Connect Downtown: Planning a Vibrant Town Centre

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Overview

Since October 2023, we have been crafting an Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) to serve as a roadmap to guide the evolution of downtown Canmore as a community-centric space to the year 2050. Following extensive public engagement, we have drafted the ARP, and we are launching a final public input phase before bringing the draft plan to Council in the spring.

This visionary 25-year plan charts a pathway to a vibrant downtown. While it guides growth and change, it does so in a way that ensures that we continue to recognize the heart of our downtown by aligning with our community values, reflecting and respecting our culture and environment, and honouring our storied past.

At its heart, this plan is about people—creating a place where residents and visitors alike want to live, work, play, and connect. By reflecting what we heard is important to the community and anticipating the future needs of our residents, the ARP envisions a downtown that is built to thrive for generations to come.



The Context

Since its founding in 1883 as a rail hub, Canmore has continually reinvented itself—first as a coal mining town, then an Olympic host, and now as a thriving recreation destination.

Today, Canmore faces a tipping point as we confront new challenges, including pressure on a fixed transportation network, increased visitation, a housing crisis, and the impacts of climate change. Given these pressures, we need to rethink how we use limited land in the heart of our community for the greatest benefit.



Get Involved

Have your say! On April 1, 2025, Council gave first reading to the Town Centre Area Redevelopment Plan Bylaw 2025-05 and scheduled a public hearing on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at 9 a.m. in person at the Canmore Civic Centre, 902 – 7 Ave. You can attend in person or watch the hearing online at canmore.ca/webcast.

Learn more about the public hearing process and how to participate.



Get Informed


Learn More

Watch our Feb. 24, 2025 virtual information session about the draft plan.



How We Will Use Your Input

Your feedback throughout the process will be considered and reflected in the final plan that will be considered by Town Council in Spring 2025.


Contact
To learn more, contact our team by email at communications@canmore.ca


Overview

Since October 2023, we have been crafting an Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) to serve as a roadmap to guide the evolution of downtown Canmore as a community-centric space to the year 2050. Following extensive public engagement, we have drafted the ARP, and we are launching a final public input phase before bringing the draft plan to Council in the spring.

This visionary 25-year plan charts a pathway to a vibrant downtown. While it guides growth and change, it does so in a way that ensures that we continue to recognize the heart of our downtown by aligning with our community values, reflecting and respecting our culture and environment, and honouring our storied past.

At its heart, this plan is about people—creating a place where residents and visitors alike want to live, work, play, and connect. By reflecting what we heard is important to the community and anticipating the future needs of our residents, the ARP envisions a downtown that is built to thrive for generations to come.



The Context

Since its founding in 1883 as a rail hub, Canmore has continually reinvented itself—first as a coal mining town, then an Olympic host, and now as a thriving recreation destination.

Today, Canmore faces a tipping point as we confront new challenges, including pressure on a fixed transportation network, increased visitation, a housing crisis, and the impacts of climate change. Given these pressures, we need to rethink how we use limited land in the heart of our community for the greatest benefit.



Get Involved

Have your say! On April 1, 2025, Council gave first reading to the Town Centre Area Redevelopment Plan Bylaw 2025-05 and scheduled a public hearing on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at 9 a.m. in person at the Canmore Civic Centre, 902 – 7 Ave. You can attend in person or watch the hearing online at canmore.ca/webcast.

Learn more about the public hearing process and how to participate.



Get Informed


Learn More

Watch our Feb. 24, 2025 virtual information session about the draft plan.



How We Will Use Your Input

Your feedback throughout the process will be considered and reflected in the final plan that will be considered by Town Council in Spring 2025.


Contact
To learn more, contact our team by email at communications@canmore.ca

  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    Draft Plan Survey

    Since October 2023, we have been developing an Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) to serve as a roadmap to guide the evolution of downtown as a community-centric space for the next 25 years. 

    Canmore has continually reinvented itself—first as a coal mining town, then an Olympic host, and now as a thriving community and recreation destination. Today, Canmore faces a tipping point as we confront new challenges, including pressure on a fixed transportation network, increased visitation, a housing crisis, and the impacts of climate change. Given these pressures, we need to rethink how we use the limited land in the heart of our community for the greatest benefit.

    Change is inevitable. The question is: how do we channel it to sustain our community identity? We have two choices—let change happen without intervention and hope for the best or actively shape it in ways we can control as a municipality.

    Creating an ARP allows us to influence the trajectory of downtown for decades to come. With this ARP, we’re shaping that evolution to meet the diverse needs of residents while preserving what makes Canmore special. By envisioning and building this future together, we aim to create a home where people have a reason to stay for generations.

    You can explore the full draft of the Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) and our "What We Heard" reports that summarize the public input from earlier phases at mycanmore.ca/connectdowntown.

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  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    Options Survey

    We are creating an Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) for the Town Centre to guide future development of the area. As we develop the plan, which we are calling Connect Downtown, there is an opportunity for the public to shape the future experience of the area – how people live, experience, and travel downtown.

    If you want more information before taking our survey, you can visit our website to learn more about the project or read our supporting information booklet.


    About This Survey

    Based on recent engagement, we developed a project vision with ten big ideas that outlines "where we want to go" for the downtown ARP. We now want to know what you think of some potential strategies that to advance the vision. Your feedback will be considered and reflected in the final plan that will be presented to Town Council in early 2025.

    This anonymous survey consists of 25 questions and should take no more than 20 minutes to complete. All questions are optional, so you may skip any that you prefer not to answer. 

    If you complete this survey and provide your email address, you will be entered to win a $100 gift card to a downtown Canmore business of your choice. The winner will be contacted directly the week of Aug.12, 2024. 


    Your Privacy is Important

    The Town of Canmore is collecting your personal information under the authority of section 33c of the Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. This information will be used to develop a Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan. If you have any questions about the collection of your personal information, you may contact the Town of Canmore Planning Department at 403.678.1543, 902 7 Avenue, Canmore, AB, T1W3K1.

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  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    Visioning Survey


    We are developing an Area Redevelopment Plan for Canmore’s downtown, a project named Connect Downtown. The Area Redevelopment Plan will support the continued evolution and long-term vibrancy of the Town’s core to the year 2050. As we develop the plan, there is an opportunity for the public to shape the future of the area – how people experience, interact, and travel downtown. 


    About this Survey

    The first phase of Connect Downtown is to learn from you: what you love, what you don’t, and what you want your future downtown to be. Your feedback will help shape the concepts we bring to the community for input in the summer of 2024 and will contribute to the final vision for the future of downtown. 

    This short and anonymous survey contains 27 questions and will take up to 15 minutes to complete. Questions are optional and may be skipped. The survey is divided into two main sections: Your Experience Downtown Today – to share your current experience of downtown, and Your Vision for a Future Downtown – to imagine what you want to see in the downtown of 2050.  

    If you complete this survey and provide your email address, you will be entered to win a $100 gift card to a downtown Canmore business of your choice. The winner will be contacted directly the week of March 4, 2024. 

    The Town of Canmore is collecting your personal information under the authority of section 33c of the Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. This information will be used to develop a Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan. If you have any questions about the collection of your personal information, you may contact the Town of Canmore Planning Department at 403.678.1543, 902 7 Avenue, Canmore, AB, T1W3K1. 

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Page last updated: 16 Apr 2025, 01:38 PM