Saskatoon Construction - Page 118

joelpiecowye · #**2341** Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 4:49 AM**

also too add on i found this on the heritage site

27 November 2007

Mayor and Councillors
City of Saskatoon

Your Worship and Members of Council,

Re: Barry Hotel

The Saskatoon Heritage Society is deeply concerned about the recent suggestion to demolish the historic Barry Hotel. We are surprised at the speed with which this suggestion has been brought forward and regret that there has been no public discussion regarding options for the building.

During the consultation process for the Local Area Plan for Riversdale, the community came out strongly in support of the retention of its historic building fabric and is intent on building upon the history of the area as it moves forward in its revitalization. The Barry Hotel is a key heritage building in Riversdale and a summary of its history is attached to this letter. Its proposed demolition would seem to ignore the role of the Local Area Plan and flies in the face of the wishes of the community.

Along with the former Albany Hotel, the Barry Hotel acts as a visual anchor at the intersection of Avenue B and 20th Street and forms an important element in the historic streetscape. Its demolition and proposed replacement with a modern structure would destroy the continuity of the streetscape and jeopardize its historic authenticity. Although perhaps difficult to imagine at the moment, even a comparatively straightforward façade renovation would help to bring back the building’s dignity and enable it to assert its rightful presence on the street.

Much has been made of the hotel’s current notoriety, but it must be pointed out that this unfortunate reputation is of fairly recent making and should not be used as an excuse to raze the building. In the same way that the renovation and re-branding of the Broadway Theatre helped in the rejuvenation of Broadway Avenue, so too can the Barry Hotel, in conjunction with the Roxy Theatre, aid in the rejuvenation of 20th Street. We believe that its location close to the Farmer’s Market will help in that process.

Heritage advocates are aware of the importance of appropriate re-use for heritage buildings. At the time the demolition suggestion was made, we understand the community was discussing an interesting proposal for the adaptive re-use of the Barry Hotel. It would be most unfortunate if proponents of that proposal and of any others were unable to bring their suggestions forward.

Finally, we must consider the environmental costs associated with demolition. The environmental sustainability movement is increasingly recognizing the fact that re-using our existing building stock, rather than building new, is the responsible course of action. In the case of the Barry Hotel, we have what appears to be a solid building with potential for re-use; yet there is a suggestion that it be demolished – an expensive and energy-wasting exercise – and the bricks and other material carted away to fill up our landfill. And this at a time when the City is moving forward with its ‘green agenda’!

In fairness to the community of Riversdale and to those who are interested in re-using the Barry Hotel, in respect for the historical integrity of the street, and in respect for the environment, we urge City Council to:

put on hold any proposal to demolish the Barry Hotel; and instead to:
request that Administration, working through the Local Area Plan Committee (LAP) and the LAP process, provide a report of all possible options for the re-use of the building. (The Local Area Plan for Riversdale is currently in draft form and is expected to be released in January or February.)
request Administration to identify known and potential proposals for the adaptive reuse of the building, placing them in the context of the priorities outlined in the LAP and in the City’s strategic plan and provide a report back to Council
It is time to give the Barry Hotel a fair chance. With the right owner and an appropriate adaptive re-use, it has the potential to provide the catalyst for change down 20th Street and become a symbol of rejuvenation for Riversdale.

Yours sincerely,
Victoria Neufeldt,
President

Echoes · #**2342** Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 7:13 AM**

^Wow. I actually agree with Neufeldt on this one. We can't let the Barry meet the same horrible fate as its 'historic' distant cousin... the Northern Paints store on Broadway! Okay, I'm being sarcastic, but seriously, the Barry's gotta stay.

Good show Ms. Neufeldt. Good show.

psych1 · #**2343** Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 4:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonitecture

so i have a tasty rumour...im not sure if anyone else knew this, but i was at the heritage room in the main library, and i heard some men talking about the kg, i asked what they are finishing the facade with, they said that it is beleived to be glass. i personally like glass, but not on the kg, you couldnt tell that it was once a heritage building, and i dont think it would look that nice on 🞵🞵🞵🞵 a small building. most on this site dislike brick, but for this particular building, a nice brick would do the job i would say.

I don't think you are going to be able to tell it is a heritage building, no matter what they finish it in, since it is just a skeleton right now. If they try to make it look historic, it is going to look fake anyway. The developers have a pretty good reputation as far as aesthetics go, so I think is only fair to give them a chance, and not judge based soley on material choice (recognizing that this is just a rumor so far). You can make very ugly buildings with pleasing materials (of course it is very difficult to make pleasing buildings finished in stucco

)

I strongly beleive in community input into design, but only at a very basic level (e.g min or max height, setbacks, street level access etc) and only where the building interacts with the public. When you have bureaucrats dictate details, innovation gets stifled, you end up with design by committee and that is rarely good. The Bay building across the street has quite a modern look and I think something to complement that would balance the two corners well. Just my two cents.

shmakim · #**2344** Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 4:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelpiecowye

i agree the kg doesnt seem like a building that should have glass. Brick would look better. Are you sure they said this and how long ago?

also on the heritage website the top buildings at risk right now are

St. Mary’s School in Pleasant Hill
The Weir
The Barry Hotel in Riversdale
Broadway Avenue
The deanery at St. John’s Anglican cathedral on Spadina Crescent

WHAT?

The Weir? Are they serious? Who actually wants to preserve that? (I guess the Heritage Society, but for what?)

I only wish there were a way for me to help the proposed whitewater park along. I posted a comment on ttwwc.ca asking if there's been any recent progress, but so far no reply. I thought after the two open houses this past fall, they'd take it to city council to request funding for a detailed design study. Anybody know if that's in the works?

swilley · #**2345** Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 7:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by circle33

...I imagine that will be a long wait.

How about a 30 story Brick Tower?

joelpiecowye · #**2346** Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 10:29 PM**

for the design study the city needed $200,000 and this year they only got $36 000. it was in the newspaper a day or so back. they said they are going to start asking for donations for it believe. i forget who said it but in the newspaper it isn't on the main agenda right now they are focused on the bridge.

joelpiecowye · #**2347** Posted **Dec 12, 2007, 5:16 AM**

Ruckus · #**2348** Posted **Dec 12, 2007, 6:41 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelpiecowye

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~c.../sashkatchewan/sask/sasktsanitarium2.jpg
did anyone ever hear of the Provincial Sanitarium before and if so does it still exist?

Wasn't this over in Holiday Park/Gordie Howe area, they tore that down awhile ago (don't know the date).

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelpiecowye

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~c...ada/sashkatchewan/sask/saskfflanagan.jpg
on the flanagan hotel which is now the hotel senator did anyone know if the extra floor ever existed?

Don't know about an extra floor, but the corner turret is quite nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelpiecowye

did they demolish the old city hall?
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~c...ada/sashkatchewan/sask/saskncityhall.jpg

Best guess yep.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelpiecowye

and did they demolish the old board of trade building?
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~c...anada/sashkatchewan/sask/saskfrtrade.jpg

Also yes. That is the location of Midtown Plaza judging by the CPR station in the background. The Board of Trade building once stood where Sears is (judging by the photo and my memory).

The King George was quite nice back in the day, the brick and stone work is beautiful. I remember someone writing in to the SP editor about the gargoyles which adorned the KG's exterior, said they might still exist (probably in someones garage

)

So different without the canopy of trees. Saskatoon is so young.

Great post JP

To comment on the KG's rumored glass exterior, I think it will look nice given the variety of other materials in the immediate area (2nd Ave lofts...they could use a better name). If the brick and stone work was intact (it wasn't IIRC) and restoration work could bring the exterior to an acceptable standard that would have been the preferred option. But nothing wrong with glass, Saskatoon has a critical shortage of glass exteriors

Ruckus · #**2349** Posted **Dec 12, 2007, 6:45 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by swilley

How about a 30 story Brick Tower?

30 story Brick tower??? This I gotta see...

jaysfan99 · #**2350** Posted **Dec 12, 2007, 6:41 PM**

Would probably look much nicer than anything Remai would build.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SASKFTW

30 story Brick tower??? This I gotta see...

Ruckus · #**2351** Posted **Dec 13, 2007, 3:38 AM**

A few days ago the SP gave me a call and informed me that only one of my letters can be published and gave me the option of either one (either support for the Barry Hotel or a call to shift city growth inward). Today's SP featured one of the letters, with a few modifications of course.

Quote:

City wrong to continue building on its periphery
The StarPhoenix
Published: Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Re: Capital budget lays foundation for future woes (SP, Nov. 30).

When it comes to an overall growth strategy, I don't get a sense of what Saskatoon is striving for. The city invests millions of dollars into River Landing and markets the area as an urban oasis but works against creating a compact city by promoting life on the periphery where it is pumping out serviced lots in newly developed neighbourhoods.

Policy documents suggest the city favours an equal balance between core and periphery growth but perhaps it should favour one over the other. It seems the city already favours one type of development over another -- specifically periphery growth over core growth.

I would prefer to see a shift from suburban development to the core, beginning with the 25th Street extension and warehouse district projects, removal of bus barns, the use of a deft hand to improve select properties in core neighbourhoods, finding the political will and financing to build the whitewater park, and solidifying the concept of the "Cultural Crescent."

We need only look to Calgary and Edmonton for a glimpse into our costly future if we continue with this pro-periphery development strategy. Saskatoon would be better positioned for the future if it chose to slow down or skip the outer suburb growth altogether and focus on building up the core and inner suburbs.

Have we fooled ourselves into thinking Saskatoon is on the path to economic and social well-being? Give our city 20 more years of growth and the answer to that question should become obvious.

Source

All in all, an interesting 1st time experience for me. I now have greater appreciation for those taking the effort and time to submit their views on issues of interest. A thank-you to governorgeneral for suggesting submission to the editor

Whether something more comes of this is uncertain, but, at least the SP thought a pro-core perspective was Wednesday worthy

Echoes · #**2352** Posted **Dec 13, 2007, 4:46 AM**

^Well put SASK. It is encouraging to see that the SP considers your opinions to be valid and relevant to Saskatonians

. I hope readers today took notice and maybe we'll be seeing some response in the SP regarding the issue you raise.
Since they were offering you the choice of your two letters I'm assuming they found your letter regarding the Barry to be print-worthy also but they didn't want you hogging the editorial page? Nice work!

joelpiecowye · #**2353** Posted **Dec 13, 2007, 5:17 AM**

great job SASKFTW

i am sure u all saw this but ill post it anyways

Milroy highrise future in limbo
Elderly tenants worried by potential condo conversion
Lori Coolican, The StarPhoenix
Published: Wednesday, December 12, 2007
"When I got that letter it just knocked the props right out from under me," Helen said, adding property developers' concerns seem to carry more weight with the majority of city councillors. She's not convinced council will put a stop to Viking's plans.

"Renters are beginning to be an endangered species," she said. "Surely we shouldn't have to end up in the last hole that's available."

Viking's letter promised "a series of meetings" in late August or early September to answer tenants' questions about the conversion. When no meetings took place, Been wrote a letter to city council in mid-October, asking to be advised of the time and place at which civic officials would meet to decide the issue, and asserting the tenants' right to attend and be heard.

City council received the letter at its Oct. 22 meeting, without discussion. Been received no reply. In late November, he sent a registered letter to city solicitor Theresa Dust, who responded by telling him he should talk to Tim Steuart, a senior planner in the city's development review section.

Been said Steuart recently advised him city council will be asked to make a decision on the Milroy conversion application at the Jan. 14 meeting.

Civic administrators are waiting for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. to release its annual fall report on rental vacancy rates later this week, and will need some time to analyze the information and come up with a recommended course of action for city council, Steuart confirmed in an interview Tuesday.

He would not speculate on what their recommendation might be, but Steuart noted the conversion could proceed even if the apartment vacancy rate is hovering around zero.

The city's bylaw stipulates that council should approve large condo conversions if the vacancy rate is above three per cent, but it does not dictate a course of action if the rate drops below that level -- it only requires council to "consider" the potential impact on the rental market and the hardship for tenants, Steuart said.

The city has approved applications to convert more than 1,000 local apartments into condominiums this year.

Ruckus · #**2354** Posted **Dec 13, 2007, 5:27 AM**

Once all available apartment buildings are converted to condos (cheaper process), we may see a push for new construction (more costly process)

governorgeneral · #**2355** Posted **Dec 13, 2007, 6:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SASKFTW

Today's SP featured one of the letters, with a few modifications of course.

A thank-you to governorgeneral for suggesting submission to the editor

Strong work! Thank /you/ for writing it.

I remember someone saying it takes 1 000 people thinking the same way to generate a Letter to the Editor (and 10 000 to generate a columnist writing out in their space, and 100 000 to generate an editorial) so if there's you and that editorial a while back... that makes 101 000 Saskatooners going pro-core. Good stuff!

circle33 · #**2356** Posted **Dec 13, 2007, 2:39 PM**

Well done, SASKFTW.

joelpiecowye · #**2357** Posted **Dec 13, 2007, 10:44 PM**

Tough to Find an Apartment in Saskatoon

Written by Sharon Vanhouwe - 600 Action News-Local First
Thursday, 13 December 2007
The apartment vacancy rate in Canada's 34 major cities remained unchanged at 2.6 per cent in October compared with the same month last year.

However, Saskatoon's rate, year over year, went from 3 point 2 percent to point 6 with average monthly rents increasing by 76 dollars.

Saskatchewan's vacancy rate is at one point two percent, the lowest average vacancy rate ever recorded in CMHC's survey with Lloydminster recording the highest average rent in the province and the lowest average vacancy rate.

Yorkton had the highest vacancy rate at 2 point 3 percent, still below the national average, and the lowest average rent.

Canada Mortgage and Housing says strong job growth and high immigration continue to cause strong demand for rental housing.

drm310 · #**2358** Posted **Dec 14, 2007, 5:36 AM**

The Provincial Sanitorium was a hospital for tuberculosis patients, opened in 1925 on Avenue K South (in present-day Holiday Park). The last patient was discharged in 1978, after which the building fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1989. Another historic property, Bowerman House, remains on the site. It was built in 1907 as a summer house and hunting lodge, but later became the residence for the sanitorium's superintendent.

The cupola on the Hotel Senator was removed in 1944, just four years after its name change from the Flanagan.

The building identified as City Hall in the photo was first opened in 1904 as King Edward School. The city purchased the building in 1911 and it served as City Hall from 1912 to 1956. It was demolished and replaced by the current City Hall.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelpiecowye

Ruckus · #**2359** Posted **Dec 14, 2007, 5:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelpiecowye

Tough to Find an Apartment in Saskatoon

Written by Sharon Vanhouwe - 600 Action News-Local First
Thursday, 13 December 2007
The apartment vacancy rate in Canada's 34 major cities remained unchanged at 2.6 per cent in October compared with the same month last year.

However, Saskatoon's rate, year over year, went from 3 point 2 percent to point 6 with average monthly rents increasing by 76 dollars.

Saskatchewan's vacancy rate is at one point two percent, the lowest average vacancy rate ever recorded in CMHC's survey with Lloydminster recording the highest average rent in the province and the lowest average vacancy rate.

Yorkton had the highest vacancy rate at 2 point 3 percent, still below the national average, and the lowest average rent.

Canada Mortgage and Housing says strong job growth and high immigration continue to cause strong demand for rental housing.

.06 % vacancy, that's outrageous!

We should definitely expect more proposals for condo's in the downtown, and unfortunately more growth of in suburban neighborhoods....as well, the low vacancy should put greater pressure on the U of S to get the College Quarter project finalized

GMMTC · #**2360** Posted **Dec 14, 2007, 9:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by macca

The SP is reporting that Phase III of Preston Crossing has been approved, with two new tenants to come in 2008. One is a major home reno centre (which the developer won't name at this time), the other is a Chili's. As exciting as more big box is to discuss, my guess on the reno store is Loews.

Also, the Stonegate big box tarmac has an Adidas Outlet, which is a first for the city.

I noticed a new Arron's sign on 22nd which is pretty rare for Canada.

I'm so very excited to hear there is going to be a Chili's in Saskatoon, they're going to take so much of my money. When I lived in California that was my favorite restaurant by far. Says there are only 23 international locations (9 in canada all located in calgary/edmonton). I also checked they're franchise website and Saskatchewan is the only other province to have the franchise rights not available at the moment, so this sounds like a done deal.

Now I have about 50 more pages of information to sift through since I moved back :|