History of CBMCA

The Cliff Bungalow Community Association was incorporated under the Societies Act of Alberta on November 29, 1978. One of the motivators for the community association’s formation was the process that resulted in the first version of the Cliff Bungalow Area Redevelopment Plan approved in 1984. Community associations provide a vehicle for the collective community voice on matters of importance to the community and ARP’s are certainly one of those important matters.

 

In 1987-88, the community association participated in the process undertaken by the Calgary Board of Education on the closure of the Cliff Bungalow School. As part of the agreement to close the school, the community association became a tenant of this historic building on September 1, 1988 and it became the community centre and a hub of community activity. It provided space for many community meetings to deal with important community matters on an ongoing basis. As well it allowed the community to host many social and other community events. In essence, it helped create a much greater sense of community.

 

The Mission District Community Association was formed in 1951 during the time of the formation of many of Calgary community associations. However, it became dormant a few years after the Mission Area Redevelopment Plan was approved in 1982. That ARP advocated the replacement of character homes and low-rise apartment buildings.

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During the review of the Cliff Bungalow Area Redevelopment Plan, Harold Hanen, a well-known architect and urban planner who grew up in the community, identified that the two community districts really formed one area from an urban planning perspective. The Cliff Bungalow-Mission community has the significant natural boundaries of the Elbow River on the south and east and the escarpment on the west. They had close and intertwined histories, had similar building characteristics and demographics over the years and shared a historic and soon to become important commercial street. Thus, in 1990, the two community districts became the Cliff Bungalow-Mission Community Association.

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For over three decades, the community association has provided a vehicle for community input into many important matters and provided a vehicle to come together in celebration of our great and historic community. If you live in Cliff Bungalow-Mission, why not get involved with your neighbours in helping continue this legacy and help make it an even better community.