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Calgary city council is set to make a final decision Tuesday on the downtown route for the Green Line LRT, as local business owners continue to raise concerns about the project’s impact on their operations.
Earlier this month, a city committee endorsed one of three possible route options after two years of deliberation. The chosen alignment would run trains east-west at street level along 10 Avenue S.W., starting from the Event Centre in Victoria Park and ending at a station between 1 and 2 Street S.W.
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Transit research consultant Willem Klumpenhouwer said the selected route was the only one that fit within the project’s budget. “Based on discussion and based on the planning of it, it is the one that leaves the door open for the most options in the future,” he said.
Why the Original Plan Changed
The Green Line was originally designed to run through a tunnel beneath the downtown core. However, the province withdrew its $1.5 billion share of funding after costs escalated significantly, forcing planners to reconsider the route entirely.
A provincially preferred alternative would have elevated the tracks above 10 Avenue through the Beltline before turning north along 2 Street S.W. That option would have attracted the most riders. However, it also carried an estimated cost of $1 billion over the project’s current budget, making it financially unworkable.
Business Owners Express Frustration
For business owners along the proposed alignment, the committee’s endorsement has triggered serious concerns. Geoff Allan owns Bottlescrew Bills, a bar and brewery located on the corner of 10 Avenue and 1 Street S.W. He said city officials have not responded to his questions about how the project will affect his business.
“We don’t think it’s good enough,” Allan told Global News. “This will have generational impacts so do it right the first time. They have the business case.”
Allan’s specific concerns include vehicle access, parking, delivery management, the location of the proposed switchback that allows trains to reverse direction, and how trains will move through the intersection directly outside his business.
In response, Bottlescrew Bills took a creative approach to protest. The bar brewed a new beer called “Death Sentence,” with a label showing a green train in front of a grim reaper. The bar also built a large “Guess Who” game featuring characters resembling past and present Calgary city councillors and provincial officials.
“We took action as quick as we could to push back,” Allan said. “They don’t answer, they haven’t set up any meetings, we don’t have any answers yet.”
City Officials Promise Engagement After Council Vote
Wendy Tynan, director of the Green Line LRT, acknowledged the concerns and said more conversations with affected businesses and residents will follow Tuesday’s council decision.
“We will absolutely be starting to set up the meetings both with the actual business owners, property owners, the impacted community groups,” Tynan said.
Meanwhile, Ward 8 Councillor Nathaniel Schmidt introduced an amendment that the committee included as part of its earlier endorsement. If council approves it, the amendment would require a comprehensive public realm, mobility, and streetscape plan for the 10 Avenue corridor. A report on that plan is expected by early next year.
“It’s been on a long journey and if it doesn’t benefit everybody that’s directly affected by it and if they can’t survive, then why are we doing this?” Schmidt said Friday.
Schmidt added that the project gives council a chance to bring a train into the downtown while also improving the surrounding street environment. “So once it’s done, those businesses and residents now have a whole new set of amenities that will add to how the street looks, how it feels and how people use it,” he said.
Construction Already Underway on Southeast Leg
While the downtown route awaits final approval, construction is already active on the southeastern portion of the Green Line. Six projects are currently underway, including a maintenance and storage facility, an elevated guideway over Blackfoot Trail, and a realignment along Ogden Road.
Tuesday’s council vote will determine the final path forward for the downtown segment, a decision that will shape the project’s direction for years to come.
