Community Stories

#SeeYourselfHere

July 18, 2018

You’ve probably been there, and don’t even know it – Capstone at Riverlands (Capstone) is a hidden gem in our city, but not for long.

Formerly known as Riverlands, Capstone is the same great neighbourhood with a new name to match its ever-changing style. It has food; it has fitness; it has art, culture and heritage. Most importantly, it will soon have everything you need to live, work and play, all in one place. And year by year, we keep making it better.But don’t take our word for it. This past August, more than 500 people helped us celebrate the new name and the current and future changes that are in store for Capstone. More than 20 neighbourhood businesses joined us, showing off what they do best, and connecting with people from all over the city who came to see what Capstone is all about. They talked about everything from art to health, fitness, food, coffee and kombucha. 

Director Tara Lodewyk, Mayor Tara Veer and City Manager Craig Curtis officially revealed the new name and logo on August 23, 2017. The announcement marked a major milestone and signals a new era for the district. As you can tell, we are pretty excited. But change can’t happen overnight, and it will take many years before the entire neighbourhood is redeveloped.

But why the new name you ask? We needed a new name that was as spectacular as the vision for this neighbourhood. Capstone can mean one of two things: the top stone of a structure or wall, or a crowning achievement, and those words couldn’t be truer. Capstone will truly be the crowning achievement to Red Deer’s downtown and the missing link that connects downtown to Waskasoo Park and the rest of our city.Capstone is unique with The City of Red Deer owning about 25 per cent of the developable land in the neighbourhood.

But why does that matter? It gives us the flexibility to seek out unique and innovative development that meets the needs of the neighbourhood and the community as a whole, while respecting our commitment to community spaces and protecting the riverfront. It allows us to work with the developers to create a one-of-a-kind community in the heart of Red Deer that offers unique housing and commercial spaces, beautiful public spaces, and a walkable, liveable community for all.

“We often hear from people that Red Deer is like a city in a park; it is one of the things they love most about our community. The redevelopment of Capstone is just one way we are working to enhance access to the river and ensure people fall in love with the new abundant public spaces they will find in Capstone,” said Tara Lodewyk, Director of Planning.

In 2017, roadway changes and pipes were the name of the game, ultimately getting Capstone ready for all that’s soon to come. And there are some big changes in store for 2018. These changes include, but are not limited to, reconstruction of Capstone’s main street, Alexander Way, construction of the Canada 150 Square adjacent to the riverfront and construction of the green spine, a pedestrian parkway that connects one side of the neighbourhood to the other.

These things may seem small when we look at the long-term transformation that is set to take place, but soon enough, there will be a mix of medium to high density condos and townhomes, commercial development, hotels, office space, shopping and riverfront gathering spaces all just a hop, skip and jump from Red Deer’s historic downtown.

If you have not been to Capstone yet – go! Explore something new in our city. Explore a place where nature is literally out the doorstep; a place that feels like home, even if you are just stopping in for a coffee. See yourself here. See yourself in Capstone at Riverlands.