For more than a decade, the view after Calgary Transit riders emerge from the Westbrook LRT station has been the same: weeds, a few benches and walking paths.
But throughout that time, the potential has been visible too.
Now, the City of Calgary is doing something about it.
“It can become more than just a place to go to and from the CTrain,” explained Ward 8 Coun. Nathaniel Schmidt.
The city is embarking on public consultations for a master plan of the 4.2-hectare land on the corner of 17 Ave. and 33 St. SW, with an online survey running through the end of the month, along with in-person and online feedback sessions.
Global News spoke to several people who frequent the area. All of them shared a vision for the site that’s drastically different than the desolate landscape it is today.
“Just a place that’s walkable,” said lifelong Westbrook resident Maru Mwangi.
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“It would be nice to have more places you can sit.”
“You (can) make it a place where A) people want to live; and, B) people who live nearby gravitate to,” Cole Trifunov said. “It gives (the area) foot traffic and gives people a reason to get off the LRT here.”
The land was originally sold to Matco Development in 2016 but the City of Calgary purchased the land back in 2024 after no meaningful progress was made with the site.
This time around, Schmidt says, the area will be split into a half dozen parcels that will make it more attractive for developers.
“There’s an easement along the (underground CTrain line), which means you can’t go underground very much,” Schmidt said. “So we’re looking it turning that into a park, then the surrounding buildings would complement that park, but leave that open because that faces the south so that the sun can come through.”
Schimdt says the land’s current zoning requires commercial buildings on the south end of the property facing 17 Avenue, but he believes that’s what residents will want anyway.
As a regular at that LRT station, Schmidt says he’s long thought about what the site could turn into — and so have residents he’s heard from.
“There’s some (ideas) that are different, but for the most part people are expressing an interest in providing a place for people to live but also a place for people that come and gather.“
Shameer Gaidhar with the Calgary Inner City Builders Association says a parcel like this, with development already surrounding it, isn’t available often.
“There’s existing infrastructure, existing businesses around there and all will benefit from them from that place being developed,” Gaidhar said.
“And it’s not a great thing for taxpayers as well, because it’s being taxed on its current use, not its highest and best use… it could be generating income for all Calgarians through property taxes.”
The area’s master plan should be finished by the end of 2026, Schmidt says. If all goes well, he believes development could begin by the end of the current council term in 2028 or 2029.
Once the work is done, he hopes it becomes a place where people want to spend time, not just pass through.
“Overall, people just want to see something get done.”
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