Calgary developer giving new purpose to old homes in Marda Loop
CBC
Construction on Marda Loop’s main streets project may have quieted down, but redevelopment work continues at several locations along 34th Avenue. This time, the focus is on preserving the street’s history.
In contrast to typical high-density redevelopments, construction company Leonard Development Group is repurposing single-family homes from the 1910s and other residential properties into boutique retail spaces for local businesses.
The group has already completed four redevelopments, consisting of seven original homes and a four-plex from the 1980s. Plans for a boutique hotel called The Dovecote are also in the works.
Rod Leonard, the owner and operator of the development firm, said with the loss of similar single-family homes along the adjacent 33rd Avenue, he wanted to preserve as many of the original structures as possible.
“What a lot of people dislike is when they see 100-year-old houses being torn down and being replaced by larger modern buildings,” Leonard said.
“Whenever I had an opportunity to buy one … I picked it up, because once they're torn down, they're gone, and you can't replicate them or replace them.”
The street has long been considered a quieter alternative to 33rd Avenue. Leonard said he wants to preserve its quaint feel while transforming the area into a destination in its own right.
“With all the restaurants and the shops, and some of the beautiful things that the city has done to the neighbourhood, we’ll see it become more of a tourist hub here,” he said.
The development group has added more than 30 retail spaces to the area since it began repurposing homes in 2018.
Part of the draw for local businesses has been the design of the developments, which blends the Edwardian-style homes with European-style "snickets" — narrow alleys or passageways between buildings — creating more spaces for micro-businesses to set up shop.
Vanessa Minicucci said the esthetic and options for a smaller space were the main reasons she chose the area for her jewelry business, Vienna at Marda Loop.
“Having that [smaller] space was vital and a lot more manageable because now you're not having to staff a team of 10 people just to have a store function,” Minicucci said.
She said the work to widen the sidewalks as part of the Marda Loop Main Streets program hurt her business, but the repurposing projects have her feeling optimistic about the area’s future.
“It's about creating an environment and an atmosphere and community,” she said. “And that I love, and I will always support endeavours like that.”
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