^ As a former community league director and stakeholder in the area, from all the meetings and surveys and focus groups that were conducted, the overwhelming majority of Edmontonians don't want to see the site sit fallow. Kansas City is a shining example of what not to do, and so you'll see a major push to have the building demo'd as soon as possible.
They're going to parcel up the property, the EEDC will take control of the Expo Centre which isn't even 10 years old and a really nice facility, but both the old racetrack and coliseum's fate is the next question. I think without a doubt, the racetrack will be razed and the whole south lands will be reverted back to housing, as it's close to LRT, lots of amenities and one of Edmonton's oldest and nicest parks. The coliseum lands are a little tougher because it's a triangle bordered by a major roadway, the LRT tracks and a roadway underpass. Just west of there is a mix of older homes in need of demolition, quite a few infill developments and some big parking lots.
A lot of companies are moving towards a campus style work environment, that might be the best thing to try and attract interest. Or a big multi-sheet arena complex that will fill the need for ice sheets in the city, as they're planning on shutting a few other sheets in the downtown area down soon as well
For Northlands itself, they're apparently going to try and refocus on the agricultural base it started with, which may not be such a bad idea. They already run a commercial urban farm and have lots of agricultural programs. It would be a shame to see Northlands disappear completely as it is a historic component of Edmonton, but we like to destroy historic stuff around here so I wouldn't be surprised if it's just quietly folded up over the next while
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Short term pain for long term gain
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