Quote:
Originally Posted by mcc16
This "middle of nowhere" everyone is referring to is across the street from future hotel/office/arena and a block from lrt stops/museum/city hall/university/shopping mall. So...how exactly is this in a "bad area". This building is still in very preliminary stages so much of the neighbourhood may be built out if/when this gets underway...
|
The building is not in the middle of nowhere but it is certainly on the edge of an area of downtown that may be considered questionable for such developments.
The small structure west of the tower is a newly renovated warehouse being used for providing a mixed use of services to low income individuals and the homeless. The "u" shaped building to the north is a homeless shelter. Lots of homeless guys hanging around the entrance at all hours. And the short tower to the north is Edmonton's most crime ridden low income apartment tower in the downtown core. These three buildings will not be going anywhere soon, if ever. The apartment tower has been in the news of late and the owners have undertaken to clean up the crime and it seems to be working. When I visit downtown I usually park on the street just north of the tower with no problems.
And it is true that the area has lots of nearby development that will make the area more desirable. The empty parking lot west of the tower will be part of the up and coming cultural center that is in development as well as the museum beside that. And the nearby arena district will all make that location better over time.
Given that the building would be 1/3 office and 1/3 hotel, I see no problems with the location for those uses. The condos might be a harder sell given the close proximity to the social service uses of some of the other buildings listed above.
Mind you, my first time to San Francisco, I stayed at the edge of the tenderloin area and was surprised to see the back side of a five-star hotel across the street from a soup kitchen. It was quite the contrast. And if it can work in San Francisco it can certainly work in Edmonton.