Quote:
Originally Posted by someone123
As an aside, one of the counter-intuitive things is how long it takes for construction to have a positive impact on an area. It feels exciting to have cranes up everywhere but from the perspective of retailers the construction period itself is negative. Even after the buildings are finished the disruption is mostly done but it can take a while for all the units to fill up (Vancouver had this with the Olympic Village, which was meant to be completed for 2010 and is just now starting to feel like a real neighbourhood).
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I agree, like Yaletown, years of construction can have a medium-term negative impact. I do see the difference being that Barrington and Spring Garden Road have previously been very successful retail streets with a long and established history. Olympic Village, for example, did not. Vancouverites had to get accustom to visiting and patronizing a previously industrial area.
I see the transformation of SGR and Barrington similar to the Robson St. changes during the 80's which transitioned, rather effortlessly, from Robsonstrasse, a European influenced street of deli's and cheese shops, to a high-street full of chain-stores. Robson Street was already very well-known and already had the foot traffic.