Place d'Orleans: potential redevelopment?

[lrt's friend]

I really think we shouldn't be putting too much out in Orleans. It is simply too far away from the rest of the city. It just re-emphasizes the car culture even if the Confederation Line is extended there. If you are coming from anywhere that isn't right next to the Confederation Line, you will drive, and we only have one or two major road links out there. It will just create a transportation mess.

I think the major error that Gloucester council made was the way they allowed St. Joseph Boulevard to be re-developed in such a hodge podge way. There was no respect to the history of the area and no overall plan to redevelop it in an attractive way. But, that is the result of a very fast boom that took place particularly in the 1980s. I think that Gloucester was correct in mainly developing Orleans as a residential area, and focusing commercial development at Blair Road. There are benefits from this today as it becomes the first major suburban terminus for LRT.

As far as the future of St. Joseph, I am not convinced that LRT will greatly benefit it. It is too far from the LRT line and if anything, LRT will draw redevelopment away from St. Joseph and to locations that are within walking distance of LRT stations. Forget about the 800 m figure. That is a mirage of stupidity when it comes to transit usage. We should be talking about 400 m maximum as a more reasonable measure of walking distance to transit for most people. As long as we treat St. Joseph as a car wasteland, with no significant transit service, we can expect it to remain what it is today, more or less.