Quote:
Originally Posted by NOWINYOW
Makes me wonder who on the board of the NCC owes favours to the winning developer.
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I always cringe when I drive by the War Museum.
First, that should have been where the Palladium/Corel Centre/SBP was built. That alone would have dramatically changed downtown - I could imagine an extension of the 'red mile' running down Sparks linking to Elgin, connecting the stadium to one of the more populated streets of Ottawa. Sparks St. would change from its current ghost-town state to a much more vibrant location. The traffic situation of getting to the game would be changed - instead of everyone coming from the east, you'd have fans, concert goers, etc... coming from all directions. But the Senators got a better deal for building in Kanata and the rest is history.
Next, instead of essentially handing over the land to a less than notable local builder, the NCC should have set out parameters to cut the land into 4 or 6 pieces. Giving 75% of the land to local builders and 25% to non-local - of course mix in some commercial property in there too.
That would ensure that the builders would have to design and build a great looking project, or else their direct competition will steal the sale - which is great for the purchasers. It would also ensure that one of our local lots with the most potential wouldn't go to waste and become a never-ending construction site with what looks to be giant cheddar cheese cubes, sitting on glass.