Let’s talk downtown Canmore.
If you’ve lived here for a while – or even just spent a few weekends strolling down Main Street – you know how much this little mountain town means to people. It’s not just the views (though let’s be honest, they’re pretty spectacular). It’s the feeling. The sense of place. The way locals and visitors all find something here to love, whether it’s a coffee catch-up at Beamers, a quiet moment along the creek, or the buzz of summer festivals spilling into the streets.
Now, Canmore is facing some big decisions about what our downtown should look and feel like over the next 25 years. The Town’s Connect Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan – ARP for short – is a long-range blueprint that could change everything from where we park to how we gather, shop, and even live in the core of town.
So, what’s actually being proposed?
Here’s the gist: the Connect Downtown plan includes a variety of proposals designed to shift downtown Canmore toward a more walkable, vibrant, and community-focused space. These include:
- Turning Main Street into a year-round pedestrian zone, expanding on the seasonal closures many of us have come to enjoy in the summer.
- Adding more affordable and mixed-use housing to the core, including incentives for developers to build below-market units.
- Creating a new central plaza – a sort of town square for public events, performances, and everyday hanging out.
- Expanding Riverside Park and building a new park along Policeman’s Creek to bring more nature into the downtown fabric.
- Developing an intercept parking lot on the edge of downtown, likely near Elevation Place, to reduce vehicle congestion in the core.
- Encouraging active transportation, like better trail connections and cycling routes.
The vision also includes architectural guidelines to maintain Canmore’s signature mountain-town look and measures to protect key view corridors so the peaks we love don’t get walled off by development.
Why now?
Much of the underground infrastructure beneath Main Street is due for replacement. That presents what the Town calls a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to rethink how the street functions – before we simply rebuild the same thing. At the same time, Canmore continues to face serious challenges: a housing crisis, increasing visitor traffic, and the looming impacts of climate change. For many, this plan is about being proactive rather than reactive.
It’s also worth noting that the current plan replaces an older vision from 1998. In those days, Canmore had just over 10,000 residents. Today, we're pushing closer to 15,000, and on some weekends it feels like even more when visitors pour in. The town has changed – and this new plan is a response to that reality.
What’s the reaction?
Mixed, as you’d expect in a town that cares.
Some people are fully behind the plan. They see it as a smart way to keep downtown alive and thriving – not just for visitors, but for the people who call Canmore home. Supporters appreciate the focus on public space, the climate-conscious design, and especially the promise of more housing options close to jobs, transit, and services. The arts community, in particular, is excited about what a central plaza could mean for performances and community gatherings.
Others are more cautious. Long-time residents have expressed concern about losing parking, blocking mountain views with taller buildings, or seeing too much change too quickly. Business owners, especially those who rely on easy customer access, worry that a pedestrian-only Main Street might hurt foot traffic during the shoulder seasons or colder months. There’s also been pushback from folks who feel the plan tries to do too much at once.
Town Council heard all of this – and more – at a packed public hearing on May 6, where dozens of speakers shared their thoughts and more than 1,300 pages of written feedback were submitted. That’s not a small deal. In fact, the volume and passion of responses prompted Council to delay their decision until May 27, to digest the input and possibly propose amendments.
Where might this go?
At this point, Council hasn’t signed off on the final version yet. But based on public feedback, some potential changes could include:
- Phasing in pedestrianization gradually, with seasonal closures at first rather than jumping to a year-round model right away.
- Adding protections for key view corridors by limiting building heights in certain sensitive areas.
- Ensuring replacement parking is available before redeveloping existing lots.
- Maintaining free resident parking programs that many locals rely on.
In other words, the final ARP might look slightly different than what’s currently on paper. And that’s not a bad thing – adjusting plans in response to public input is how good local governance is supposed to work.
Why it matters
This plan is more than zoning maps and bylaw amendments. It’s about who we are, and who we want to be as a town.
Canmore is no longer just a weekend getaway or a quaint stop between Calgary and Banff. It’s home – for a growing number of people. But it’s also a place with limited land, a delicate natural environment, and a strong collective identity. The challenge is how to grow without losing the things we love most about this place.
Connect Downtown doesn’t have all the answers. No plan could. But it starts a conversation we need to have – and keeps the door open for evolution rather than stagnation.
Final thoughts
If there’s one thing this process has shown, it’s that people care. Deeply. Whether you're cheering the ARP or still on the fence, your voice matters. Council is listening. The fact they postponed the vote to give more time for reflection is a clear sign they’re taking the feedback seriously.
So, wherever you land on the details, this is a good moment to lean in. Read the draft plan, talk to your neighbours, and stay engaged. Change is coming – whether we steer it or not. This plan gives us a chance to shape it together.
And who knows? Twenty-five years from now, when someone’s sipping a coffee in a sunny plaza that used to be a parking lot, maybe they’ll be grateful that we took the time to get this right.
(If you’re interested in how other potential developments are shaping Canmore’s future, take a look at our article on the proposed changes to the historic Canmore Hotel site.)