Frequently Asked Questions

Who will be consulted, and how will the consultation process work?
The Site Planning Committee will post information on this web page on a regular basis, and plans to have at least one stakeholder engagement meeting, where a structured discussion will be held to clarify the guiding principles.  This meeting will include students, staff, faculty, and representatives from the Board of Governors and the Bishop’s office.  Further meetings may be planned as the project evolves.

How can I participate?
Email siteplanning@stmu.ab.ca to direct questions or comments to the site planning committee. The committee will consider all questions, and incorporate suggestions into the design process, if appropriate.

Why was Urban Lab chosen?
Many of the projects they have completed in the past are similar in scope and complexity to the St. Mary's project. They also understand the unique nature of the needs of a post-secondary institution.

How much room is there for St. Mary's to expand?
The campus sits on 35 acres of land, which can accommodate significant growth.  In order to provide a realistic mid- to long-range goal, the site planning project will assume growth up to 1,500 students.

How is the project financed?
The project will be funded from the approved 2011-2012 capital budget.  The project budget was recently approved by the Board of Governors.

What are the development priorities?
At this time, development priorities have not been established. Part of the planning process is to generate ideas regarding the main priorities.

When will development start?
There is no established timeline for development.  Priorities need to be set, and capital funding plans prepared before any commitment is made.  This project will provide overall guidance to the development plans, and can be used to provide a clear vision to staff, faculty, students, the community, and potential donors.

Who is responsible for managing this project?
The Site Planning Committee works under the direction of the Board of Governors, and is responsible for working with the Urban Lab to complete this project.  The Site Planning Committee has representation from:

• Students (Siarra Weisensel)
• Faculty (Dr. Tara Hyland-Russell)
• Staff (Darcy Enger, Dr. Helen Kominek)
• The Board of Governors (Terry McCoy, Don Verdonck)

The committee also works closely with St. Mary's University College's Finance and Communications departments.

Site Planning Project 2011

The Site Planning Committee met with the Urban Lab on July 14, 2011 to review first concepts of development plans for the St. Mary's campus. The concepts are based on the campus planning principles developed at an April 20 stakeholder workshop and on a growth target of doubling the current size of the student population.  The Urban Lab has also spent time onsite to map out the topography, buildings, and roads to get a good base to work from.

The concepts presented by the Urban Lab are very exciting.  Following are the main features:

1. Create a core area, by re-arranging vehicular traffic and making a central, pedestrian-only area.
2. Create a landmark honouring the old Lacombe Centre, which was the central aspect of the site.  This landmark would be integrated into the core area.
3. Add buildings in a phased approach around this core area, designed to complement existing buildings and structures.
4. Maintain/enhance the existing entrance from the west to welcome students, staff, and visitors to the core of the site.

The next steps for the Urban Lab are to refine and add more detail to these concepts, by adding landscape elements, building detail for new buildings, and entrance/exit strategies. With this detail, St Mary's can begin to prepare an implementation plan, prioritizing the steps to realize the vision.  The information being prepared by the Urban Lab will provide an excellent foundation for launching a capital campaign to support this development.

In addition to our site planning efforts, the City of Calgary has initiated a transit-oriented development (TOD) planning exercise centred around the Fish Creek Lacombe LRT station.  St. Mary's is seen as a very major feature of the area and was invited to participate in the TOD meetings. Vice-President Business & Finance Debbie Osiowy represented St. Mary's at these meetings and made a presentation to the group about St. Mary’s. Francisco Alaniz Uribe of the Urban Lab also made a presentation on the site planning project. Participants in the TOD meetings had the opportunity to go on a historic tour of campus with Dr. Norman Knowles. Our history, programs, and site planning efforts were well received and generated a great deal of discussion.  St. Mary's is considered a gift to the community, and is very important to the TOD planning efforts.

The City's planning consultant has prepared a large physical model of the LRT station, and surrounding area, including the St. Mary's campus.  They have asked us to keep the model, and we will use this in our future presentations to show how our planning efforts will fit with the future development in the area.

The Site Planning Committee plans to have an open house, likely in September, to present the planning concepts, and seek feedback from stakeholders.

If you have any comments or feedback, please contact the Site Planning Committee at siteplanning@stmu.ab.ca

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