Edmonton Construction 12 (December 2013) - Page 480

Kevin_foster · #**9581** Posted **Sep 24, 2015, 6:48 PM**

Heres a janky idea of what KR might look like height wise. I stole the image ColdRsx posted a few pages back.

I can't remember if there will be additional mech/etc. floors on top. Anyways, surprisingly fills in the gap !

Coldrsx · #**9582** Posted **Sep 24, 2015, 6:55 PM**

Gap filler!

Hallsy's Toupee · #**9583** Posted **Sep 24, 2015, 7:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcantor

the streets won't be any more alive if there's no-one in those buildings...

building buildings isn't really like building a baseball diamond in field of dreams.

Good example - that new retail strip on Whyte Ave between 105 - 106 St where Bubbles used to be. Most of it has been sitting empty for a while.

Coldrsx · #**9584** Posted **Sep 24, 2015, 7:06 PM**

Crap retail space on a good Ave.

s211 · #**9585** Posted **Sep 24, 2015, 7:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenSPACE

We need like 20 midrise buildings with retail in Edmonton built pronto. Then the streets will be alive.

Sigh... what you need is sufficient retail to support the populace, whatever level that populace is at. Not every building MUST be mixed-use. I'm getting tired of the wildly popular dismissal of supply = demand in planning circles. ULI recently had a great article on just this point recently. Every day, it should be read out loud to every planning department on the planet.

kcantor · #**9586** Posted **Sep 24, 2015, 8:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikemike

Quote:
Originally Posted by kcantor

the streets won't be any more alive if there's no-one in those buildings...

building buildings isn't really like building a baseball diamond in field of dreams.

Other than his location in the cornfield, it is a lot like the movie.

Note that Kevin Costner never charged for the use of the field or made back any of his costs. Do that in the city and they'll come all right.

well once those buildings are built and no monies are received for rent or to pay back any of the construction or operating costs, the only ones that will come will be the bankers and their foreclosure lawyers and the city for their back taxes and the utility companies for their outstanding billings...

and something in the back of my mind tells me that will turn out more like water world than field of dreams.

GreenSPACE · #**9587** Posted **Sep 24, 2015, 10:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcantor

the streets won't be any more alive if there's no-one in those buildings...

building buildings isn't really like building a baseball diamond in field of dreams.

Why would the buildings be empty? We have more than enough demand, it's just being encouraged in the wrong places. Calgary understands, we don't. Stats show we have done nothing to encourage more infill growth vs. suburban in the last 15 years. It's all talk at this point.

20 new midrise buildings would indeed make our streets and neighbourhoods more vibrant, sustainable long term.

s211 · #**9588** Posted **Sep 24, 2015, 11:28 PM**

It must be nice working in a non-market mindset.

With luck, I was able to find that ULI article:

http://urbanland.uli.org/economy-markets-trends/big-city-dreaming-mixed-results-mixed-use/

If ULI, an organization that extolls mixed-use with all the zeal of an evangelist, can still understand that there are real world limits to what is supportable, then I'd be listening.

Black Star · #**9589** Posted **Sep 25, 2015, 12:21 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin_foster

Heres a janky idea of what KR might look like height wise. I stole the image ColdRsx posted a few pages back.

I can't remember if there will be additional mech/etc. floors on top. Anyways, surprisingly fills in the gap !

I count 30 floors from this mock up. Based on the glass being on the 13th floor now. Last I heard it was gonna be 25 plus mechanical.

Makenosmallplans · #**9590** Posted **Sep 25, 2015, 12:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s211

It must be nice working in a non-market mindset.

With luck, I was able to find that ULI article:

http://urbanland.uli.org/economy-markets-trends/big-city-dreaming-mixed-results-mixed-use/

If ULI, an organization that extolls mixed-use with all the zeal of an evangelist, can still understand that there are real world limits to what is supportable, then I'd be listening.

great article. thanks for posting. i think strikes some familiar themes - beware of too much emphasis on city planning and everything in moderation. too often we jump on a bandwagon as a silver bullet. mixed use has a lot applicability in many cases but not all. i think things have to happen a bit more organically. downside is that requires a lot of patience - and some nose holding.

Daveography · #**9591** Posted **Sep 25, 2015, 1:36 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Star

I count 30 floors from this mock up. Based on the glass being on the 13th floor now. Last I heard it was gonna be 25 plus mechanical.

You're right, it is 25 + mech. I kept thinking it was 29 until I checked the website. Whoops. So about 5-6 floors left to go then.

Kevin_foster · #**9592** Posted **Sep 25, 2015, 3:02 AM**

Oh. I was going off of the comment there was still 10 floors left.

Still, will be about that tall as the floorplates in my image are squished and out of perspective. Plus mech.

bulliver · #**9593** Posted **Sep 25, 2015, 4:43 AM**

RE: Hyatt. Haven't seen any workers on site in a month or so. Not much action since the crane went down. What's happening there?

Boris2k7 · #**9594** Posted **Sep 25, 2015, 5:31 AM**

I saw some workers on site when I went past there the other day. What they were doing I can't really say (I was on lunch break and in a hurry to get a pic and then get back to my desk...).

Daveography · #**9595** Posted **Sep 25, 2015, 2:26 PM**

I know they've been working on the porte-cochère here and there, as I bike by in the morning. Haven't seen much other activity, though.

CMD UW · #**9596** Posted **Sep 25, 2015, 4:35 PM**

Re: Mixed use - its a development form that doesn't work everywhere. Mixed use can only be successful in particular locations. Some of the supporting attributes include good access to transit, frontage along a busy roadway, walkable/pedestrian-friendly area, relatively easy access to parking to support retail (particularly important in suburban/urban fringe locations).

s4.audios · #**9597** Posted **Sep 25, 2015, 5:22 PM**

^Would be perfect for Capital Blvd North of Jasper. Pretty dead area now but with change can compete with 104th Street. Yet zero signs of interest from anybody with some money in their pockets?!? One can only dream...

Daveography · #**9598** Posted **Sep 25, 2015, 6:34 PM**

Going through old construction photos...

March 2014:

Sept. 2015:

March 2014:

Sept. 2015:

March 2014:

Sept. 2015:

March 2014:

Aug. 2015:

Feb. 2014:

Sept. 2015:

Airboy · #**9599** Posted **Sep 25, 2015, 6:48 PM**

first panels of glass are going up right now at MacEwan. one black panel already up and a white one was just being prepped.
No photo but will swing by tomorrow.

Kevin_foster · #**9600** Posted **Sep 25, 2015, 7:24 PM**

Some crazy transformations in such a small time frame.

Crazy for Edmonton, at least.