Year of Construction: 1896

Address: 102 17th Ave. S.W.

Community: Beltline

Architectural Style: Queen Anne Revival

The creation of a new downtown community association, the first from the city's core in a decade, is a sign of the growth of a healthy city as it emerges from the pandemic, says the executive director of the Federation of Calgary Communities.

Recreational swimmers left high and dry by closures of pools around Calgary's core may find a new home at the Repsol Sport Centre.

The Macleod Trail S.E. facility will undergo a major expansion following a decision by city council in June to commit $45 million toward new leisure aquatic facilities.

The COVID-19 vaccine rollout, a rosier economy and the opening of post-secondary institutions to in-person classes could all improve Calgary's residential rental vacancy rate by as early as this fall.

That's the prediction of industry watchers for a rental market that currently sits at a vacancy high of 6.6 per cent, although steady average monthly rents continue to be made even more attractive for renters by incentive offerings.

You can always go downtown. At least that's what the song says.

Much has been written about the current woes of Calgary's Downtown Commercial Core. Office vacancies are approaching 30 per cent and many businesses and commuters are conspicuous in their absence from the area.

However, there are a significant number of Calgarians who have no intention of going anywhere, even after the workaday crowd goes home.

For more than a decade, most of Victoria Park has languished, abandoned and checkered with asphalt parking lots after the city expropriated land from about 200 property owners to allow the Calgary Stampede to proceed with expansion plans.

But, a few new residential hi-rises have cropped up around its edges, signaling that investors and buyers find promise in the area's future.

Calgary's land agency recently added fuel to that promise by hiring a team of urban designers and architects to create a master plan for the area as part of its Rivers District Revitalization Plan mandate.

Humming with an eclectic, urban vibe, Calgary's inner-city community of Connaught attracts a variety of residents, from millennials to empty nesters. The community brims with multi-family housing, tree-lined parks, community vegetable gardens, purpose-built dog playgrounds, and a variety of unique restaurant and retail offerings. As an added bonus, many of these businesses, such as Kalamata Grocery and Analog Coffee, are spearheaded by local entrepreneurs.

"There is just this huge appeal – there are the parks and the trees and you are also in the thick of it. It's a real community where there is something for everyone," said Connaught resident Patricia Insole.

The Beltline is a community experiencing a period of major transition – from the reconstruction of 17th Avenue S.W. to the reimagining of Victoria Park.

Through it all, the beauty and vibrancy of this inner-city neighbourhood just seems to be getting stronger and stronger.

Perhaps one of Calgary's most vibrant and eclectic communities, the Beltline has something for everyone – fabulous restaurants, hip cocktail bars, a variety of pubs and craft breweries, upscale grocery stores, green space galore, and an enticing selection of condo-style housing for buyers of all stripes.

Ongoing economic challenges, shrinking population growth and a pandemic that won't go away add up to a downtown Calgary office market facing critical vacancy rates.

One solution is adaptive reuse: the conversion of vacant office space into residential projects. The University of Calgary's School of Public Policy recently published a research paper exploring the challenges and opportunities surrounding adaptive reuse and how it could make a major difference in the city's downtown core.