We seem to have almost opposite views, ha! But I bet we'd agree most of the time in context. It's not as though you want to turn Gower Street in Kenmount Road.
I worry about allowing too much modernity. We have a beautiful, old city - comparable to European cities like Oslo - and we have to preserve it as best we can. Otherwise we'll just be another coastal city like some of our Maritime neighbours.
And modern buildings don't age well. The heritage structures seem more beautiful now than when they were built, but even some of the relatively recent modern additions like the Cabot Place Complex and Atlantic Place are already ugly and out of place. I think, objectively, they detract from St. John's, not add to it.
Small projects that respect the traditional style - like the Bluedrop Building - will always be better than the TD Building, the old Fortis Building, etc. Bluedrop fits in, TD and the old Fortis, again, detract. They stick out like eyesores.
So I'm willing to accept modern buildings, like Bluedrop, like Star of the Sea, as long as they fit in with the overall atmosphere of the old town core and don't create a feeling of "Well, these could be anywhere in the Maritimes" - like TD, the old Fortis, Atlantic Place, etc.
And I'm willing to compromise. I even think it'd be wise for the city to buy out commercial property owners in most of the old town core, say from George at Water to Military at King's Bridge. The city could rent these properties out and use the profits to keep up the buildings and we wouldn't have to worry about developers forcing the city's hand.
But, even so... the old town area is so small. It's really not asking a lot for developers to respect it and just keep their modern proposals elsewhere. They only have a to move a few blocks west and, as Deacon has shown, there's very little opposition.
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I wish I liked taking pictures as much as you do haha
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