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.

A major two-part project aimed at improving connections within east Victoria Park should keep interruptions to a minimum when work starts later this year.

The next step in the Rivers District Master Plan – Calgary Municipal Land Corp.'s (CMLC) 20-year vision for the area – includes a redesign of the Victoria Park/Stampede LRT station and an extension to 17^th Avenue S.E. that will take it across Macleod Trail and into Stampede Park.

A year-long pilot project designed to ramp up safety in the downtown core winds to a close at the end of 2020, but its effects might be long lasting.

Calgary's new $550-million arena will be a catalyst for future private investment in East Victoria Park as part of the massive Rivers District master plan, according to the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC).

That master plan, which underwent intensive community engagement, envisions four million square feet of mixed-use development and more than 8,000 new residents within 500 acres on the east side of Calgary's downtown.

A long-awaited effort to revitalize east Victoria Park is underway, with the first projects taking shape under the Rivers District master plan (RDMP) that was passed by city council in December 2018.

Led by the Calgary Municipal Land Corp. (CMLC), the plan spells out a vision of east Victoria Park as a cultural and entertainment centre with a residential component, fitting within the larger Rivers District that also includes the East Village.