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Lifestyle perks draw people to city's core

Michelle Magnan, Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, January 1, 2008

There are many aspects about inner-city condo living that appeal to Nick Rowe.

First, there's the view of the city's skyline that he enjoys every morning while sitting at his breakfast bar.

Then, there's the fact that he can walk to his office in Mission. The 20-minute stroll not only lets him cut the amount of pollution he creates -- a contribution he feels good about -- but it also gives him time with his thoughts, a chance to plan his workday.

And he's already looking forward to next summer's Stampede, when he'll be able to walk to the grounds.

But it's not just convenience that he's after.

Rowe, 28, recently moved into Arriva, one of the new inner-city condo buildings, which will be decked out with premium offerings such as two restaurants, an outdoor park, a wine boutique and an executive medical concierge service once construction is completed in the spring.

Luxuries, convenience and lifestyle perks appeal to more than just Rowe -- the new year is set to see thousands of people looking for an upscale life move into the city's core.

The City of Calgary estimates that 8,500 new residents will move to the Beltline in the next two to five years, pushing the population in the area to 25,000.

There are approximately 3,400 units under construction and plans for another 2,100, according to Thom Mahler, co-ordinator of Centre City planning and design policy with the city.

And according to the Centre City Plan, published in June 2007, officials expect up to 40,000 new residents and more than 60,000 new employees to invade the inner city by 2035.

"The biggest surprise from the planning department's standpoint is the strength of demand for residential development," says Mahler. "With the in-migration of people from other cities, it's a different type of demographic than was living in Calgary before. The demographic has certainly gone upscale." Mahler says the influx of people with money from other cities such as Toronto and Vancouver means the demand for condos with amenities has soared, and developers are meeting it with buildings that include retail services such as restaurants and grocery stores.

"That's what (people from other cities) are used to, that's what they're looking for," says Mahler.

Christina Hagerty, a real estate saleswoman who's been in the Calgary market for 16 years, says she too has noticed a shift in what people are looking for.

Beyond the demand for high-end, quality condos, she believes that people here are looking for a certain type of lifestyle.

"Part of that has to do with the city growing up and (having) such a large community of 30-somethings that has been able to travel to other destinations other than just hick-town Calgary," she says.

She believes the European way -- being within walking distance to your favourite wine, bread, and flower shops, for example -- is gaining ground in Calgary.

"I think people are looking for that kind of lifestyle, where they can walk and there's more people they run into and know," she says.

"Communities like Mission and Bridgeland are able to deliver that lifestyle, that European flair, even if it's a small taste of that -- work to live, not live to work." According to Hagerty, Rowe, who splits his time as owner/operator of calgaryrestaurants.ca and an interior designer, represents the main group of people buying downtown condos: young, urban professionals. They may be single or married, but they don't have kids.

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