The Sky [845 Carling Ave] | 73/155/191m | 18/45/55f | Approved

[Postmaster]

I imagine it would be hard to sell all those units. Then again, if they make something that looks that outstanding, people might flock to the area.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Fatty McButterpants

If you believe for one second that a 55 storey building will ever EVER be built in this city then you've been partying too much with the mayor of Toronto. I wish it weren't true. Sorry.

5 years ago, I would have said the same, but with the City approving 3 new tallest (2 Bayview towers and Icon), including a 45 storey building, I'm optimistic about the approval. The construction though, I'm not sure.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Fatty McButterpants

If you believe for one second that a 55 storey building will ever EVER be built in this city then you've been partying too much with the mayor of Toronto. I wish it weren't true. Sorry.

A 55 story building WILL be built.. And an 80 story one.. And probably much higher than that. The question is when. I could see this building in 10 years if the market heats up again.

[gjhall]

Given the number of unbuilt tall building approvals, most of which have been to large, traditional builders, when the condo market rebounds, it is going to be INSANE.

[Harley613]

I find it comical that a little over a year ago there was an UPROAR when Soho Italia was shooting for 36 stories. Now it's not even being discussed, and at some point it will be hardly noticeable on the Dow's Lake skyline.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Harley613

I find it comical that a little over a year ago there was an UPROAR when Soho Italia was shooting for 36 stories. Now it's not even being discussed, and at some point it will be hardly noticeable on the Dow's Lake skyline.

Yup, it's just too bad it all came right before the Ottawa economy came to a halt.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Yup, it's just too bad it all came right before the Ottawa economy came to a halt.

Saying that Ottawa's economy came to a halt is like saying an F1 car stops around the corners. Relatively speaking our economy is great on either the Canadian or World scale, we're just experiencing a little government shrinkage and a cooling off housing market. I'm confident it will bounce back in a few years.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Saying that Ottawa's economy came to a halt is like saying an F1 car stops around the corners. Relatively speaking our economy is great on either the Canadian or World scale, we're just experiencing a little government shrinkage and a cooling off housing market. I'm confident it will bounce back in a few years.

Maybe saying the economy is coming to a halt is a little extreme, but the city's growth will slow way down for the next couple of years until (if) we get a government that cares about its capital.

[Cre47]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Yup, it's just too bad it all came right before the Ottawa economy came to a halt.

Don't worry come 2015 it will improve

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Cre47

Don't worry come 2015 it will improve

Or just as likely get a lot worse.

[cr872190]

I REALLY dont think we can do any worse than Harper's conservative government no matter which way we go. Worse case scenario we get Harper and his stable of sheep for another 4 years.

[JackBauer24]

I like your analogy, it's hard to see the forest for the trees sometimes when you live in an economic bubble like Ottawa. Our bad times are other city's good times.

The government cut backs and the fear mongering that the media loves to publish are the biggest reasons for the slowing local economy - but all in all, Ottawa is very stable and healthy. Once the Baby Boomers leave the work place (the gov't cut backs scared them into working for 3-5 years longer than anticipated), and the younger generation takes their place, the economic engine of Ottawa will churn again.

Originally Posted by Harley613

Saying that Ottawa's economy came to a halt is like saying an F1 car stops around the corners. Relatively speaking our economy is great on either the Canadian or World scale, we're just experiencing a little government shrinkage and a cooling off housing market. I'm confident it will bounce back in a few years.

[S-Man]

The government cut backs and the fear mongering that the media loves to publish are the biggest reasons for the slowing local economy - but all in all, Ottawa is very stable and healthy. Once the Baby Boomers leave the work place (the gov't cut backs scared them into working for 3-5 years longer than anticipated), and the younger generation takes their place, the economic engine of Ottawa will churn again.

Perspective is everything, and taking a longer view of things is a good idea.

I've heard seemingly rational adults argue that things are 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 in Ottawa because - and I'm not kidding - "Harper cut 30% of the jobs in Ottawa", which is nowhere near any kind of truth. And, as if it needs to be pointed out, not all Ottawa jobs are federal public sector jobs! (shocker...to some).

I also had a close friend tell me he would be voting for Trudeau, because his charisma will turn around the economy...plus weed will be legal. Go nuts, I said, but I added that I highly doubted Ottawa would somehow be transformed into a weed and charisma-based super-economy! (Plus, it would be hard to picture what that would actually look like).


Voting for some other guy because you don't like the state of your personal fortunes isn't likely to yield an overnight land of milk and honey for the city or for you personally, unless that person has promised you a high-paying job (and you have it in writing!). As far as I've heard, Trudeau hasn't made the doubling of the civil service and increased federal spending a campaign priority.

Of course, that could all change - new governments often increase spending/personnel in the early years, then try to reign it back in in later years. That said, is adding another 3, 4, 5 - 10% to the civil service nationwide actually that huge an economic boon to Ottawa specifically?

The high-tech bust shed a lot of high-paying jobs from Ottawa at the beginning of the millenium, but was the city a smoking shell in its wake? Or did we just forget, as it wasn't in headlines?

Cities go through up and down phases, but even Ottawa this past year (or in the mid-90s, or late-70s) bears no resemblance to, say, Detroit, Cleveland or Pittsburgh, where the economies were decimated. That said, the latter of those two cities are actually rebounding against all odds.

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by JackBauer24

Once the Baby Boomers leave the work place (the gov't cut backs scared them into working for 3-5 years longer than anticipated), and the younger generation takes their place, the economic engine of Ottawa will churn again.

The stock market meltdown of 2006 has more to do with boomers putting off retirement. Many of them saw their life savings evaporate by almost one third to half, forcing them to work a few more years. Coincidentally, the poor returns on the stock market since the turn of the millennium is also partly to blame for rising real estate, because that's where most people have been putting their money in. When investment returns on stocks start picking up (and the market shows signs of gaining steam), real estate will start to flatten out. At the height of the dot-com boom in the 1990s, the increase in property values was actually quite modest because money was tied up in stocks.

[JackBauer24]

I agree with most of what you said, save for the real estate market flattening out once the stock market picks up. Stocks aren't essential or imperative to living, but putting a roof over your head is.

The stock market is primarily driven by investors, whereas the housing market is driven by investors, home owners and builders. As cities grow (aka population grows) more houses are needed and since you can't build more land, demand will drive the price up.

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

The stock market meltdown of 2006 has more to do with boomers putting off retirement. Many of them saw their life savings evaporate by almost one third to half, forcing them to work a few more years. Coincidentally, the poor returns on the stock market since the turn of the millennium is also partly to blame for rising real estate, because that's where most people have been putting their money in. When investment returns on stocks start picking up (and the market shows signs of gaining steam), real estate will start to flatten out. At the height of the dot-com boom in the 1990s, the increase in property values was actually quite modest because money was tied up in stocks.

[JackBauer24]

I work in the private sector, so my perspective is a little different than many of my friends who work in the gov't (or different than most of Ottawa, since over 65% work for the Feds or city gov't). As you stated, the job losses that many workers quote aren't close to the truth and even worse the severance package they are/were offered was no where near the type of severance package you would be given in the private sector (in some cases, gov't employees who were given notice their job was going to be terminated were told that they would have 12 months for the gov't to place them in a similar position in another department, and if at that point they couldn't find a new position, they would terminate their employment - so many people had over a year to find new employment). But when you join a "company" like the GofC that seldom sees heavy job cuts and whose employees are attracted to the job due to its security and stability, any news or changes that rocks the boat will cause them to be ultra conservative with their spending and money (which is a big reason why the Ottawa economy slowed).
Contrarily, in a city like Toronto, where you have a much bigger private sector and many more entrepreneurial thinking people, the fear of potential job losses won't have nearly the same affect.

Originally Posted by S-Man

Perspective is everything, and taking a longer view of things is a good idea.

I've heard seemingly rational adults argue that things are 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 in Ottawa because - and I'm not kidding - "Harper cut 30% of the jobs in Ottawa", which is nowhere near any kind of truth. And, as if it needs to be pointed out, not all Ottawa jobs are federal public sector jobs! (shocker...to some).

I also had a close friend tell me he would be voting for Trudeau, because his charisma will turn around the economy...plus weed will be legal. Go nuts, I said, but I added that I highly doubted Ottawa would somehow be transformed into a weed and charisma-based super-economy! (Plus, it would be hard to picture what that would actually look like).


Voting for some other guy because you don't like the state of your personal fortunes isn't likely to yield an overnight land of milk and honey for the city or for you personally, unless that person has promised you a high-paying job (and you have it in writing!). As far as I've heard, Trudeau hasn't made the doubling of the civil service and increased federal spending a campaign priority.

Of course, that could all change - new governments often increase spending/personnel in the early years, then try to reign it back in in later years. That said, is adding another 3, 4, 5 - 10% to the civil service nationwide actually that huge an economic boon to Ottawa specifically?

The high-tech bust shed a lot of high-paying jobs from Ottawa at the beginning of the millenium, but was the city a smoking shell in its wake? Or did we just forget, as it wasn't in headlines?

Cities go through up and down phases, but even Ottawa this past year (or in the mid-90s, or late-70s) bears no resemblance to, say, Detroit, Cleveland or Pittsburgh, where the economies were decimated. That said, the latter of those two cities are actually rebounding against all odds.

[JackBauer24]

Really? You think we couldn't do worse? Talk to an American, my friend.

Can things be better? Of course. But they could be a hell of a lot worse.

Originally Posted by cr872190

I REALLY dont think we can do any worse than Harper's conservative government no matter which way we go. Worse case scenario we get Harper and his stable of sheep for another 4 years.

[Urbanarchit]

I took this photo from the Albert Street viaduct of Dow-Preston's skyline. I hope someday soon this will be full of beautiful, tall buildings that will make us proud. (Although most of the highrises are proposed for just out of frame on the right).


Dow-Preston Skyline by Shel DeF on Flickr

[waterloowarrior]

Kitchissippi pointed out that they are no longer using the Vibe name on the architect's site. Renamed thread back to Dow Honda redevelopment.
http://www.gc-architects.com/highrise/carlingpreston.html#sthash.gz8UqaxX.dpbs

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Kitchissippi pointed out that they are no longer using the Vibe name on the architect's site. Renamed thread back to Dow Honda redevelopment.
http://www.gc-architects.com/highrise/carlingpreston.html#sthash.gz8UqaxX.dpbs

Good, because that was not a good name...