CANMORE – A roundabout and long-awaited commercial and retail area in Three Sisters Mountain Village, which will include a grocery store and gas station, is expected to ramp up for the coming construction season.
The roundabout at the entrance of the Three Sisters area is anticipated to be finished this summer, while infrastructure and foundation work in The Gateway is expected to take place throughout 2024 for tenants to occupy space in 2025.
At a virtual information session on April 4, an update on both The Gateway and Three Sisters Village area structure plan (ASP) Phase 1 conceptual scheme provided an overview of the coming year.
“There’s definitely a lot of activity forthcoming in Gateway this year and looking forward to welcoming new retailers next year,” said Chris Ollenberger, the managing principal of QuantumPlace and director of strategy and development for Three Sisters Mountain Village Properties Limited (TSMVPL).
He said the turbo roundabout, which will have five entrances into various parts of TSMVPL lands, is aimed at being completed in late June or July but is dependent on the weather for construction season.
The first phase of The Gateway – a 290,000-square-foot mixed-use development that will include retail, commercial, office space and employee housing – will begin this year, with construction starting this month.
The initial construction will have four buildings for residential and commercial use and was approved by Town staff in February. There are two further phases as part of the project, but they may be broken into separate phases depending on market and demand, Ollenberger said.
Full completion of the project is likely to be five to six years, said Ollenberger.
Ollenberger said they’re about halfway through surface works of putting concrete and asphalt down for Cascade Drive, which will connect to the roundabout and be the main street in The Gateway. Foundational work is anticipated to start in the coming weeks for some buildings, with tenants expected to move in for 2025.
“We are thrilled to have received approval on our development permit for Phase 1a of The Gateway at Three Sisters,” said Sam Sidhu, the development manager for the project, in a press release. “The new retail, office and restaurant components, and employee accommodations, will provide much-needed services and amenities to area residents and visitors for years to come.”
The permit for Phase 1b has been submitted to the Town for review, Ollenberger said. The major piece of the phase will see a grocery store added to the mixed-use area. He added discussions are ongoing with multiple grocery stores to potentially use the space. Ollenberger said the aim is to have it open in 2025.
“A grocer is planned within The Gateway,” Ollenberger said, adding a gas station will also be part of the commercial space.
“Many of them have asked us to keep the discussions confidential until those retailers are ready to make the announcement themselves. There’s a number of locals and others involved in that process.”
Council approved a rezoning of the lands in early 2021 as one of the final parts of the Stewart Creek area structure plan.
The project received approval at Canmore’s Subdivision Authority in late 2021 – the last time the authority met before council delegated it to Town staff – for the 18.77-hectare site.
The servicing of the site – such as underground infrastructure and roadwork – began in 2023. The roundabout has been under construction since mid-2023 and is expected to be completed this year.
The construction and ownership of the site remains with TSMVPL, which will lease the site and have some land transferred to municipal reserve, a playground and a future off-leash dog park.
A parcel of land owned by Logel Homes, a Calgary-based developer, will also be developed for residential use in the coming years.
Roughly 240 residential units will be built in the area and is at the development permit stage, but when construction will take place depends on the permitting approval and when Logel Homes begins the process once permits are received.
“The Gateway at Three Sisters is a welcomed new development to the Bow Valley,” said Ian O’Donnell, executive director of the Bow Valley Builders and Developers Association, in a press release. “It will provide an essential mix of commercial and residential spaces that will complement existing options and allow the community to grow and thrive.”
