Quote:
Originally Posted by Drybrain
Kempt Road would be better than Agricola--if and when industrial uses get pushed out of the area, it's a clean slate. Agricola already has a unique built form and feel that I'd like to see improved, rather than replaced. Kempt Road is ripe for remaking, however.
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I see some value to both Kempt and Agricola being remade/improved, although both have different potentials in my mind.
I've always been a proponent to increase density and mobility on the peninsula, Agricola would be the best street to put an urban streetcar on since many folks would oppose it because it might slow traffic (well volumes on Agricola are lower than Robie/Gottingen - so put it on the lower volume street). So you could make a very good, high density mid-rise corridor along the street with street level LRT platforms. In fact, I think you could actually turn Agricola into a pedestrian only street from Cunard all the way up to Russell Street (until the brewery moves - then take it right up to Young) to create a streetcar/pedestrian only street (although have gates to allow local deliveries for retail at specific times) and allow vehicles crossing Agricola to continue to do so (so if I was driving down Almon from Gottingen, I could not turn left or right on Agricola, but I could continue to drive straight through to Robie).
With Kempt Road - I see it being a part of a bigger LRT system and being developed at high density/tall building heights using a very intricate system of density bonusing to allow tall buildings but giving back to the community. So you'd have to include affordable housing, ground level parks, money to help pay for the LRT system, a community centre and other stuff like that - but if you did, you could go quite tall. Then there would be one or two LRT stations along Kempt for a line that would lead into Downtown (either running at grade or potentially a combo or at grade/underground) depending on cost.