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Originally Posted by asdfgh
Did anyone attend this? If so, how was the reaction? Any new interesting insight from the builder or architects?
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I thought it was quite a good meeting. The first half hour was an overview of the project and a run-through of reasons why it’s ideal for the corner. Emphasis was directed to the proximity of the future Broadway / 8th street BRT route and to the ways in which the project meets corridor planning goals. The project was repeatedly described as being “ahead of the curve” in anticipating and meeting the city’s goals for transit and corridor-oriented urban infill (for example, although the “Nutana Corridor Plan” hasn’t been developed yet, this project is intended to pre-emptively meet those priorities). With respect to new insights on the project, it was mentioned that the appearance of the facade will be consistent around the entire building. So, we’ve seen renderings of the north and east faces of the building, but the other sides of the building will look like that too. Apparently this is the developer's sixth version of the project, and it seems like a great deal of attention has been paid to the finer points: the sidewalks along Broadway and 8th will be widened, trees will be planted along the roadways, public amenity areas are planned at the corners of the development, and so on. This is very much being proposed as an improvement to the area.
The final hour of the meeting was a Q&A session. A lot of people commented in favour of the development, and I’m not sure that anyone was dead-set against it (at least, not in their questions/comments). Most of the questions revolved around traffic and parking. The developer noted that the project is not large enough to have required a traffic impact study, and that it is their contention that the development will not lead to significant traffic impacts to 7th street or the lane at the rear of the property. The development will involve closing the part of the existing lane that connects with 8th street. That section of the lane will be replaced by an entry/exit route that drivers can use to turn right off of, or onto, 8th street, and the idea is that that route will largely eliminate any need to cut through the neighborhood. With respect to parking, the 92 underground spots will be for residents of the building, while the 47 (?) above-ground spots will be for commercial tenants (which are hoped to include grocery and restaurant uses).
Um, what else..... Well, the developer mentioned that the lots on the corner of Broadway and 8th have been vacant for 30 years. With respect to their timeline, a lot of work needs to be done behind the scenes (approvals and permits, detailed plans, etc.), and construction is unlikely to begin in 2023. In the meantime, a transcribed version of the Q&A session will be posted on the city’s page for this proposal in the next month or so.
I left the meeting feeling pretty optimistic about its future. I think it’s exactly right for the corner and could be a model for other developments around the city. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for this one. Cynthia Block was at the meeting, and I hope she feels the same way.
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