The massive mixed-use University District project in Calgary continues to gain momentum, with development nearing the halfway point and a wave of new retailers and tenants sparking fresh excitement in the growing urban community.
“I’d probably say we’re close to just under half,” said Jeff Harris, Vice President, Commercial Real Estate at University of Calgary Properties Group. “If you look at the overall development, half of it is directly north of the (Alberta) Children’s Hospital and half of it is directly south of the Children’s Hospital.”
According to Harris, a significant portion of the north side is already developed or currently under construction, with only a few parcels of land remaining. The south side is now starting to pick up steam.
“The south half, we just started servicing that last year, and continuing on to servicing through that land into 2025. So it’s ready for sale and we expect construction to start happening on a few parcels in the south in 2026,” said Harris.
Some of that land is already for sale. “We have done a phased approach, so we’re only going to do a few parcels at a time,” he said. “We service the land. We identify which parcels we want to do in the first phase, and then we go to market with those parcels. So we’ve already done that piece and those are residential parcels of land that we’re looking at.”
The master plan for University District is also getting a second look. “We’re in the process of a master plan revision for University District, which is really just sort of revisiting the land use master plan submission that was over a decade ago, and a lot of things have changed,” said Harris.
As part of that revision, there could be room for a small retail footprint in the south. “We have accounted for a little bit of flexibility in the south for a very small amount of retail potentially if we wanted to go down that route,” he added. “The main retail focus is University Avenue and Retail Main Street. We don’t want to detract from that, but obviously being south of the Children’s Hospital, you have a lot of 24/7 type of employees, and then obviously just a large contingent of people working and living in the area.”
Harris said this could mean small “grab and go” concepts, but nothing is yet defined.
On the north side, the past year has seen a surge of new activity.
“We’ve had over 15 new retailers in the past year, so it’s been a pretty, pretty busy year,” said Harris. “The most recent ones are Heal Wellness—it’s a health-focused brand offering. You might’ve seen some stuff on social media. We had some lineups on the first day of grand opening, which is awesome to see.”
On the office side, Harris noted the addition of “a Verdex Capital Group and a TD Wealth Financial Management group.” This fall, law firm Stringam LLP is also scheduled to open.
The retail main street has also welcomed notable brands. “Just to name a few—Charcut, Una Pizza, Hot Yoga, Swish Oral Care, Pho Pham, Shoppers Drug Mart’s a big one, obviously. Seed and Salt was a really good one too. And Heal Wellness. We’ve had quite a few.”
Looking ahead to the rest of 2025, Harris says the focus is on more expansion and tenant interest in the area.
“Our big focus right now is the Block 17,” he explained. “So just past the Shoppers block that’s open, we have another building under development and so we have a lot of interest. That’s the beauty of it, is we’re getting a ton of interest on the retail side, and so that’s great to see.”
There are potentially eight retail units at Block 17. “We are in negotiations on leases with three of those eight,” said Harris, “and then obviously other folks we’re talking to as well. We’re just not further along in the negotiations.”
Across from Block 17 is Block 24, located kitty-corner to Staples. “We’re doing a joint venture with Truman. And that’ll be purpose-built rental, but they’ll have 13,000 square feet of retail space as well,” Harris said. “We got more retail coming starting in 2026 and then into 2027.”
Development is nearing its eastern limit. “Block 20 was the next block east of the Staples, and that’ll be the end of the geographical area of University District on the north side,” Harris clarified. “Once both [Blocks 24 and 17] are done, that’s as far east as we will go in University District.”
Beyond bricks and mortar, the community continues to come alive with events and activation.
“One thing I should highlight we do have the UD Night Market which is a great event,” said Harris. “That’s returned this summer. And so the UD Night Market—we do on the last Wednesday of each month from June until September.”
Held in partnership with Market Spot, the event “offers opportunity for guests to shop local artists and vendors, enjoy unique entertainment and connect with community,” said Harris. “Of course, if the weather cooperates, it’s even better.”
The development has a long-term vision, with implementation taking place over the next 20 years. Completion is projected for 2034 and is dependent on market demands and absorption rates.
The growing development of University District is designed to adapt to the evolving market demands. The proposed land uses in the community allow for a mix of multi-family housing types to create a diverse neighbourhood. At completion, the range of housing options will include over 7,000+ units made up of low-rise, mid-rise, and high-rise developments with condos, townhomes, rentals, and senior living.
Officials are anticipating 300,000 square feet of retail and 250,000 square feet of office upon completion.
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