CMLC Unveils the East Village Master Plan

A new vision and a new beginning for the birthplace of Calgary

CALGARY , Sept. 16 /CNW/ - On September 16 , the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) unveiled the highly anticipated East Village master plan, giving Calgarians the first glimpse of the vision for Calgary's birthplace. The East Village is on its way to becoming a world-class, vibrant, mixed-use inner-city community and the master plan, developed by world-renowned Broadway Malyan, outlines key attributes, character neighbourhoods and distinguishing features of the community which is planned to be home to over 10,000 Calgarians by 2020.

"The completion of the master plan is a huge milestone in the East Village rejuvenation project and is a result of two and a half years of hard work by CMLC, architects and urban planners. Throughout this process it has become apparent that it takes a village to create a village," commented Chris Ollenberger, President and CEO, CMLC. "We have completed much of the infrastructure work necessary to prepare the East Village for development and with the visionary master plan in hand, we will be preparing for land sales and to partner with developers by January 2010."

The master plan was presented to a group of architects, planners, government representatives and East Village community members and painted the vision for a dense, vibrant, mixed-use community with an emphasis on riverfront development, cultural amenities, innovative architecture and character neighbourhoods. The East Village master plan caters to an 'urban explorer' demographic identified through CMLC's robust market research. CMLC's research supports that over 54,000 Calgarians identified a strong interest in living in the future East Village.

In addition to satisfying a market need in Calgary , the East Village master plan also showcases highly innovative architectural and planning elements. One novel element of the master plan is "The Riff," a genius diagonal streetscape that slices through Calgary's traditional city grid, signaling a revolutionary change in direction for the East Village. Other character neighbourhoods include River's Edge, which features the RiverWalk promenade; Parkside, which contains boutique hotels and multi-family residences near Fort Calgary Park; and finally the Crossing, which represents the cultural heart of the urban village. The East Village master plan can be viewed on the new East Village website at www.evexperience.com.

Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) is the developer responsible for managing the rejuvenation and development of a vibrant, mixed-use, inner city community in Calgary's East Village. Incorporated in 2007, CMLC operates as an independent developer and over the next 10 - 15 years will bring new energy to Calgary's oldest neighbourhood and redefine the city's core. For more information on CMLC, visit www.calgarymlc.ca.

Please contact Susan Veres at [email protected] to obtain access to the East Village master plan animated video for broadcast.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information: Media Inquiries: Lynn Cox, Cohn & Wolfe / Calgary, [phone] (cell), [email protected]; Susan Veres, CMLC, [phone], [email protected]