New shopping area approved for northeast Calgary

People living in new communities in upper-northeast Calgary are a step closer to getting more retail options.

A new development planned at the intersection of Country Hills Boulevardand Cornerstone Boulevard NE would provide amenities and a long-awaited new grocery store for people living in Cornerstone, Redstone, Cityscape and Skyview Ranch.

The shopping area will also include a drug store and daycareand will bring retail stores closer to new communities that currently have few such options.

"This development will bring much needed amenities that residents will be happy to see," said Ward 5 Coun. George Chahal.

"A large-format grocery store will be oneanchor. This is great news and the residents have been waiting for some time."

Chahal says it's important for new communities to have retail and amenities close by.

"It's great to see this type of investment come into the community to serve the needs of our residents," he said.

The developer, Anthem United, said the city's approval of the project is an importantstep forward for the community.

"The community's excited about it," said Anthem's COOPaul Taylor.

"There'll be grocery, drug, liquor store, banks, coffee shops, restaurants, take-out and fast food."

Taylor says early homebuyers in Cornerstone have had to wait for the community to grow before retail gets built.

While the retail area won't be ethnic-themed like the northeast'srecently openedSavanna Bazaar,he says he expects it willinclude businesses that reflect the area's large South Asian community.