Calgarians were able to sneak a peek and weigh in Wednesday night on what the future holds for St. Patrick’s Island.

The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation hosted an open house showcasing the plans – developed from more than 6,000 ideas submitted by Calgarians over the last two years – which emphasized maintaining the natural beauty of the island.

The design includes pulling in the river to act as a natural skating pond in the winter and the construction of a new bridge to allow access on both sides of the island.

Neil MacKimmie, development manager for the CMLC, was one of the many representatives on hand to walk curious Calgarians through some of the plans.

“CMLC, throughout the process of redeveloping the East Village, had the position that it is not about pushing anybody out, but it’s more about drawing people in,” MacKimmie said.

Crescent Heights resident and current user of the river path Lesley Kalmakoff said she likes the new concepts for the island, as natural spaces are hard to come by in an urban setting.

“It looks like they got quite a few design aspects in there, both passive and active recreation ideas,” said Kalmakoff.