The Westbrook LRT is back in the hands of the City of Calgary

The City of Calgary has reclaimed the Westbrook LRT land from a local developer, clearing the way for potential development on the southwest parcel.

According to an email from the City of Calgary, they said they exercised a repurchase option on land previously owned by Matco Development Corporation.

“The City has decided to repurchase the land because the construction contract obligation has not been met within the expected timeframe, the details of which are confidential,” said an email from the City of Calgary.

“While the purpose of implementing construction obligations is to encourage timely property development and support municipal goals such as economic investment, job creation, tax revenue and housing goals, the expected timeline was not met in this case.”

The city sold the land to Matco in 2016 for $50.5 million. They said the repurchase closed on January 31, 2024, and they paid $43,067,600.

When LiveWire Calgary last spoke with Matco about the parcel in 2022, they said they expected to receive a development permit for the site in 2023. At the time, however, they did not want to talk in detail about a possible proposal. They said there were some economic and pandemic-related challenges in developing the site.

8th district. Courtney Walcott said that transit-oriented development today is a different landscape when it comes to public value, especially where land is used for public good.

He said once Covid was over, there was direct talk of further extension or exercising the buyback option.

“I wasn't there during the first sale. I wasn't there during the expansion, but I was here when we started talking about whether or not we're going to add them back and how we're going to use the TOD sites differently for the public good,” he said.

“I'm glad to see it back in our group.”

Land plots are being examined

The City of Calgary said it will review the land use and plan for the 10-acre site. They also analyze the market demand and liquidity of the land and then plan ahead.

Local communities have been under scrutiny for some time due to social unrest in the area. Further, during the conversation about the Westbrook local area plan, many citizens raised the lack of development as a reason for the social unrest in the area.

Matco tackled the problem in the area by installing fences and hiring private garbage companies to deal with the flow of trash. They have also hired a private security company to manage social disturbance issues with the assistance of Calgary Transit Peace Officers and the Calgary Police Service.

Now that responsibility falls to the City of Calgary.

Still, Walcott believes it's the best way to carry out the rebuilding vision that began more than 13 years ago. To that end, it's a view that hasn't really changed, he said.

Number. Walcott said given the site's proximity to transit, it's an area asking for higher density. Most TOD sites are located a considerable distance from the city center.

“How many times can we do that when we're right next to the mall, the library, 17th Avenue West and of course the Westbrook train station,” he said.