Regina Construction

[CCF]

Welcome to the forum, Moe.

[youngregina]

Was Hamilton St. a one way in the 60s? I can't quite tell in that photo^^^.

[Planner2008]

Originally Posted by Migs

I saw the best sign while driving on Sask Drive earlier today. It said "Kenroc is moving"

Its about time that junkyard posing as a building supplies company moved to an area better suited for their business. The north side of the street of Sask Drive between Elphinstone and Albert St is an embarrasment and I'm hoping this move could be a positive move in rejuvinating this important artery to the downtown. Hopefully the city gets out there and plants tree's like they've never planted tree's before.

I have to agree with you that currently this downtown gateway is an embarassment, but let's have some good planning for a change and decide whether this area will be part of a future downtown freeway or whether this area is better suited to a residential / retail environment.

I hear some of you now, Oh No, he's talking about useless freeways again. Well that's not the case. I have lived in Calgary. I worked at both Chinook and South Centre. I lived in Crossfield, to those of you who don't know, it's about 50 km to the North of downtown Calgary. Calgary is my example of a city that fits our general geography. Being that downtown is actually in the middle of the city, like Edmonton, or Winnipeg, or Minneapolis. All of these cities have a downtown freeway, Memorial Drive is Calgary's. But Memorial isn't the only freeway that merges into downtown Calgary. There's also Bow Trail, McLeod Trail, and minor ateries or roads of Center Street and Edmonton Trail. My point is it may not be needed now, but the space has to be provided. Hopefully Regina starts realizing it...

[JayM]

Originally Posted by Planner2008

I have to agree with you that currently this downtown gateway is an embarassment, but let's have some good planning for a change and decide whether this area will be part of a future downtown freeway or whether this area is better suited to a residential / retail environment.

I hear some of you now, Oh No, he's talking about useless freeways again. Well that's not the case. I have lived in Calgary. I worked at both Chinook and South Centre. I lived in Crossfield, to those of you who don't know, it's about 50 km to the North of downtown Calgary. Calgary is my example of a city that fits our general geography. Being that downtown is actually in the middle of the city, like Edmonton, or Winnipeg, or Minneapolis. All of these cities have a downtown freeway, Memorial Drive is Calgary's. But Memorial isn't the only freeway that merges into downtown Calgary. There's also Bow Trail, McLeod Trail, and minor ateries or roads of Center Street and Edmonton Trail. My point is it may not be needed now, but the space has to be provided. Hopefully Regina starts realizing it...

"Edmonton, or Winnipeg, or Minneapolis. All of these cities have a downtown freeway" are u crazy or something, i dunno what u think a freeway is but winnipeg doesn't have a freeway.

[ceedub1170]

Originally Posted by youngregina

Was Hamilton St. a one way in the 60s? I can't quite tell in that photo^^^.

yes it was.

[CCF]

I was reading some old planning documents from the U of R library several months ago and one of them showed Hamilton Street being converted to something like the F. W. Hill mall.

[someguy]

Originally Posted by Planner2008

I have to agree with you that currently this downtown gateway is an embarassment, but let's have some good planning for a change and decide whether this area will be part of a future downtown freeway or whether this area is better suited to a residential / retail environment.

I hear some of you now, Oh No, he's talking about useless freeways again. Well that's not the case. I have lived in Calgary. I worked at both Chinook and South Centre. I lived in Crossfield, to those of you who don't know, it's about 50 km to the North of downtown Calgary. Calgary is my example of a city that fits our general geography. Being that downtown is actually in the middle of the city, like Edmonton, or Winnipeg, or Minneapolis. All of these cities have a downtown freeway, Memorial Drive is Calgary's. But Memorial isn't the only freeway that merges into downtown Calgary. There's also Bow Trail, McLeod Trail, and minor ateries or roads of Center Street and Edmonton Trail. My point is it may not be needed now, but the space has to be provided. Hopefully Regina starts realizing it...

The City already owns enough land along Sask Drive to allow for a future roadway expansion....my understanding is that it is already in the long term plans. With the Arcola/Saskdrive future widening, it should be pretty easy to get into downtown.

Roadways aren't really what we need. We need better pedestrian and bicycle paths into downtown.

[psych1]

Originally Posted by Planner2008

... I have lived in Calgary. I worked at both Chinook and South Centre. I lived in Crossfield, to those of you who don't know, it's about 50 km to the North of downtown Calgary...

Exactly why freeways should not be built. The problem with freeways is that they encourage long commutes, which encourages people to live in suburbs and bedroom communities, which in turn is undeniably bad for the city and the environment. Why not put that same money into encouraging people to live within distances from work which can be travelled by sustainable transportation? BTW, I'm not meaning to make this personal, but if you lived in Crossfield, you didn't live in Calgary, but you obviously used their infrastructure without paying their taxes and that is why encouraging long commutes is bad for a city.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by Migs

I saw the best sign while driving on Sask Drive earlier today. It said "Kenroc is moving"

Its about time that junkyard posing as a building supplies company moved to an area better suited for their business. The north side of the street of Sask Drive between Elphinstone and Albert St is an embarrasment and I'm hoping this move could be a positive move in rejuvinating this important artery to the downtown. Hopefully the city gets out there and plants tree's like they've never planted tree's before.

Hey at least they are investing in a huge new building in Regina and have kept their head in office in the city.

New in Ross Industrial:



Old on Sask Dr.:

[BrannyMuffin]

Anyone seen the movie Cars? That's kind of how I feel about Regina sometimes.

Originally Posted by Stormer

While I am on old photos, here is a side by side of an early 60s Hamilton St. with ReginaGuy's recent post. Note the Safeway store on teh left.

I love those old neon signs.

[Planner2008]

Originally Posted by JayM

"Edmonton, or Winnipeg, or Minneapolis. All of these cities have a downtown freeway" are u crazy or something, i dunno what u think a freeway is but winnipeg doesn't have a freeway.

Oops slipped up on that one, I was trying to make a point and it got a little confusing but yeah Calgary does as well as Minneapolis, sorry for my 3Am writing confusion, seems to be the only time the site isn't to busy

[Planner2008]

Originally Posted by someguy

The City already owns enough land along Sask Drive to allow for a future roadway expansion....my understanding is that it is already in the long term plans. With the Arcola/Saskdrive future widening, it should be pretty easy to get into downtown.

Roadways aren't really what we need. We need better pedestrian and bicycle paths into downtown.

I have to agree with you there, Victoria puts us to shame for walkability and bikability but if the future plans have set aside space, good, that's all my point was. Somewhere that links Arcola, Vic Ave. Ross Ave. and Sask Dr. Expressway.

[Planner2008]

Originally Posted by psych1

Exactly why freeways should not be built. The problem with freeways is that they encourage long commutes, which encourages people to live in suburbs and bedroom communities, which in turn is undeniably bad for the city and the environment. Why not put that same money into encouraging people to live within distances from work which can be travelled by sustainable transportation? BTW, I'm not meaning to make this personal, but if you lived in Crossfield, you didn't live in Calgary, but you obviously used their infrastructure without paying their taxes and that is why encouraging long commutes is bad for a city.

I both lived in Calgary and Crossfield, and since I owned no property, just helped with rent, there was no taxes to be paid.

[crooked rain]

Sask Drive doesn't need to be turned into a freeway - traffic volume is nowhere heavy enough, but they could block off some of those side streets between Elphinstone and Albert and put a service road along the south side and turn it into a limite access road. Perhaps the could be an intersection to access the service road at Cameron St or something.

If anything, Sask Drive could use a bit of a beautification project worthy of the main enterance from the airport to the city. The Lewvan corner looks good, then it turns into a disaster as you head downtown.

Regina definitely does not need a downtown freeway or downtown bypass. For a city of 200,000 where you can drive anywhere in 20 minutes, there is no need to chop up the urban fabric with a destructive freeway. The inner city has sufferred enough. Besides, downtown freeways are a concept from the 1960s.
Most cities that have them are reluctantly stuck with them - ask Toronto.

[ReginaGuy]

I would love to see the north side of Sask Drive converted to green space with bicycle/walking paths, all the way from Lewvan to the Casino. I agree that the current visual state of Sask Drive is an embarrasment to our city.

[crooked rain]

Agreed. That is an excellent idea.

[yeeg]

Originally Posted by djforsberg

The city really needs to focus on improving our transit system and maintaining the current road network we have, as well as increase our population to over 500,000, before thinking about building any freeways. As much as you love freeways Planner2008, Regina won't be seeing any in the next 50 years (beside a West Ring Road and a new Trans Canada by-pass) as they already have the basic road network plan laid out (I'm sure you've seen it). Freeways encourage travel by vehicle, take up way too much space, look ugly, increase pollution and cost a lot. I wouldn't want to use Winnipeg as any positive example, but because it's the only one I can think of that can best relate, they don't have any freeways in the city and they are more than three times our size. They just aren't needed.

That makes it even cuz with the closed minded thinking that I have been reading on this forum past and present, Regina wont hit 500,000 for 200 years...Obviously, places like twin cities, edmonton, calgary have been doing things all wrong according to most forumers on this thread...Perhaps its time to burn them to the ground....

An offnote...

Like him or hate him, this place needs more MQ's to start thinking outside the box...This isnt a game of SimCity wher eyou can get secret codes to get more money and build that ball park or grass park, its real life...Need to liven up the place a bit...

[Stormer]

Today's LP says this was the biggest building permit of the month:

The largest single permit in March was $14.5 million, which was issued to Dominion Construction for new construction at 6101 Dewdney Ave. The permit is for a new food services building at the RCMP Training Academy, according to Garry Wasyliw, the city's building branch manager.

This is all I couuld find on it:

Scheduled to open in September 2008, the Food Services building, a $17.1 million project, will comfortably meet the demand for up to 3,450 cadet meals required daily. It will allow for a more efficient preparation and serving of meals than the current aging facility that provides approximatley 2,100 cadet meals daily.

Apparently it is designed by Stantec. Does anyone have a rendering?

[Moe]

No downtown freeway is necessary. Especially if New Urbanism principles are adhered to in the development of the city.

Too many Harbour Landings and Power Centres will make downtown redundant, anyways.

[Moe]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2008/04/04/mosaic-upgrade.html

$5.8M upgrade for Mosaic Stadium eyed
Last Updated: Friday, April 4, 2008 | 4:19 PM CT
CBC News

The home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders needs at least $5.8 million worth of work, a City of Regina report says.

The final bill could be even higher, if upgrades to Mosaic Stadium that the team has considered are included.

The report, which will be reviewed by city councillors next week, doesn't provide details about which improvements are needed.

It says the club, the private sector and the provincial and federal governments could pay for elements of the work.

The City of Regina has already committed $2 million for what it calls "basic" work at the city-owned stadium.

Negotiations are planned to determine what the overall design for Mosaic Stadium should look like and how to share the costs. The city owns the stadium. The Roughriders pay rent only when the team makes a profit.

I don't think the stadium needs anymore then regular maintenance and upkeep. I also thought that the dollars from Mosaic were to defray costs, what happened to this money?

When was the last time that the Riders actually paid rent?