Calgary's East Village plan ahead of schedule

The city says therevitalization ofthe East Village neighbourhood isahead of schedule.

The Calgary Municipal LandCorporation (CMLC)says new roads and underpasses are in place and the area has been flood-proofed.

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The area east of Calgary's City Hall has been slated for severalmajor culturalprojects, including the new central branch of the Calgary Public Library.

The National Music Centre is also planning to build itsnew complex in the area.

CMLC says it has committed $260 million towards improvements which includes a commitment of $70 million to the Central Library project in the area and has attracted nearly $1.6 billion of new development in the community.

"I think Calgarians will be awestruck to learn how the east side of downtown is transforming into a new urban village," saidCMLCpresident and CEO Michael Brown."If youhaven't been here in a while, it's worth the trip to see all thechange."

The city has already developed the river walk along the Bow River andcompleted an underpass and road work.

The area willbe home to thousands of new urban dwellers. The city says more than 70 per cent of the available land for housing has been purchased by developers. Construction has begun on several buildings.

Most of the development will take the form of condominiums, but CMLC says it will announce the area's first multi-family and rental projects this year.

In terms of commercial tenants, Hilton Hotels announced it will build a 300 room facility and the former Simmons Mattress factory will house businessesoperated by three Calgary food providers.

The East Village area will also be linked by a new pedestrian bridge toSt.Patrick's Island, which is undergoing a major renovation.

Watch CMLC's3D animationshowing the progress to date andfuture development plans forthe East Villagearea.