Edmonton Construction 12 (December 2013)

[Albicaulis]

Question: what's all the excavation for along Fort Road? (where that old smoke stack is).

[hilman]

^ The Kathleen Andrews Transit Garage

North East Transit Garage
ETS received approval to replace the existing Westwood Garage, which is nearing 50 years old and is at the end of its useful life cycle.

The North East Transit Garage (NETG) will enhance a highly visible piece of land that has sat vacant for decades. The facility will hold a 300 bus garage; administrative and operational space, as well as, the Credit Union currently occupying space at the Westwood location. Funding for public art on the exterior of the building, which has exposure to Yellowhead Trail, Fort Road, and the LRT line was was based on the Per Cent for Art to Encourage and Provide Art in Public Areas policy and commissioning of the art pieces is being handled through the Edmonton Arts Council.

In 2012, land was secured for the new building on the old Canada Packer's site - home of the brick smoke stack. In 2013, the RFP for building design was awarded. In 2014, the City of Edmonton obtained a historical designation for the brick smoke stack and it will be incorporated into the overall site redesign.

http://www.edmonton.ca/transportation/ets/future-transit.aspx

http://publicart.edmontonarts.ca/static_media/pdfs/files/publicart/artcalls/CALL_NETG_RFQ.pdf

[Rocket252]

What they should have done is use part of that land to redesign that horrible interchange into something more intelligent and develop the rest into condos and maybe a farmers market based on the theme of the area.

now there is going to be a huge ugly transit garage for all to see

and they are going to put art on this building as well?

its like putting lipstick on a pig.

[rapid_business]

Originally Posted by Rocket252

What they should have done is use part of that land to redesign that horrible interchange into something more intelligent and develop the rest into condos and maybe a farmers market based on the theme of the area.

now there is going to be a huge ugly transit garage for all to see

and they are going to put art on this building as well?

its like putting lipstick on a pig.

It looks like they have allowed a set back for interchange reconstruction should that ever happen.

As for condo construction, these decisions are not made in a vacuum. Location is important, and when the demand for new condos in Edmonton is limited, even more so. Look at the uptake of the Fort Road TOD project. You tell me who would be lining up to buy land there for condos when the City can barely give away similar land to the north? One thing the City learnt from the Fort Road TOD project is that you can't just buy a bunch of land, upgrade infrastructure, add some trees, point to the nearby LRT station and expect sales. Location is paramount, and unfortunately Fort Road is not a location the public or the developer is voting for with their dollars. The transit garage makes perfect sense here.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

As for a Yellowhead/Fort Rd interchange rebuild, that can wait. Get the interchanges at 127 St and 149 St built first, those are much higher priorities.

[jaydee]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

Edmonton plans $14-million redevelopment around Stadium LRT station
http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/20...ansit-adjacent-property-developing-.html

They mentioned the planned TOD at Millwoods Town Centre. I have to wonder what that's going to be like, because that'll be the nearest LRT station to where I'll be living, once the Valley Line is completed.

[Rocket252]

Originally Posted by rapid_business

It looks like they have allowed a set back for interchange reconstruction should that ever happen.

As for condo construction, these decisions are not made in a vacuum. Location is important, and when the demand for new condos in Edmonton is limited, even more so. Look at the uptake of the Fort Road TOD project. You tell me who would be lining up to buy land there for condos when the City can barely give away similar land to the north? One thing the City learnt from the Fort Road TOD project is that you can't just buy a bunch of land, upgrade infrastructure, add some trees, point to the nearby LRT station and expect sales. Location is paramount, and unfortunately Fort Road is not a location the public or the developer is voting for with their dollars. The transit garage makes perfect sense here.

I am old enough to remember when the Fort Road area was a vibrant neighborhood but after the packing plants closed the city did nothing to create the conditions for it to thrive and return to its former glory. So now all that is viable in the area is a transit garage?

[Rocket252]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

As for a Yellowhead/Fort Rd interchange rebuild, that can wait. Get the interchanges at 127 St and 149 St built first, those are much higher priorities.

Free Flow is a priority certainly but the tight turns around the Yellowhead/Fort Road exchange also posses problems with safe and efficient traffic flow. Add a few properly positioned pot holes and that part of the Yellowhead is a challenge to drive.

[Daveography]

Originally Posted by rapid_business

It looks like they have allowed a set back for interchange reconstruction should that ever happen.

As for condo construction, these decisions are not made in a vacuum. Location is important, and when the demand for new condos in Edmonton is limited, even more so. Look at the uptake of the Fort Road TOD project. You tell me who would be lining up to buy land there for condos when the City can barely give away similar land to the north? One thing the City learnt from the Fort Road TOD project is that you can't just buy a bunch of land, upgrade infrastructure, add some trees, point to the nearby LRT station and expect sales. Location is paramount, and unfortunately Fort Road is not a location the public or the developer is voting for with their dollars. The transit garage makes perfect sense here.

It doesn't help that they turned Fort Road into a six-lane pseudo-freeway, then tried to sell the area as an up-and-coming vibrant, walkable community.

[GreenSPACE]

Originally Posted by Rocket252

I am old enough to remember when the Fort Road area was a vibrant neighborhood but after the packing plants closed the city did nothing to create the conditions for it to thrive and return to its former glory. So now all that is viable in the area is a transit garage?

Sad isn't it? I don't think the Ft. Road rehab did anything for Ft. Road itself. It was a misguided attempted, one that resulted in more freeflow traffic with a few trees than a viable urban street.

[SHOFEAR]

The city has way to many underdeveloped areas that they are trying to develop as some sort of master planned urbanist villages.....Reality is only a fraction of people want to live in places like that and those who do have better options of where to buy (between downtown and Blatchford we realistically have a multi generation supply anyway). Your only in your late 20's and early 30's for so long. rejuvenation of areas like that are far to long away and the first people in will never be there long enough to experience what they are looking for.

The city needs to reevaluate some of these visions. Would a neighborhood of single family homes in areas like Fort Road be a wiser option? It would sell out overnight...compared to another 30 years of stagnation and failed infrastructure spending on rejuvenation attempts it might not be a bad idea.

[CMD UW]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

As for a Yellowhead/Fort Rd interchange rebuild, that can wait. Get the interchanges at 127 St and 149 St built first, those are much higher priorities.

Agree. The interchange is not failing from a traffic perspective. There are much more important priorities.

[CMD UW]

Originally Posted by SHOFEAR

The city has way to many underdeveloped areas that they are trying to develop as some sort of master planned urbanist villages.....Reality is only a fraction of people want to live in places like that and those who do have better options of where to buy (between downtown and Blatchford we realistically have a multi generation supply anyway). Your only in your late 20's and early 30's for so long. rejuvenation of areas like that are far to long away and the first people in will never be there long enough to experience what they are looking for.

The city needs to reevaluate some of these visions. Would a neighborhood of single family homes in areas like Fort Road be a wiser option? It would sell out overnight...compared to another 30 years of stagnation and failed infrastructure spending on rejuvenation attempts it might not be a bad idea.

I agree, mixed use medium/high density urban villages don't work everywhere. I think the City should have looked at developing more of these areas for single/semi and row housing forms as they would have developed out much quicker.

[Landlocked]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

As for a Yellowhead/Fort Rd interchange rebuild, that can wait. Get the interchanges at 127 St and 149 St built first, those are much higher priorities.

Amen to that.

[Coldrsx]

^^not singles, but row... we desperately need more row/townhouse options in central areas.

[SHOFEAR]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

^^not singles, but row... we desperately need more row/townhouse options in central areas.

Took the wife out to some of my neighborhoods in surrounding communities last weekend...."why can't they build row homes like that near downtown".... was her response. She's not wrong. There are some attractive very reasonably priced street towns in a lot of communities around the city.

[Coldrsx]

Courtesy of Whyteknight/M.Z. commissioned by myself

[hilman]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Courtesy of Whyteknight/M.Z. commissioned by myself

That is awesome, thanks for sharing.

[Boris2k7]

[adam-machiavelli]

You can build all the row houses and detached houses you like around transit stations. Just don't be surprised if market forces turn them into boarding houses anyway. Best to build condos from the beginning than build something new and quickly only for it to be torn down 10 years later.