St Patrick's Island Development | Calgary MLC

For more than a century, St. Patrick’s Island has been a jewel in the rough. The 31-acre island, along with its neighbour, St. George’s Island, is literally a stone’s throw from East Village.  St. Patrick’s Island is one of the oldest public spaces in Calgary. Its development as a park began in the late 1890s.  In the early 1900s, a bridge to the island was built and the park was developed further.

Today, with construction of a new St. Patrick’s Bridge has begun and St. Patrick’s Island is poised to gain a much higher profile. The new bridge will link the island to East Village on the south, and Bridgeland on the north.

As part of the rejuvenation of the Rivers District, St. Patrick’s Island now has a master plan to steer its development as a park space that all Calgarians will enjoy. More than 6,000 Calgarians were consulted in 2010 about the island’s development. The master plan was released in July 2011. In April 2012, CMLC announced the selction of New York-based W Architecture and Denver-based Civitas as the landscape development team that will realize the master plan vision for St. Patrick's Island. Selected by an evaluation committee through a competitive RFQ process in the summer of 2011, W/Civitas trumped 17 submissions from across North America with its extensive experience in waterfront design.

The proposed core developments on the island include restoring the lagoon between St. Patrick’s Island and St. George’s Island; enhanced river access; a watercraft launching and landing area; nature trails and boardwalks; festival and performance spaces; and informal picnicking and play spaces. The immediate next steps for W/CIVITAS involve creating a detailed design concept and undergoing a round of regulatory approvals at the local, provincial and federal levels.  Development of the island is anticipated to begin in 2013 and conclude in 2014.