Edmonton Construction 12 (December 2013)

[Coldrsx]

Temporarily until a new HQ is done?

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by CanadianCentaur

Didn't Shaw relocate its HQ to Calgary in the mid-1990s because the city council at the time didn't give two shits about keeping it in Edmonton, as well as the airport debate (I still remember damn well what the CEO of Shaw said: "Get one airport.")?

Yeah. But not the only reason, though it was the one Shaw talked mostly about publicly.

Wasn't a big move though 35 headquarters personnel were transferred according to articles at the time. Of course, Calgary then became a centre for Starchoice when they added a western office as the HQ, and a huge call centre for Shaw. Those jobs are pretty fungible though, and are being transferred away now.

Why is Shaw moving its head office to Calgary?

``One reason is the airport issue,'' says president James R. Shaw.

``When we go to Victoria, Cranbrook, Castlegar, Winnipeg etc., we go through Calgary.''

Even to cities with non-stop flights from Edmonton, ``there are more flights from Calgary,'' Shaw says.

Any parting advice?

``The recommendation to Edmonton is: Get one airport,'' Shaw says.

Shaw says the board voted unanimously in December to move south. Twenty-five reasons for the move were considered, one of them being proximity to what is now the company's largest market. He didn't want to reveal the other reasons, but hinted strongly at a greater freedom for companies like his to do business in Calgary.

``We have a freer hand to move in Calgary, more freedom to do what we want.''

They bought a downtown tower at an extremely attractive price:

* Price: $28.8 million

* Size: 12 storeys, 288,000 square feet

[Black Star]

Jan Reimer and how she ran city council had a direct affect on how the business community felt about her and her business knowledge and savy.

Notoriously, alderman Sheila McKay dumped a pitcher of water over the head of alderman Brian Mason during one heated dispute. McKay later blamed her actions in part on Reimer's failure to censure Mason for telling her to "shut up". Faced with a divided and at times hostile city council, Reimer attempted to advance much of her agenda in the council's Executive Committee, but was criticized for this by alderman and former ally Patricia MacKenzie, who alleged that Reimer was attempting to disempower council and the city.

[Daveography]

Originally Posted by 240glt

I've heard EPS admin staff may be headed to Chancery

Called it!

Originally Posted by Daveography

I'm thinking Chancery Hall after the city moves its offices out. Maybe give it a refurb first.

[EdmTrekker]

Good grief - EPS return next to where they were before the Winspear. I hope not. I would like to see them in a larger new building downtown and Chancery turned over for public cultural use.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Originally Posted by s13

^ would be nice if it was someone from out of town! But that's high hopes i'm sure...

Likewise. It's kinda sad that we have to rely on lateral downtown movement to fill office towers instead of movement from the suburbs and from other cities.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

No timetable for installation of Edmonton’s electronic parking meters
http://metronews.ca/news/edmonton/144630...-of-edmontons-electronic-parking-meters/

Coin-operated parking meters will stay for at least a little while longer on Edmonton’s streets as the city continues to work out contracts to introduce electronic parking machines.

The machines were supposed to be rolled out starting in June, but Bohdan Maslo, who’s overseeing the project, said the city is still working out details on two contracts and doesn’t know exactly when they’ll arrive.

The city has to work out two deals; one is with the City of Calgary, which is providing the software for the program and the other with an as-yet unnamed supplier of the physical machines.

Maslo said while the contract details are being resolved the city is working on the installation plans for the machines, figuring out exactly where they should go.

“We’ve marked about 300 of the roughly 400 on street locations and we have also engaged the different business revitalization zones.”

He said once they begin, the installation will take about three months to complete and will start with Old Strathcona, downtown and the 124 Street area.

FYI they are already setup north and east of the Law Courts.

[Coldrsx]

As well as west of City Hall.

[Daveography]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

Likewise. It's kinda sad that we have to rely on lateral downtown movement to fill office towers instead of movement from the suburbs and from other cities.

Moving a head office is hard, it's not something that happens terribly regularly or frequently. Attracting one is even harder.

Efforts are much better spent and with better returns helping the businesses we have today to remain here and to grow, and continue to foster a culture where this city is attractive for starting up new companies and attracting investment into their futures.

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by EdmTrekker

Good grief - EPS return next to where they were before the Winspear. I hope not. I would like to see them in a larger new building downtown and Chancery turned over for public cultural use.

Something like Kahanoff Centre in Calgary? Office space for non-profits at a preferential rate?

Is the 108,033 square feet in Chancery big enough for EPS anyways?

[kcantor]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

Likewise. It's kinda sad that we have to rely on lateral downtown movement to fill office towers instead of movement from the suburbs and from other cities.

when a tenant drastically upgrades the quality of space they occupy, that's not lateral downtown movement.

and it's the space they vacate that is likely to be a more attractive alternative for some of those tenants from the suburbs.

as for tenants from other cities, they're not substantive enough in numbers to make a market and are more likely to move in by takeover than by setting up from scratch.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

lateral downtown movement = downtown location moving to another downtown location, full stop. don't care if its an upgrade or a consolidation or whatnot

[Daveography]

K-R West Crane getting a jump as we speak:

[CMD UW]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

lateral downtown movement = downtown location moving to another downtown location, full stop. don't care if its an upgrade or a consolidation or whatnot

Like it or not but lateral movements are important to maintaining the health and stability of the office market. Its even better when that existing space is upgraded from its current condition.

[240glt]

One of the buildings that could potentially be vacated really is well past its prime as a commercial office property. I could see that building being re-purposed for another use.

And bear in mind the RFP is for 50-500k so there are a number of ways things could go

[EdmTrekker]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

Something like Kahanoff Centre in Calgary? Office space for non-profits at a preferential rate?

Is the 108,033 square feet in Chancery big enough for EPS anyways?

It is much smaller than the current one or for the old one for that matter. And ZERO parking unless they are going to use the underground of Churchill which means lost revenue for the City as its always full now. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot...oh wait its EPS and there was an incident like that a while back.

[240glt]

Lets be clear here.. EPS is not going to be building a new HQ any time soon. The existing building has all the facilities that front line EPS members and management need. The matter is that the number of admin staff and bureaucrats has multiplied, and have run out of room. If they do move to the Chancery they still have ample parking at the station, and I suspect eventually they'll look at an admin. Building on the huge surface lot behind the current building

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Originally Posted by CMD UW

Like it or not but lateral movements are important to maintaining the health and stability of the office market. Its even better when that existing space is upgraded from its current condition.

shouldn't be content with just that, is my point

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

shouldn't be content with just that, is my point

Um, what? As I said, I'm not a fan of the poaching game. You get the exploitative employers by that means and that is worse for the community (the city.) Foster the companies that will grow in Edmonton and you will have quality employers. A company grows in Edmonton? Awesome! That's better news than some company poached from somewhere else.

[kcantor]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

lateral downtown movement = downtown location moving to another downtown location, full stop. don't care if its an upgrade or a consolidation or whatnot

well you should care because they're not the same thing.

a tenant upgrading and leaving "b" space for "a" space leaves "b" space for backfilling at rents that may be more attractive for suburban tenants that may not be able to justify "a" rents downtown but might still find downtown attractive.