14a Street Single

We've uploaded photos of the 14a Street Single to Houzz!

This Bankview house is unusual because in Calgary it's rare to find a dwelling larger than 4000 square feet in such an urban location. This three story modern house was designed for a 37 1/2 foot wide lot between an original 1908 bungalow and an apartment building.

The design of the building is a result of the interplay between a solid mass on the main floor and a large white bracket that hovers two floors above it.

Sitting near the top of the 14th Street hill, the third floor master suite has excellent views from both front and rear rooftop balconies. The main floor is dedicated to the main living space, and the second floor is split between bedrooms in the back and an entertainment/office space in the front. The basement has a recreation area and a guest room. The front drive access was required due to the lack of a lane in this block.

Take a look at the photos here.

Fostering Inner City Development

Within the past month, Richard White has published three blog entries on how Calgary’s City Council could foster development in established communities. 

Permitted Multifamily

http://everydaytourist.ca/blog/2015/1/20/enhancing-established-community-development-multifamily

In the first entry, White proposes making multifamily development in the inner city a permitted use rather than a discretionary use. This means that if a proposed development meets all the Land Use Bylaw rules, then it's allowed as proposed. We're not against this idea, but relaxations can be an important part of making a project better or even possible. In fact, most multifamily applications have at least one relaxation. If a single relaxation exposes a developer to potential appeal, then this idea wouldn't really improve things at all.

SDAB Reform

http://everydaytourist.ca/blog/2015/1/20/enhancing-established-community-development-sdab-reform

In White's second entry, he discusses the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board. This board is famous for being arbitrary and allowing specious arguments. In our own experience, the decisions that the Board makes are at best unpredictable. We can't expect that there will be any more weight placed on the larger needs of the City than on the irrelevant claims of an unaffected neighbour. This introduces a signifiant risk to developers considering an inner city project, and certainly makes suburban development look more attractive. Unfortunately, as Richard writes, the recent review has only resulted in minor changes that haven't had an affect on outcomes.

Remove Redundant Policy

http://everydaytourist.ca/blog/2015/1/20/enhancing-established-community-development-remove-bureaucracy

In his last entry on the subject, White suggests removing Area Redevelopment Plans from public policy. These plans were drafted to curb inner city development, and because of this, are out of sync with the City's progressive Municipal Development Plan. Case in point, the North Hill ARP begins with a nostalgic vision statement that includes: "There is a village atmosphere with young and old mingling in a way reminiscent of earlier, gentler times." The person who wrote that isn't going to stand for any change to his or her neighbourhood, especially if it might increase traffic (which is a code word for diversity). We project that the ARPs will stay on the books but will slowly fade out of relevance.

Thanks to Richard White for these three great entries and his excellent blog, The Everyday Tourist.

Mount Pleasant Infill →

The challenge we took on with this infill in Calgary’s Mount Pleasant district is fitting a three storey house within the 8.6m height limit, and yet still having grand living spaces within. We achieved this by stacking the kids bedrooms, the office, and the living room at the front of the house, each with 8’ ceilings. However, in the back of the house, the master bedroom has a 10’ ceiling, and the great space, which includes the kitchen, has a soaring 14’ ceiling.