Beside the Red Deer River in the downtown sits the site of Red Deer’s newest urban community.
On Wednesday morning, it was announced Capstone at Riverlands will be one of three new districts to be redeveloped in greater downtown Red Deer.
This new district is 20 years in the making, Mayor Tara Veer said.
“It’s a strong indication of where we’re heading as a community and the vibrant place we’re so fortunate to call our home,” Veer said.
Core infrastructure work, including the construction of roads to access the new community and burying power lines, has been ongoing for the past couple years.
“This year the community will see the public amenities - they’ll see the construction of the boardwalk along the riverfront, they’ll see the plaza construction. Those are some of the public investments that will ensure there is private sector spinoff,” Veer said.
Wednesday officially marked the beginning of marketing and attempting to sell land to businesses. Some of the businesses they expect to see in Capstone include condominiums, restaurants, office space and more.
There was two major steps to getting the new district up and running, said city manager Craig Curtis. The first was relocated the old civic yards located in the area and reimagining the area as a place for commercial and residential use.
“It’s something we’ve been waiting for quite a long time for,” he said. “It’s a place for people to gather, a place for people to live, a place for people to work and some commercial development.”
Construction on the public square in the community will begin almost immediately, said Curtis, adding some of the initial above ground infrastructure is hoped to be completed by the end of 2018.
“It’ll take time, it’s not going to happen overnight. But this is the blueprint we’ll be working with,” Curtis said.
Following the City of Red Deer’s announcement behind near Carnival Cinemas, there was a street festival where people were able to eat, watch a few performers and learn more about the new district.
More information on Capstone at Riverlands can be found at www.liveincapstone.ca.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
