Edmonton Construction 13 (November 2015)

[CMD UW]

^Well, I guess they can fire up the sales centre now!

[Coldrsx]

They want to be in the ground in early 2019.

[EdmTrekker]

I think the developer pandered more than what would have won the day at Council. My opinion and no need for rebuttal.

[Coldrsx]

My favourite image from tonight.


https://twitter.com/estolte/status/1041824670595600384
@estolte

[EdmTrekker]

In response to the hysterics of City Planners, comments in Elsie’s post that you linked, are bang on:

“So many people love living in New York, Paris, London, Budapest, Berlin where there are no houses and thanks to that they have thriving downtowns and beautiful creative architecture!”


“What is wrong with actually developing a downtown core? Afterall the Oliver neighborhood is part of that zone? Edmonton needs development. Desperately.”

“My assumption is that these wouldn’t all be giant concrete boxes (I thought we were done with that in the 80s?) but rather thin towers on podiums ala most other modern downtowns.”

Refreshing comments that show an enlightened intelligentsia in Edmonton despite the lack thereof in City Planning. City Planning under its current leadership is stuck in the 80s and now clearly appears to have been the albatross that has stifled growth for the last 2-3 decades. Perhaps some fresh leadership and a forward thinking vision would grow Edmonton rather than shackle it.

[s4.audios]

^^Lol that picture is hilarious. If those white blocks were actually scaled to Grandin tower size and made them less attached to each other, I'd probably be in huge favor of the photo.

[feepa]

Lets not kid our selves.... All those cities mentioned two posts above have millions of people living in suburbia too.

[Coldrsx]

^that they do and often 'forgotten' or 'overlooked'.

[s4.audios]

The suburbs in those cities are actually still a lot more dense and urban feel.

[YegFan]

^ and those cities were built way before cars even existed.

[feepa]

Originally Posted by s4.audios

The suburbs in those cities are actually still a lot more dense and urban feel.

some of them maybe... but many of them just stretch on for miles and miles and miles, no different than here.
One thing Edmonton doesn't suffer from nearly as bad as many midwest cities is the half-acre or more lots...hobbyfarms, or just wasted farmland now turned in to the very lowest type of 'urban' development... ya, I know what surrounds sherwood park, st albert and leduc county, but our counter-parts the exurbs stretch on for 25-40 km beyond suburbia... This is the worst type of sprawl.

[240glt]

Nothing like owning a 3 million dollar estate home and having to have your potable water trucked in for your cistern

[itom 987]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

My favourite image from tonight.


https://twitter.com/estolte/status/1041824670595600384
@estolte

Someone within Edmonton's planning department has a bad case of Nimbyitis.

[240glt]

^ That’s not nimbyitis. That’s a complete disconnection from reality. Who comes up with this stuff ?

[MichaelC]

City unveils four options for future use of exhibition lands / Edmonton Journal
-Juris Graney
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-n...tions-for-future-use-of-exhibition-lands

Concept A

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-n...tions-for-future-use-of-exhibition-lands

Concept B

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-n...tions-for-future-use-of-exhibition-lands

Concept C1

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-n...tions-for-future-use-of-exhibition-lands

Concept C2

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-n...tions-for-future-use-of-exhibition-lands

[s4.audios]

C options for sure, love the idea of expanding Borden park.

[240glt]

So as none of these options seem to include any sort of use for the coliseum I'd expect demolition will proceed forthwith ?

Option A seems the most feasible, but they should move the LRT storage and cleaning facility up to the Yellowhead as per option B. option C1 & 2 have the best connectivity to the surrounding areas which everyone feels is important, but I don't think the expansion of Borden park is really necessary and the "civic amenity" could end up being a bit of a black hole.

Option C2 I think would be the best fit, but maybe with the Borden expansion scaled back a bit and more residential it its place

[Hardhatdan]

Interesting concepts for Northlands.
In theory I like the idea of raising 118ave and confining Gretzky to a single street instead of the current split from the bridge to 118ave. Though the road would need to be expanded to accomodate a consolidated Gretzky I imagine..
A larger Borden Park also seems like a great idea. It is an ever improving ammenity.


Will be interesting to see how the neighborhood believes the street layout impacts the connectivity and if they see benefit to these modifications. It would increase congestion, which isn't always a terrible thing especially if it reconnects the neighborhood.

[EdmTrekker]

They need have Gretzky Dream ve either up or under 118th and free flowing to ensure it’s positioned for future near-freeway status to Fort Road and on to the Manning.

As for the options they are all vanilla pods. I don’t see anything that wows me. The Expo Centre is now dead as no option allows it to expand and be a major convention centre. With that limitation it means ID2 by Katz Group is best positioned to build a major convention centre with hotels and residential development. No threats from public or other private operators. The City could then use the existing SHAW for a fabulous City Museum and Gallery.

[240glt]

^^ one of the dumbest things Northlands did was shut down the west access at 115ave, which totally severed the site from the neighbourhood west. A lot of people were really upset. I’d love to see that opened back up & I bet the neighbourhood would welcome the connectivity. That was always one of the boggest complaints about the site, how cut off it was