Last May, Skyrisecities broke a story about a new residential project called, The Hub, a 28 floor, 351 suite residential tower to be developed in the Banff Trail community located in northwest Calgary. That project moved another step closer to construction recently as construction equipment arrived on site. At present, crews from Ledcor Construction are preparing the site for construction by driving test piles into the soil. The soil in the area is known to be some of the softest in the city of Calgary, and thus the necessary testing. Word has it that after the testing has been completed, a full construction start may be only a couple of months away.

Pile driver used for testing piles, image by Kevin Cappis

The developer of the project, Toronto based Campus Suites had officially unveiled the project a year ago, but over the past year there has been ongoing work in the background. While the site has been mostly idle, the proposal has gone through the usual processes of community engagement and the City Hall planning and permit process. There was some opposition to the project, but also plenty of support, and last August the rezoning of the land for higher density was approved.

The Hub, image via Campus Suites

Furthering the project along, the development permit was recommended for approval by the city's planning administration in October of 2017. The administration felt the proposal was in keeping with the relevant planning policies for this area, including the Municipal Development Plan and Banff Trail Station Area Redevelopment Plan, and promoted the overarching policy goals and objectives of creating a high-density, pedestrian-oriented, urban transit node in the Banff Trail Station area.

Soil testing work being done in preparation of construction, image by Kevin Cappis

Shortly after approval, construction fences were erected, and the vacant, former Royal Wayne Motel and Boston Pizza were demolished. The site sat idle until the recent arrival of the construction testing equipment.

We will continue to follow the progress of this project, to keep up to date, follow our main page at Calgary.skyrisecities.com or check out the discussion and photo updates in our forum related thread.