Crossiron Mills
Encyclopedia
CrossIron Mills is a fully enclosed shopping centre development just outside the northern city limits of Calgary
, Alberta
, Canada
, and immediately east of the hamlet of Balzac
in Rocky View County. It was developed by Ivanhoe Cambridge
, a major Canadian real estate company. It's the first Mills-type mall to be opened since Pittsburgh Mills
in 2005 and the 2007 demise of the predecessor, the Mills Corporation
. Completed in August 2009, the mall is the largest single-level shopping centre in Alberta
, containing approximately 109440 m² (1,178,002.4 sq ft) of retail and entertainment space. Immediately east of the CrossIron Mills property, the United Horsemen of Alberta (UHA) are planning to open and operate an equine racetrack
facility and casino
, and in fact the track was originally scheduled to be in operation by 2007, however the UHA is encountering financial issues which have delayed the opening of the facility.
The first tenant to open in the mall was the first Alberta franchise of Bass Pro Shops
, which opened its doors in the spring of 2009, while the rest of the mall was under construction. The majority of the mall opened on August 19, 2009.. The final section refer to as The Entertainment Neighbourhood began opening in Summer 2010.
CrossIron Mills is a sister mall to Vaughan Mills
, a previous Ivanhoe Cambridge development in Vaughan, Ontario
outside Toronto. The Calgary mall shares several of its major retailers (including Bass Pro Shops), as well as some design features.
) and Highway 566
. As of July 2007, when the City of Calgary expanded its boundaries, this places the property just outside the city limits, as well as just outside the hamlet boundaries of Balzac (Highway 566 links to 176th Avenue N.E. in Calgary). The southern city limits of Airdrie
are only a few kilometres to the north. When driving north on the QEII, there are two exits that provide access; Exit 273 (CrossIron Drive) and Exit 275 (Highway 566). Exit 275 provides access for southbound traffic as well. An additional overpass with southbound QEII access at Exit 273 opened on November 12, 2010.
Additional access to the mall via Dwight McLellan Trail, an extension of Calgary's Metis Trail, north from Stoney Trail opened in December 2009. On Oct. 29, 2011 an extension of Metis Trail was completed allowing direct access to the CrossIron Mills area from the Metis Trail/36 Street N.E. corridor, allowing an alternate north/south access to the area to Deerfoot Trail.
premium brand outlet retail format that was popularized in the United States
, and imported to Canada in 2004 at Vaughan Mills
in Vaughan, Ontario
. The concept combines large format anchor stores and premium brand outlets alongside major entertainment components.
The design utilizes a single level "race track" layout to maximize storefront exposure, with up to 17 anchor stores bordering the centre. In addition to the anchor tenants, there are over 200 retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment outlets.
Like all Mills
shopping centres, this project is divided into several architecturally themed ‘neighbourhoods’, making way-finding easier and providing a more interesting visual experience. The 'neighborhoods' are Fashion, Ranch, Resources, Fossils, Sports & Entertainment, with the latter opening in Summer 2010. The centre also includes several themed courts including a themed food court called the Happy Trail Food Court. The other courts are the Rodeo Court, the Wildlife Court, the Fine Arts Court, the Campfire Court, the Wind Court & the Play Court.
CrossIron Mills is the first new fully enclosed shopping centre to be constructed in Alberta in 20 years. Since the early 90s, traditional malls have been eschewed in favor of development of big box retail "power centres" (examples in Calgary include Deerfoot Meadows, Crowfoot Towne Centre, and Shawnessy Towne Centre). Despite this trend, virtually all of Calgary's existing enclosed shopping centres have undergone extensive renovation and expansion and, in several cases, reconstruction and rebranding, since the early 1990s.
s, CrossIron Mills contains a variety of anchors, including many premium brand outlets. Each anchor store has between 20,000 to 50,000 square feet (5,000 m²). According to the CrossIron Mills Website, the anchor stores include Bass Pro Shops
Outdoor World, H&M
, Bed, Bath & Beyond, The Children's Place
, La Senza
, Laura
, Forever 21
, Revolve Furnishings, Pro Hockey Life, Sport Chek
, Indigo
, Toys 'R' Us Babies 'R' Us, Tommy Hilfiger
Outlet, Winners, and HomeSense
. Specialty retailers are similar to those found at other super-regional malls, however, many at CrossIron Mills are larger premium brand outlet
stores.
Many retailers that (as of August 2009) were new to Alberta can also be found. Some first-time retailers include: Bass Pro Shops, BCBGMAXAZRIA (Outlet); Bed, Bath and Beyond; Browns Shoe Outlet; Calvin Klein
Jeans (Outlet); Fossil Outlet; Jones New York Outlet; Lucky Brand (Outlet); Sixty Outlet; Naturalizer Outlet; Olsen Europe Outlet; Oakley Vault; PÜSCH Outlet; Quiksilver
Outlet; Skechers
Outlet; Tommy Bahama
Outlet; Town Shoes
Outlet; and Underground Outlet. Since the mall opened, some of these retailers such as Bed, Bath and Beyond have opened (or plan to open) other locations in the Calgary region and elsewhere in Alberta; for example, Bed, Bath and Beyond opened a new location in West Edmonton Mall
in the spring of 2010 with another location near Calgary's Chinook Centre
scheduled opened in the fall of 2010.
Also, many retailers have opened their largest-in-Alberta stores at CrossIron Mills. They include: Toys R Us; La Senza
, H&M
, The Children's Place
, Tommy Hilfiger
Outlet, Laura
Outlet and Forever 21
.
The mall's retail lineup continues to evolve, with a number of smaller stores closing after the 2009 Christmas season, with most soon being replaced with new retailers. As of August 2011, one of the mall's anchor bays, originally earmarked for a Holt Renfrew
location that was cancelled in 2009, is now occupied by Revolve Furnishings. One major outlet, a branch of Brooks Brothers
, opened in August 2010 in a bay that had been marked with an "opening in 2010" sign since the mall opened.
Ivanhoe Cambridge is also constructing a big box retail development, CrossIron Common, immediately to the north of CrossIron Mills. A Lowe's
store opened in September 2010 and a Costco
opened up in October 2010 in this area.
7-screen SilverCity Cinemas and Xscape Entertainment Centre on June 30, 2010. The main screen at SilverCity features the new UltraAVX audio visual experience which includes a giant wall-to-wall screen, digital projection, digital sound system, large rocker seats and reserved seating. The over 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) Xscape Entertainment Centre features over 80 video and interactive games and a licensed lounge
. The rest of the Entertainment Neighbourhood opened in late 2010 featuring additional retail space and room for several licensed restaurants although, as of fall 2011, only a Boston Pizza
franchise was in operation.
. CrossIron Mills will instead draw its water from the Western Irrigation District.
In late August 2007, CICT-TV
reported that there is growing concern in the nearby city of Airdrie
over possible effects the mall might have on local businesses (Airdrie's commercial core is physically closer to Crossiron Mills than the nearest commercial hub in Calgary). However more recent coverage in publications such as the local magazine Airdrie Life indicated a more accepting attitude as the mall approached completion.
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and immediately east of the hamlet of Balzac
Balzac, Alberta
Balzac is a hamlet in the southern portion of the Canadian province of Alberta, in Rocky View County. It is located immediately west of Queen Elizabeth II Highway, at the intersection with Highway 566, north of Calgary city centre and south of Airdrie....
in Rocky View County. It was developed by Ivanhoe Cambridge
Ivanhoe Cambridge
Ivanhoe Cambridge is a property management and development company that formed from the merger of two former companies, Ivanhoe and Cambridge, in 2001.-Ivanhoe Corporation:...
, a major Canadian real estate company. It's the first Mills-type mall to be opened since Pittsburgh Mills
Pittsburgh Mills
The Pittsburgh Mills is a super-regional shopping mall complex northeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in Frazer Township, along PA Route 28 near its intersection with the Pennsylvania Turnpike...
in 2005 and the 2007 demise of the predecessor, the Mills Corporation
Mills Corporation
The Mills Corporation was a publicly traded real estate investment trust headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States, acquired on April 3, 2007 by an investment group composed of Simon Property Group and Farallon Capital Management. The company developed, owned, and operated major...
. Completed in August 2009, the mall is the largest single-level shopping centre in Alberta
Canada's largest shopping malls
The following is a list of Canada's largest enclosed shopping malls, ranked by reported total retail floor space, or gross leasable area . In cases where malls have equal area, they are further ranked by number of stores.-See also:...
, containing approximately 109440 m² (1,178,002.4 sq ft) of retail and entertainment space. Immediately east of the CrossIron Mills property, the United Horsemen of Alberta (UHA) are planning to open and operate an equine racetrack
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
facility and casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
, and in fact the track was originally scheduled to be in operation by 2007, however the UHA is encountering financial issues which have delayed the opening of the facility.
The first tenant to open in the mall was the first Alberta franchise of Bass Pro Shops
Bass Pro Shops
Bass Pro Shops is a privately held retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise. Bass Pro Shops is known for a large selection of hunting, fishing, and other outdoor gear.-History:The owner, John L...
, which opened its doors in the spring of 2009, while the rest of the mall was under construction. The majority of the mall opened on August 19, 2009.. The final section refer to as The Entertainment Neighbourhood began opening in Summer 2010.
CrossIron Mills is a sister mall to Vaughan Mills
Vaughan Mills
Vaughan Mills is a large shopping centre in Canada located at the southeast corner of Highway 400 and Rutherford Road, in Vaughan, Ontario about 32 km north of Downtown Toronto. The mall is located adjacent to Canada's Wonderland...
, a previous Ivanhoe Cambridge development in Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
outside Toronto. The Calgary mall shares several of its major retailers (including Bass Pro Shops), as well as some design features.
Location
CrossIron Mills is located in Rocky View County, on the southeast corner of the QEII Highway (the Calgary-Edmonton CorridorCalgary-Edmonton Corridor
The Calgary–Edmonton Corridor is a geographical region of the Canadian province of Alberta. It is the most urbanized area in Alberta and is one of Canada's four most urban regions. It consists of Statistics Canada census divisions No. 11, No. 8, and No. 6. Measured from north to south, the region...
) and Highway 566
Alberta Highway 566
Alberta Provincial Highway No. 566 is a highway in the province of Alberta, Canada. It runs west-east between Calgary and Airdrie, from Highway 772 to Highway 9 between the hamlets of Kathyrn and Keoma....
. As of July 2007, when the City of Calgary expanded its boundaries, this places the property just outside the city limits, as well as just outside the hamlet boundaries of Balzac (Highway 566 links to 176th Avenue N.E. in Calgary). The southern city limits of Airdrie
Airdrie, Alberta
Airdrie is a city in Alberta, Canada, located just north of Calgary within the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. The City of Airdrie is part of Calgary's Census Metropolitan Area and a member community of the Calgary Regional Partnership . Due to its proximity to Calgary, Airdrie's population has been...
are only a few kilometres to the north. When driving north on the QEII, there are two exits that provide access; Exit 273 (CrossIron Drive) and Exit 275 (Highway 566). Exit 275 provides access for southbound traffic as well. An additional overpass with southbound QEII access at Exit 273 opened on November 12, 2010.
Additional access to the mall via Dwight McLellan Trail, an extension of Calgary's Metis Trail, north from Stoney Trail opened in December 2009. On Oct. 29, 2011 an extension of Metis Trail was completed allowing direct access to the CrossIron Mills area from the Metis Trail/36 Street N.E. corridor, allowing an alternate north/south access to the area to Deerfoot Trail.
Design
The shopping centre follows the Mills Corporation'sMills Corporation
The Mills Corporation was a publicly traded real estate investment trust headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States, acquired on April 3, 2007 by an investment group composed of Simon Property Group and Farallon Capital Management. The company developed, owned, and operated major...
premium brand outlet retail format that was popularized in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and imported to Canada in 2004 at Vaughan Mills
Vaughan Mills
Vaughan Mills is a large shopping centre in Canada located at the southeast corner of Highway 400 and Rutherford Road, in Vaughan, Ontario about 32 km north of Downtown Toronto. The mall is located adjacent to Canada's Wonderland...
in Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
. The concept combines large format anchor stores and premium brand outlets alongside major entertainment components.
The design utilizes a single level "race track" layout to maximize storefront exposure, with up to 17 anchor stores bordering the centre. In addition to the anchor tenants, there are over 200 retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment outlets.
Like all Mills
Mills Corporation
The Mills Corporation was a publicly traded real estate investment trust headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States, acquired on April 3, 2007 by an investment group composed of Simon Property Group and Farallon Capital Management. The company developed, owned, and operated major...
shopping centres, this project is divided into several architecturally themed ‘neighbourhoods’, making way-finding easier and providing a more interesting visual experience. The 'neighborhoods' are Fashion, Ranch, Resources, Fossils, Sports & Entertainment, with the latter opening in Summer 2010. The centre also includes several themed courts including a themed food court called the Happy Trail Food Court. The other courts are the Rodeo Court, the Wildlife Court, the Fine Arts Court, the Campfire Court, the Wind Court & the Play Court.
CrossIron Mills is the first new fully enclosed shopping centre to be constructed in Alberta in 20 years. Since the early 90s, traditional malls have been eschewed in favor of development of big box retail "power centres" (examples in Calgary include Deerfoot Meadows, Crowfoot Towne Centre, and Shawnessy Towne Centre). Despite this trend, virtually all of Calgary's existing enclosed shopping centres have undergone extensive renovation and expansion and, in several cases, reconstruction and rebranding, since the early 1990s.
Retailers
Instead of traditional department storeDepartment store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s, CrossIron Mills contains a variety of anchors, including many premium brand outlets. Each anchor store has between 20,000 to 50,000 square feet (5,000 m²). According to the CrossIron Mills Website, the anchor stores include Bass Pro Shops
Bass Pro Shops
Bass Pro Shops is a privately held retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise. Bass Pro Shops is known for a large selection of hunting, fishing, and other outdoor gear.-History:The owner, John L...
Outdoor World, H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
, Bed, Bath & Beyond, The Children's Place
The Children's Place
The Children’s Place is an American specialty retailer of children’s apparel and accessories founded in 1969. They became publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange in 1997 under the ticker symbol PLCE...
, La Senza
La Senza
La Senza Corporation is a Canadian fashion retailer based in Dorval, Quebec, Canada, which sells lingerie and intimate apparel. The La Senza brand is currently owned by Limited Brands.- History :...
, Laura
Laura (clothing)
Laura is a Canadian women’s wear boutique chain. From a single boutique in Montreal, Quebec, Laura Canada has grown to 200 stores with plans for continued expansion and growth....
, Forever 21
Forever 21
Forever 21 is an American chain of clothing retailers with branches in major cities in The United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that offers fashion and accessories for young women and men....
, Revolve Furnishings, Pro Hockey Life, Sport Chek
Sport Chek
Sport Chek is the largest Canadian retailers of sporting clothing, sports equipment and equipment destroy, with stores across Canada...
, Indigo
Indigo Books and Music
Indigo Books & Music Inc. is a Canadian retail bookstore chain. The company was founded in 1996 by CEO Heather Reisman, wife of Gerry Schwartz, majority owner and CEO of Onex Corporation....
, Toys 'R' Us Babies 'R' Us, Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger
Thomas Jacob "Tommy" Hilfiger is an American fashion designer and founder of the premium lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger.-Early life:...
Outlet, Winners, and HomeSense
HomeSense
HomeSense is a chain of off price home furnishing stores operated by TJX Companies with stores in Canada and the United Kingdom.-HomeSense in Canada:At year-end 2010, HomeSense operated 82 stores in Canada...
. Specialty retailers are similar to those found at other super-regional malls, however, many at CrossIron Mills are larger premium brand outlet
Outlet
Outlet may mean:* An electrical outlet* An outlet store or outlet mall* The pelvic outlet* A type of instance variable used for graphical user interface programming in the OpenStep / Cocoa environment* Outlet, Ontario, a community in Canada...
stores.
Many retailers that (as of August 2009) were new to Alberta can also be found. Some first-time retailers include: Bass Pro Shops, BCBGMAXAZRIA (Outlet); Bed, Bath and Beyond; Browns Shoe Outlet; Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
Jeans (Outlet); Fossil Outlet; Jones New York Outlet; Lucky Brand (Outlet); Sixty Outlet; Naturalizer Outlet; Olsen Europe Outlet; Oakley Vault; PÜSCH Outlet; Quiksilver
Quiksilver
Quiksilver, Inc. , is an American company based in Huntington Beach, California, one of the world's largest manufacturers of surfwear and other boardsport-related equipment...
Outlet; Skechers
Skechers
Skechers is an American shoe company headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, founded by CEO Robert Greenberg. Greenberg started Skechers in 1992 after he left LA Gear which he also founded. Skechers was started with his son as a distributor for Doc Martens; they launched their own shoe line...
Outlet; Tommy Bahama
Tommy Bahama
Tommy Bahama is the Seattle-based manufacturer of casual, men’s & women’s sportswear, denim, swimwear, accessories, footwear and a complete home furnishings collection. The brand is owned by Atlanta-based Oxford Industries. Tommy Bahama is available at Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Sak's Fifth Avenue,...
Outlet; Town Shoes
Town Shoes
Town Shoes is a chain of Canadian shoe stores. It has been family owned and operated since 1952 and has 30 locations across Canada including Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, London, Toronto, Kitchener, Barrie and Dartmouth. The Shoe Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Town Shoes...
Outlet; and Underground Outlet. Since the mall opened, some of these retailers such as Bed, Bath and Beyond have opened (or plan to open) other locations in the Calgary region and elsewhere in Alberta; for example, Bed, Bath and Beyond opened a new location in West Edmonton Mall
West Edmonton Mall
West Edmonton Mall , located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is the largest shopping mall in North America and the fifth largest in the world. The mall was founded by the Ghermezian brothers, who emigrated from Iran in 1959. It was the world's largest mall until 2004.West Edmonton Mall covers a gross...
in the spring of 2010 with another location near Calgary's Chinook Centre
Chinook Centre
Chinook Centre is the largest enclosed shopping centre in Calgary, Alberta containing over 250 stores, a professional building, and a major theatre complex...
scheduled opened in the fall of 2010.
Also, many retailers have opened their largest-in-Alberta stores at CrossIron Mills. They include: Toys R Us; La Senza
La Senza
La Senza Corporation is a Canadian fashion retailer based in Dorval, Quebec, Canada, which sells lingerie and intimate apparel. The La Senza brand is currently owned by Limited Brands.- History :...
, H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
, The Children's Place
The Children's Place
The Children’s Place is an American specialty retailer of children’s apparel and accessories founded in 1969. They became publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange in 1997 under the ticker symbol PLCE...
, Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger
Thomas Jacob "Tommy" Hilfiger is an American fashion designer and founder of the premium lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger.-Early life:...
Outlet, Laura
Laura (clothing)
Laura is a Canadian women’s wear boutique chain. From a single boutique in Montreal, Quebec, Laura Canada has grown to 200 stores with plans for continued expansion and growth....
Outlet and Forever 21
Forever 21
Forever 21 is an American chain of clothing retailers with branches in major cities in The United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that offers fashion and accessories for young women and men....
.
The mall's retail lineup continues to evolve, with a number of smaller stores closing after the 2009 Christmas season, with most soon being replaced with new retailers. As of August 2011, one of the mall's anchor bays, originally earmarked for a Holt Renfrew
Holt Renfrew
Holt Renfrew is a chain of high-end Canadian department stores. It is comparable to Barneys New York and Saks Fifth Avenue in the United States, and to two other upmarket chains owned by the same family, Britain's Selfridges and Ireland's Brown Thomas...
location that was cancelled in 2009, is now occupied by Revolve Furnishings. One major outlet, a branch of Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers is the oldest men's clothier chain in the United States. Founded in 1818 as a family business, the privately owned company is now owned by Retail Brand Alliance, also features clothing for women, and is headquartered on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York City.-History:On April 7,...
, opened in August 2010 in a bay that had been marked with an "opening in 2010" sign since the mall opened.
Ivanhoe Cambridge is also constructing a big box retail development, CrossIron Common, immediately to the north of CrossIron Mills. A Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...
store opened in September 2010 and a Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
opened up in October 2010 in this area.
Entertainment Neighbourhood
Construction of the Entertainment Neighbourhood began in the early Summer of 2009 and opened the doors to the Cineplex EntertainmentCineplex Entertainment
Cineplex Entertainment LP , is the largest film exhibitor in Canada and owns, leases or has a joint-venture interest in 130 theatres with 1,351 screens. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Cineplex operates theatres from British Columbia to Quebec...
7-screen SilverCity Cinemas and Xscape Entertainment Centre on June 30, 2010. The main screen at SilverCity features the new UltraAVX audio visual experience which includes a giant wall-to-wall screen, digital projection, digital sound system, large rocker seats and reserved seating. The over 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) Xscape Entertainment Centre features over 80 video and interactive games and a licensed lounge
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
. The rest of the Entertainment Neighbourhood opened in late 2010 featuring additional retail space and room for several licensed restaurants although, as of fall 2011, only a Boston Pizza
Boston Pizza
Boston Pizza is a Canadian-based restaurant chain which owns and franchises locations in Canada, the United States and Mexico.-History:...
franchise was in operation.
Controversy
At the beginning of its development, CrossIron Mills had some difficulty securing water because the province of Alberta was no longer accepting new applications to draw water from the Bow RiverBow River
The Bow River is a river in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River, and is considered the headwater of the Nelson River....
. CrossIron Mills will instead draw its water from the Western Irrigation District.
In late August 2007, CICT-TV
CICT-TV
CICT-DT is a Canadian television station, licensed to and serving Calgary, Alberta. It is owned by Shaw Media, and is an owned-and-operated station of the Global Television Network...
reported that there is growing concern in the nearby city of Airdrie
Airdrie, Alberta
Airdrie is a city in Alberta, Canada, located just north of Calgary within the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. The City of Airdrie is part of Calgary's Census Metropolitan Area and a member community of the Calgary Regional Partnership . Due to its proximity to Calgary, Airdrie's population has been...
over possible effects the mall might have on local businesses (Airdrie's commercial core is physically closer to Crossiron Mills than the nearest commercial hub in Calgary). However more recent coverage in publications such as the local magazine Airdrie Life indicated a more accepting attitude as the mall approached completion.