Edmonton Construction 13 (November 2015)

[Coldrsx]

Glenora 2.0 gets a green light.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-ne...w-towers-for-failed-glenora-skyline-site

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Glenora 2.0 gets a green light.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-ne...w-towers-for-failed-glenora-skyline-site

Fingers crossed it gets done this time. Such a sorry sight for a long time.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Northlands wants $48.2 million loan from City of Edmonton forgiven
http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/20...oan-from-city-of-edmonton-forgiven-.html

Northlands will ask city council Tuesday to forgive its $48.2-million loan.

The city provided the loan in 2010 to build the Expo Centre, but Northlands CEO Tim Reid said Monday the organization took the loan in a much different business environment than exists today.

“We were in place where we didn’t have a downtown arena opening up and our business model has been very, very sound," he said.

Reid said once Rogers Place opens, Northlands' concert revenue will dry up and the organization won’t have the revenue to pay the loan.

“We are very concerned about what the bottom line is and our ability to pay back that loan in 2017,” he said. “[The city and Northlands] should have had this conversation a while ago, as partners on that loan, but we didn’t.”

Northlands' ask will come as it presents its Vision 2020 to council Tuesday to redevelop Rexall Place into a six-sheet arena, create an outdoor festival site where Northlands Park now sits and expand Hall D at the Expo Centre to become a 5,000 seat concert venue.

Coun. Ben Henderson, who was on council when the Expo loan was issued, said it was always the city's understanding the conference centre would stand on its own.

“The Expo building was going to be paid for by revenues from the Expo building,” he said.

Henderson said when council made the decision to support the downtown arena, Northlands also intended to compete with the new facility.

“At that time Northlands was fairly determined that they were going to keep running Rexall,” he said.

Coun. Dave Loken said it’s a big ask.

“Quite frankly, I am ticked that they are coming to us at the eleventh hour,” he said.

Loken said he doubts council will make a decision Tuesday, but will instead ask for more information.

“I think this is just the start.”

Since announcing the plan to redevelop Northlands has consulted the public on its future.

Reid said they received about 75 per cent support from the public for both the Rexall Place conversion and the expansion at Hall D and 67 per cent support for the festival site.

“We have got the results of that program back and overall community sentiment was strongly supportive.”

[Trans Canada]

Originally Posted by Shodan

Greyhound's next stop: A new Edmonton depot

Bill Mah Published on: March 14, 2016 | Last Updated: March 14, 2016 5:38 PM MDT

Greyhound is preparing to pack up and move a few blocks north next to the Via Rail station, the bus company said Monday.

The lease at the current Greyhound depot, at 10324 103 St., expires in May, but the company will vacate the site before then.

“Greyhound plans to move into the Edmonton Via Rail train station before our current lease expires,” spokeswoman Lanesha Gipson said in an email.

“At this time, we do not have a specific move-in date. However, we are preparing to relocate our operations by the deadline.”

The company could not provide any further information about the new station because it’s still finalizing the details, Gipson said...

http://edmontonjournal.com/business/local-business/greyhounds-next-stop-a-new-edmonton-depot

Bummer. It's 2015, and we're still moving inter-city transit away from the core? There isn't even ETS bus service to VIA.

[Daveography]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Glenora 2.0 gets a green light.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-ne...w-towers-for-failed-glenora-skyline-site

“What happens if nobody wants to live in an overcrowded area..."

I guess it will be so busy that no one will go there anymore?

[240glt]

I'm sure most in the area will be happy about the project starting back up. Abandoned construction sites attract garbage, unsightliness, decay and disorder to an area.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Originally Posted by Trans Canada

Bummer. It's 2015, and we're still moving inter-city transit away from the core? There isn't even ETS bus service to VIA.

Maybe ETS will introduce one once the thing is built? Besides, we only get 2 VIA trains a week, would it really make sense to have an ETS bus out there just for that?

[s4.audios]

If the city is dumb enough to let Northlands off, I hope my bank is too. Gonna ask them to forgive my line of credit, wish me luck!!

[240glt]

Meh. They don't have a problem giving millions to a billionaire

As long as it's transformative I don't have a problem with it

[Boris2k7]

Originally Posted by Trans Canada

Bummer. It's 2015, and we're still moving inter-city transit away from the core? There isn't even ETS bus service to VIA.

This upcoming long weekend looks like it'll be the last time I use Greyhound to travel between Calgary and Edmonton. I'd only begun using the bus because a round trip is cheaper than filling up my own gas tank and driving (I have an older Jeep Grand Cherokee). Thankfully there are still one or two competitors that pick up downtown (only about three blocks from my apartment), but now the price will be a sticking point for me.

[hilman]

Originally Posted by 240glt

Meh. They don't have a problem giving millions to a billionaire

As long as it's transformative I don't have a problem with it

What a surprise

[Daveography]

^^ Red Arrow, man.

Originally Posted by s4.audios

If the city is dumb enough to let Northlands off, I hope my bank is too. Gonna ask them to forgive my line of credit, wish me luck!!

The city is at least partly responsible for Northlands having to reimagine their entire raison d'etre...

[hilman]

So the $150 million Expo Centre was paid by:

$75 million by the Provincial and Federal governments
Remaining $48 million of the $75 million that the COE co signed for/are responsible for if NL cannot pay will now be paid by the COE???

Great deal for NL, they get a $150 million facility for $27 million, and Katz is the crook

[240glt]

^^ I think the coliseum redevelopment will happen regardless, it seems like most of the city is on board with that

The city has a duty to do something, no doubt. I hope that as part of that, the ARP for the area is updated with the new lands coming available (last time it was updated was 1983). That SW corner is the catalyst needed to get the whole thing going

[Daveography]

Someone else rightfully pointed out that if Northlands fails, the city is on the hook anyway.

[canucklehead2]

The Northlands situation is almost entirely a result of the Katz Ice District... No revenue from Rexall Place ($9M/year) means no $$ to pay for the loan on Expo Centre ($7M/year) = defaulting on the loan. And considering at least with the Coliseum part of the project, even IF it had construction cost overages it would still be significantly cheaper than building separate facilities across the city... Seems like a good $ for taxpayers to me.

[hilman]

^ Incorrect. The original cost estimate to renovate Northlands was $250 million which would have been 100% paid by the City or other levels of government. This would have put lipstick on a pig and would have still left the arena in a horrible location with little to no private money investing into ancillary buildings.

The City will contribute $200-million towards Roger's Place, a portion of which will be raised through a community revitalization levy (CRL).

The downtown CRL will fund $120-million of the City’s contribution. The other $80-million will be funded through the increase in parking revenues from City-owned parking near the arena, property taxes on the arena, and redirecting the subsidy that the City currently pays to Rexall Place to the downtown arena.

So far Katz alone has over $2 billion in construction which will help build many other projects in the downtown core.

The Projects
Rogers Place and related public infrastructure, including the land for the arena, a contribution to the Winter Garden, a MacEwan LRT station connection, and an interior pedestrian walkway
The Downtown Community Arena
Green and walkable downtown, to increase the attractiveness, connectivity and usability of downtown streets by adding wider sidewalks, trees, pedestrian lighting, landscaping, street furnishing and improved paving
Downtown stormwater drainage servicing
Jasper Avenue new vision, to create an attractive and distinctive streetscape along Jasper Avenue
River Valley promenades, which include extending the Heritage Trail
Projects in the Civic Precinct
Warehouse campus neighbourhood central park
Central warehouse housing incentive program
Edmonton Downtown Academic and Cultural Centre (the Galleria)

The City estimates that the Capital City Downtown CRL will generate sufficient revenue over its 20 year life to fund approximately $500 million in new infrastructure downtown.

http://www.edmonton.ca/go_downtown/downtown-crl.aspx

And is only 2 years into it's build, this will surpass all of the initial estimates that the City predicted and will add an amazing district to our downtown core.

[240glt]

Originally Posted by canucklehead2

The Northlands situation is almost entirely a result of the Katz Ice District... No revenue from Rexall Place ($9M/year) means no $$ to pay for the loan on Expo Centre ($7M/year) = defaulting on the loan. And considering at least with the Coliseum part of the project, even IF it had construction cost overages it would still be significantly cheaper than building separate facilities across the city... Seems like a good $ for taxpayers to me.

Yup 100% correct.

We have the possibility of a transformative project or projects at the Northlands site, which is a good thing for the area and the city as a whole

[hilman]

Originally Posted by canucklehead2

The Northlands situation is almost entirely a result of the Katz Ice District... No revenue from Rexall Place ($9M/year) means no $$ to pay for the loan on Expo Centre ($7M/year) = defaulting on the loan. And considering at least with the Coliseum part of the project, even IF it had construction cost overages it would still be significantly cheaper than building separate facilities across the city... Seems like a good $ for taxpayers to me.

Nope, 100% incorrect, it would not have been significantly cheaper to renovate Rexall. Look at all the private development that went in around Rexall over the last 40 years.......oh wait...at least a new strip joint is going in.

[240glt]

Nope canucklehead is 100 % right on this one

T