Regina Construction

[Chaps]

Originally Posted by Regina Boi

I must admit I have mixed feeling about the Loblaw announcement and the intermodal facility. I am very happy to see the train yards moving from the downtown. However, has anyone stopped to consider the implications of all this? I for one love seeing all the beautiful fields of wheat and canola outside of the city. This is prime farmland that will be destroyed at a time when world food shortages are rapidly rising. We can also expect pollution levels within the city to rise as well. You can't have huge warehouse facilities without huge diesel spewing semi trucks coming and going 24 hours a day. You also have to consider that the majority of the jobs created will not be high paying jobs. The Lablaw facility for example is not being operated by the grocery chain. They've contracted it out to a third party vendor, who can run things cheaper. People are not going to move to the city for a job that pays $10.00-$15.00 per hour. Lastly, this is going to look very ugly, hundreds of acres of land taken up by one-million-square-foot warehouses. Yuck!

For me the old saying "be careful what you wish for" comes to mind. I feel a monster has been created and will soon run out of control.

There will still be wheat and canola surrounding the city...we're in Saskatchewan bud. It's everywhere.

It's good news. Sure if will be crappy if the jobs are all low paying. But it's good news. It's huge investment in our city from a major national corporation that will only spur more investment. This is simply the first step.

[Regina Boi]

Originally Posted by djforsberg

Industrial areas typically have large buildings. That's why these areas are zoned for industrial use. It's also the reason money is being put towards upgrading infrastructure in the area. You can't really "densify" industrial buildings as easily as commercial and residential so would you want to restrict industry which brings hundreds of jobs, no matter how much they pay because of how large it is? Speaking of how much they pay, how about you let the market decide how much is too little. If they don't pay high enough wages, no one will work there.

I wouldn't worry too much about losing farmland. Look to the south, look to the east, look to the north. It's all around us and it will never run out unless all of Asia moves here.

It's a shame to see how many people on this forum have put the blinders on. It appears that people are happy with any kind of development the city gets, and aren't prepared to question anything. If the politicians and corporations say it's a good thing, then I guess it must be.

Why don't we also build a couple toxic waste facilities and a nuclear power plant on the outskirts of the city. Who cares what implications those bring, as long as it brings new buildings and investment.

I'm very happy for everyone who is excited to see Regina turning into another industrial and manufacturing wasteland. We'll leave all the high paying corporate and research & development jobs to the forward thinking city of Saskatoon. If Regina is really lucky, we can also squeeze in a couple more dollar stores and tattoo parlors. I can't wait!!!!

[Regina Boi]

Originally Posted by urbanregina

I don´t find this very good news. Small businesses downtown are being forced to either relocate or close down so they can tear down existing viable retail space to build a new office tower when there is so much space very close which is only occupied by surface parking. This isn´t good development.

I would also agree with this urbanregina. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication for a small business owner to build up their business. The Comic Store and F.W Barber are both prime examples of the kind of businesses downtown Regina needs. Chances are they will not be able to find appropriate space downtown once they are evicted. What message does this send to other entrepreneurs who are considering opening a business in the dontown? I would certainly be thinking twice about it.

It's great news that there is demand for class A office space, but why don't we fill up some of these parking lots, instead of forcing small business to close or re-locate. It doesn't make sense to tear down perfectly good usable buildings.

[saskdave]

Originally Posted by urbanregina

I don´t find this very good news. Small businesses downtown are being forced to either relocate or close down so they can tear down existing viable retail space to build a new office tower when there is so much space very close which is only occupied by surface parking. This isn´t good development.

I work downtown and there has been constant changeover of most of the small busineses in that location over the past 5 years. And the comic book store is cool looking but I never see anyone in it!!

As well those businesses complain about the lack of pedestrian traffic on Hamilton so the location is not great for a small retail business.

Parking is already at a premium in downtown Regina so any new development that does not take any existing parking (and hopefully adds to it) is a good thing.

[saskdave]

Originally Posted by Regina Boi

I must admit I have mixed feeling about the Loblaw announcement and the intermodal facility. I am very happy to see the train yards moving from the downtown. However, has anyone stopped to consider the implications of all this? I for one love seeing all the beautiful fields of wheat and canola outside of the city. This is prime farmland that will be destroyed at a time when world food shortages are rapidly rising. We can also expect pollution levels within the city to rise as well. You can't have huge warehouse facilities without huge diesel spewing semi trucks coming and going 24 hours a day. You also have to consider that the majority of the jobs created will not be high paying jobs. The Lablaw facility for example is not being operated by the grocery chain. They've contracted it out to a third party vendor, who can run things cheaper. People are not going to move to the city for a job that pays $10.00-$15.00 per hour. Lastly, this is going to look very ugly, hundreds of acres of land taken up by one-million-square-foot warehouses. Yuck!

For me the old saying "be careful what you wish for" comes to mind. I feel a monster has been created and will soon run out of control.

I hear what your saying but keep a few things in mind:

-most of that canola is likely being grown for fuel and not food
-the attraction of locating the warehouses near the rail-line is to decrease truck usage and to save the firm's on fuel costs
-they need to go somewhere so why not here so the jobs, taxes, etc are here and besides the neighbours in that area include the sewage treatment plant and other industrial facilities
-not everyone can make $40 an hour due to education levels, etc. To attract people to our city we need jobs at all levels...you will be surprised at how many people would move to another city for $15 per hour

Like any development it will need controls and thinking through but overall it is a big win for Regina.....

[CCF]

Originally Posted by Regina Boi

I'm very happy for everyone who is excited to see Regina turning into another industrial and manufacturing wasteland. We'll leave all the high paying corporate and research & development jobs to the forward thinking city of Saskatoon.

Two new buildings going up at Research Park, as well as a third likely to come on with the Canadian Police Research Centre. Wouldn't worry about it too much.

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by Regina Boi

It's a shame to see how many people on this forum have put the blinders on. It appears that people are happy with any kind of development the city gets, and aren't prepared to question anything. If the politicians and corporations say it's a good thing, then I guess it must be.

Why don't we also build a couple toxic waste facilities and a nuclear power plant on the outskirts of the city. Who cares what implications those bring, as long as it brings new buildings and investment.

I'm very happy for everyone who is excited to see Regina turning into another industrial and manufacturing wasteland. We'll leave all the high paying corporate and research & development jobs to the forward thinking city of Saskatoon. If Regina is really lucky, we can also squeeze in a couple more dollar stores and tattoo parlors. I can't wait!!!!

Hey now, there is nothing wrong with industrial and manufacturing jobs, especially in Saskatchewan, we need to grow some diversity in our economy, and Regina especially needs to grow some diversity and jobs.

Regina is in a great position, lots of good paying crown corporations (imagine what could happen to the Regina economy if they were privatized), developing U of R petroleum research centre, and the the CP IMF.

Ideally, our cities would have a mix of high paying white collar and moderate paying blue collar jobs, although that ideal mix does not always happen for various reasons.

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by Regina Boi

It's a shame to see how many people on this forum have put the blinders on. It appears that people are happy with any kind of development the city gets, and aren't prepared to question anything. If the politicians and corporations say it's a good thing, then I guess it must be.

Why don't we also build a couple toxic waste facilities and a nuclear power plant on the outskirts of the city. Who cares what implications those bring, as long as it brings new buildings and investment.

I'm very happy for everyone who is excited to see Regina turning into another industrial and manufacturing wasteland. We'll leave all the high paying corporate and research & development jobs to the forward thinking city of Saskatoon. If Regina is really lucky, we can also squeeze in a couple more dollar stores and tattoo parlors. I can't wait!!!!

What the heck did you think would develop from the IMF? Major warehouses are always large in order to make the investment worth it. People aren't coming to Regina to gawk at the Co-op Refinery or Ipsco, and those are definitely huge industrial developments. If we don't get this kind of development where do you think it will go? Superstore wants to have it close to a larger metro centre because this is what is most useful for them, and think of the tax benefits the city can get out of this development too. Money that can be spent on improving the downtown.

Yes not all devopment is wonderful tall urban buildings, but industrial development is necessary. I know it's not the best way to prove the point, but think about the good old game SIM city for SNES. You need to build industrial zones along with the commercial and residential for your city to grow properly.

This facility will enable Loblaws (a Canadian company) to compete better with other grocery/goods stores that have expanded into Canada from other nations, and I'm happy for that.

IMO this warehouse/distribution centre is a perfect beginning to the IMF. It shows that there is demand for the space, and such a high profile start bodes well from a marketing standpoint for getting other development in the area, thereby possibly necessitating the expansion of the airport, and maybe improvements to flight scheduling, which would definitely benefit Regina from a tourism and business standpoint.

Yes, there are some drawbacks to having industrial development (there always is), but it is also very necessary to have it. And as Saskftw pointed out, it will add some diversity to our economy, and a more diversified economy=a stronger economy.

[urbanregina]

Originally Posted by Regina Boi

I would also agree with this urbanregina. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication for a small business owner to build up their business. The Comic Store and F.W Barber are both prime examples of the kind of businesses downtown Regina needs. Chances are they will not be able to find appropriate space downtown once they are evicted. What message does this send to other entrepreneurs who are considering opening a business in the dontown? I would certainly be thinking twice about it.

It's great news that there is demand for class A office space, but why don't we fill up some of these parking lots, instead of forcing small business to close or re-locate. It doesn't make sense to tear down perfectly good usable buildings.

The answer is that one block is too far away to put in a pedway and we all know that pedways are in keeping with the priciples of the downtown action play.

[urbanregina]

Originally Posted by saskdave

I work downtown and there has been constant changeover of most of the small busineses in that location over the past 5 years. And the comic book store is cool looking but I never see anyone in it!!

Funny it seems like there are usually customers there when I´m around.

Originally Posted by saskdave

As well those businesses complain about the lack of pedestrian traffic on Hamilton so the location is not great for a small retail business.

Parking is already at a premium in downtown Regina so any new development that does not take any existing parking (and hopefully adds to it) is a good thing.

There is plenty of parking in the area, you just have to walk a little bit to get to it. Of course alot of drivers in Regina are adverse walking a couple of blocks to get to their cars.

[urbanregina]

Originally Posted by A4Regina

That location is a prime spot for a new tallest! It's beside the twin's and its also in the heart of downtown!! im excited, anyone got renderings?

Albert street, Victoria avenue, and Rose street are all good locations for a new building. There are many open lots in these areas that either have nothing on them or just surface parking and they won´t be displacing viable small businesses to spots with poor foot traffic.

I also think that the downtown skyline would look better with a new building a little further away from the twin towers, TD building etc.

Originally Posted by A4Regina

And yes, it is pretty bad that those local buisnesses are forced to move. Lets hope the tower will have some ground level retail to substitute for the loss of the former stores. Also, I hope those stores are relocating in and around downtown.

Chances aren´t so good. There aren´t many spots downtown as good as that area of Hamilton st.

[crooked rain]

Perhaps the small shops can move to that under-utilized area on 11th Ave W where Tokyo 7 and Soul Food used to be. That is an area with potential if something could stick there.

[urbanregina]

Originally Posted by crooked rain

Perhaps the small shops can move to that under-utilized area on 11th Ave W where Tokyo 7 and Soul Food used to be. That is an area with potential if something could stick there.

I don´t think there is enough foot traffic there now that the theatre is gone. If something like a new office tower was built on the corner of Albert & 11th maybe we would see a pick up in business along that stretch.

[CCF]

Well if there's a demand for more retail spaces then perhaps a developer will meet said demand. Ideally it would be nice if this new tower were to locate on a vacant lot, such as Rose, but Harvard doesn't own that property. Assuming this building is done right, retail will grace the bottom floor, bringing in new tenants to downtown. The existing tenants will no doubt find additional space elsewhere downtown.

[crooked rain]

@urbanregina

True and I doubt the seniors in that ugly yellow and red tower contribute much to a funky neighbourhood vibe. It would be nice to see that theatre site redeveloped - it looks pretty hideous right now.

[urbanregina]

Originally Posted by CCF

Well if there's a demand for more retail spaces then perhaps a developer will meet said demand. Ideally it would be nice if this new tower were to locate on a vacant lot, such as Rose, but Harvard doesn't own that property. Assuming this building is done right, retail will grace the bottom floor, bringing in new tenants to downtown. The existing tenants will no doubt find additional space elsewhere downtown.

I´m pretty sure the only reason Harvard owns that property on Hamilton and not property on Rose is so they can build right next to their existing properties and connect them by pedway. If they wanted to build on Rose I´m sure little would stand in their way. I just believe this project could be very disruptive to not just the businesses forced to move, but also other businesses in the area which depend on foot traffic which will be disrupted by the construction. I don´t think this is the right time to allow construction where there are existing buildings instead of vacant sites or sights that are surface parking.

[urbanregina]

Originally Posted by crooked rain

@urbanregina

True and I doubt the seniors in that ugly yellow and red tower contribute much to a funky neighbourhood vibe. It would be nice to see that theatre site redeveloped - it looks pretty hideous right now.

Seniors actually live there? I´ve never spotted one. Seriously, I have seen so little activity around that building that it sometimes feels like that building isn´t occupied.

[CCF]

Originally Posted by urbanregina

I´m pretty sure the only reason Harvard owns that property on Hamilton and not property on Rose is so they can build right next to their existing properties and connect them by pedway. If they wanted to build on Rose I´m sure little would stand in their way. I just believe this project could be very disruptive to not just the businesses forced to move, but also other businesses in the area which depend on foot traffic which will be disrupted by the construction. I don´t think this is the right time to allow construction where there are existing buildings instead of vacant sites or sights that are surface parking.

Another developer owns the Rose property, I can't see any incentive for said developer to sell to Harvard. Harvard is doing what makes the most sense for their company, hard to argue with that.

Again, I agree it's quite unfortunate that these small businesses are being forced to move, but I'm sure they will be able to find additional space elsewhere in the downtown. Think of the vacant retail along 11th Avenue in the Rose Street parkade or the empty retail on Hamilton Street near the Delta hotel. All of these businesses cater to the downtown crowd and setting up shop elsewhere in the city doesn't make much sense business wise.

A new tower that will bring hundreds of new employees to the downtown can't be considered a negative, considering the spinoff businesses it will create. The existing businesses are very suburban in that they are one story, single use buildings. If we can add to the downtown with new office tenants and new retail on the main floor, while at the same time retaining the existing retail being displaced we are much better off.

[urbanregina]

Regarding the new building on Hamilton. In some ways I think that if it is approved it will send the wrong message to developers, that it is alright to tear down what little we have left of our downtown instead of building in the many places where we are lacking.

[CCF]

Originally Posted by urbanregina

Regarding the new building on Hamilton. In some ways I think that if it is approved it will send the wrong message to developers, that it is alright to tear down what little we have left of our downtown instead of building in the many places where we are lacking.

There's nothing significant about any of the buildings being proposed for demolition, there is no heritage or architectural value. I suspect this as well as the other additions to Hamilton Street will bring back the vibrancy the street once had.