerely, rig op, Rob Blackwell Don Fairgrieve-Park Ian Parker Anthem Properties Bentall-Kennedy Brookfield Property Partners Scott Taylor Rosanne Hill-Blaisdell David Routledge GWL Realty Advisors Harvard Developments Oxford Properties 20 VIC Management Inc. Dome Tower 333-7th Avenue SW Suite 900 Calgary, AB T2P 2Z1 CITY OF CALGARY Telephone 403 441 4901 RECEIVED Facsimile 403.441.4902 www.20vic.com IN COUNCIL CHAMBER VIC SEP 2 1 2016 Office ITEM 3.(o TrZOIto• 010S As YibL mu September 13, 2016 , CM' CLERK'S DEPARTMENT City Council, City of Calgary Office of the Councillors 700 Macleod Trail SE Calgary, AB T2P 2MS Re: Report to Standing Committee on Transportation and Transit T1'2016-0483 Honourable Mayor and Members of Council The owners of the CORE/TD Square would like to confirm that we have reviewed the information provided by the City as it relates to the Proposed Green Line LRT.

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