We have made every effort to keep parking along the corridor. However, to help manage stormwater and reduce the risk of flooding, some parking spaces will be removed to make way for Low Impact Development (LID) features. These features help retain stormwater, improve water quality, and control drainage, supporting future development. Additionally, pedestrian safety measures like curb extensions may affect parking availability. Overall, about 73–76% of parking spaces will remain along the corridor.

No, private property will not be affected. However, some areas along the 19 Street N.W. corridor will be widened to accommodate new wheeling lanes and wider sidewalks. This expansion will use the road right-of-way, which is public property between the property line and the sidewalk.

The corridor will be extended by approximately 3.7 meters on the east side and 0.85 meters on the west side, up to the property lines. If you’d like to confirm your property line, please refer to your Real Property Report.

The road right-of-way is managed by The City for public use, including pedestrian and traffic access. The City is responsible for managing this property and ensuring that the intended use, present and future, is protected.

Removing trees is a last resort, but some trees and shrubs will need to be removed or replaced to accommodate the new streetscaping plans. We are working to preserve as many trees as possible throughout construction, following tree protection and compensation plans in collaboration with Urban Forestry and Conservation.

Approximately 25 trees will be removed along the 19 Street corridor. Many of these trees are in poor condition and will be replaced by The City either onsite or elsewhere in Calgary. Due to utility upgrades, most replacements will need to be planted in other locations.

Calgary has around 7 million trees across public and private lands, parks, natural areas, and green spaces. Given our arid climate, trees are not naturally widespread except in riparian areas along rivers, making each tree a valuable part of our urban forest.

No. the alleyway is not included in the scope of the project. 

No, property owners will still be responsible for mowing the boulevard and clearing snow from sidewalks next to their properties. The City will clear snow along designated wheeling lanes.

For more information on snow clearing requirements near bikeways, please visit the City’s website. Please note that snow from sidewalks cannot be shoveled onto a wheeling lane.

Wheeling lanes and traffic lanes will be cleared within 36 hours after a snowfall.

For details on City snow clearing routes, visit:
🔗 Pathways and Bikeways Map
🔗 Snow and Ice Control (SNIC) Priority Routes

Shared e-scooters (but not personal e-scooters) and non-powered scooters are permitted on bike lanes, as detailed in the chart below.

The construction timeline will be confirmed once a contractor is secured. The project is expected to be tendered in spring 2025, with construction starting in summer 2025 and finishing in summer 2026.

Work will be completed in segments, with localized detours based on a traffic accommodation plan submitted by the contractor. Once the plan is approved, The City will share details on our website and through our e-newsletter.

To stay updated, sign up for our newsletter at calgary.ca/rileyconstruction.

Construction details will be determined by the contractor, but you can expect:

• Construction fencing and concrete barriers
• Signage, pylons, and temporary access ramps
• Short-term detours and impacts to on-street parking
• Maintained pedestrian access
• Possible delays due to weather or utility work
• Efforts to minimize disruptions wherever possible

The Riley Local Area Plan (LAP) is currently awaiting Council approval. Once approved, projects will be considered for funding through the Local Area Investment Fund. Both 5th and 6th Avenue N.W., as well as Kensington Road, have been identified as high-priority projects to be considered for future improvements.

19 St NW was chosen because it aligns with the Council-approved Pathway and Bikeway (5A) Network and offers opportunities to enhance connectivity, safety, and accessibility for local businesses, amenities, and future growth. Public realm improvements will include new wheelchair ramps, wider sidewalks, and curb extensions for safer crossings. Dedicated wheeling lanes will also separate users by speed, improving overall mobility and safety.

While 21 St and 18 St were considered, they did not provide the same benefits for public development and growth as 19 St N.W.

Over the past several years, there have been multiple opportunities for community engagement on projects in the Riley area.

Formal engagement began in 2021 with the Kensington TOD Streetscape and Public Realm Improvements. Phase 1 gathered public input on key areas in Hillhurst Sunnyside, West Hillhurst, and Hounsfield Heights Briar Hill that needed public realm investment.

In Phase 2, the project team identified 16 potential improvement areas, including 2nd and 7th Avenue NW. The public was invited to help prioritize these projects, recognizing that not all could be funded. The main objectives were to:

1. Determine which projects were most important to the community.
2. Gather feedback on proposed improvement concepts.

Three types of projects were considered:

• Streetscape improvements
• Traffic calming enhancements
• Public space upgrades

Public feedback, along with technical analysis and cost considerations, helped narrow the list to seven priority projects in Phase 3. These projects were then shared with the community for further engagement on design and implementation details.

For more details, you can view past engagement reports here:
🔗 Kensington Area Improvements
🔗 Phase 2 Engagement Report
🔗 Phase 3 Engagement Report

We understand that this is a very popular space and wanted to re-open the greater park area as quickly as possible. To complete native revegetation, we are balancing park access with the ecological requirements of re-establishing this vegetation. After construction, fencing will be strategically placed to help protect key areas and encourage the new native vegetation to establish. There will be regular openings along the fence to maintain connections to all trails and ensure dogs can access the centre of the park. This fencing will remain in place until the native seed is established. We appreciate your cooperation in protecting these areas. These enhancements will improve the quality of the park ecosystem and biodiversity in the long term.

This hill is not considered an official tobogganing site in the city. For safety reasons, the Parks and Pathways Bylaw prohibits tobogganing or sledding downhill in any City-maintained park except the ones listed on tobogganing and sledding.

Tobogganing is an activity that you do at your own risk. The City is not responsible for any personal injury or damage to personal items.

We are aware of coyote sightings in the area and have asked our contractor and crews on-site to continue to report any wildlife sightings. We encourage you to report sightings by contacting 311 as this is the best way to ensure we are aware of where our wildlife population are, if there are sudden increases. More information specific to urban coyotes can be found on our website: Coyotes (calgary.ca)

The two trails that run east and west across the top and bottom of the slope will be improved with gravel surfacing. The trail along the top of the slope will be realigned to reduce steep grades.  Low-impact, shallow steps are being built at the northeast access from 19 Street and will be placed at suitable locations, with the least overall disturbance, between the top and bottom trails on the east side of the park. 

Edd Rooney’s memorial plaque will be reinstalled in approximately the same location. Prior to starting any work on-site, Edd Rooney’s family was contacted through the Parks Foundation about the proposed changes.

Grasshopper Hill is a Natural Environment Park and we have worked with City Parks Ecologists throughout the design process, including to develop the Habitat Restoration Plan. A Preliminary Natural Site Assessment, Biophysical Impact Assessment, and Tree Protection Plan were also completed as part of this project.

During engagement, citizens expressed wanting to minimize impact to the natural landscape while supporting improvements to accessibility and gathering spaces. This feedback was incorporated into the design in several ways, including the use of natural materials such as aggregate (pathways), stone and wood, low-profile steps, and preservation of several well-travelled dirt trails. The proposed interventions follow existing degraded areas to the extent possible while improving the accessibility of the north trail and are proactively designed to mitigate disruption from erosion. These include delineating trail alignment to protect sensitive root zones that are prone to compaction (especially the large willow tree), adding natural erosion blankets, and completing revegetation work in key areas. While there will be disruption during construction, these interventions are aimed to support the ecological health of the site long-term. 

We received public feedback over three phases of engagement. From April to May of 2021, citizen input was sought to let help identify potential improvement spaces in the Kensington/Riley area. Grasshopper Hill Off-leash Park was identified as one of these spaces. Later in November to December of 2021, citizens were asked for input on different design options illustrating potential park improvements with the goals of improving park accessibility and community gathering amenities. This feedback was used along with technical analysis and cost considerations to select the projects that would be carried forward for implementation.

In April to May of 2022, during the third and final phase of engagement, we revealed the prioritized projects and the accompanying design illustrations. We asked for public feedback to help inform project design and identify any gaps. Visit Kensington Area Improvements to view engagement results.

In addition to online engagement, the project team participated in a neighbourhood walk in November 2021 and attended the Local Area Plan Open House in January 2023 to share project plans and gather in-person feedback.

To receive updates on the Riley Area Improvements projects, including Grasshopper Hill Off-leash Park Enhancements, sign up for email updates.