@bonk (love the handle; it has suggestive connotations!) your argument falls apart on the following bases:
[...]
4. The delays incurred in rail travel in both Canada and the U.S. are legendary and if you are just discovering them now then you have not taken a train ride before (or at least not for the right reasons). I have taken the CN train from Vancouver to Toronto and from Toronto to Edmonton and it is the ride (the means) that is enjoyable not the final-destination arrival (the end).
I don't see how any of your points counter my argument. Your point 4 is pretty much my argument.

Sorry, I thought we were talking about what the City would do with these lands. These sounded like municipal development plans. Your arguments make more sense if I consider them as only representing the interests of your Group.
 
Mayor Iveson wants options for Northlands Coliseum once it’s closed
northlands-coliseum2.jpg

Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton will close effective Jan. 1, 2018.
Mayor Don Iveson wants to get the conversation going on what the next step is for Edmonton’s Northlands Coliseum.

Earlier this year, council voted for the city to take over the Coliseum on Jan. 1, 2018 and permanently close the arena.

During Tuesday’s city council meeting, Iveson requested a report from administration on the impacts of demolishing the building.

“One, whether any practical alternatives have come forward for re-purposing of the Coliseum,” Iveson said. “Two, what would the costs to secure the site be, if the building were demolished. And three, what would be the estimated demolition cost.”

He requested the report be brought back for the December 5 city council meeting.

With the election over, the new city council can really look into the question of practical reuse.

“Now that the cost implications of leaving it boarded up are estimated and they may be refined at 1.5-million a year,” Iveson said.

“I think we have to have a serious conversation about whether it’s financially in anyone’s best interest to board up a building … whose time may be up.”

https://globalnews.ca/news/3861386/...ions-for-northlands-coliseum-once-its-closed/
 
Mayor Don Iveson suggests city 'rip the ... Band-Aid' and demolish Coliseum
Council could use available funds in this city budget to demolish the Coliseum, Mayor Don Iveson suggested Tuesday, pushing for a quick solution for the soon-to-be vacant building.

Northlands will stop hosting events in the 40-year-old landmark this year, shutting the doors and giving the keys Edmonton officials Jan. 1.

Officials estimate it will cost $1.5 million annually to maintain the building, and many residents don’t want a boarded-up building attracting crime and bringing down the neighbourhood, said Iveson during the first round of budget debates Tuesday.

“We have to have a serious conversation about whether it’s financially in anyone’s best interest to board up a building whose time may be up,” he said, asking city officials to provide a report Dec. 5 on how much it would cost to demolish the building, and whether any “practical alternatives” have come forward to repurpose it.

Then he leaned over and said to Coun. Tony Caterina: “If we don’t start the conversation, it will take us right out past the budget cycle. We can grab some one-time money to get this dealt with, just rip the cover off the Band-Aid.”

He turned the microphone off before Caterina replied.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...s-city-rip-the-band-aid-and-demolish-coliseum
 
Should I try for a 4th time?

Are you or your Group interested in buying the building?

many residents don’t want a boarded-up building attracting crime and bringing down the neighbourhood, said Iveson

Eek, I don't think that's a good reason to rush into demolishing it. I don't see the problem in leaving abandoned buildings alone until you have a plan to use the space, especially given that there are groups interested in repurposing the building using their own money. Is "attracting crime" really an issue? The Charles Camsell Hospital stood for 20 years abandoned, would it have been better to demolish it immediately? I'm sure many residents would have preferred that, as long as they're not footing the bill. The coliseum must be cheaper to board up... it doesn't even have windows!

I think residents are more interested in raising their property values than avoiding "attracting crime". Are their concerns valid?
 
"in repurposing the building using their own money" Huh? Which groups?
I should have said "group". archited's Group's plans would use their own money, not the city's:
@bonk (love the handle; it has suggestive connotations!) your argument falls apart on the following bases:
1. Where I or my Group "pour" our money really is none of your concern, so there is no "we" there.
2. The City of Edmonton has already commissioned a study into a Transit Hub (past tense) and our Group has made suggestions to the Administration study group on ways to achieve goals without public investment.
 
Yes, @bonk we are interested in purchasing the building and all adjacent city-owned lands north of Alberta Avenue, abutting the Coliseum site.
It makes no sense to rush to demolish it if someone is interested in buying. Something does not add up here. Does the City want to keep the land (but not the building)?

The City wants "a report Dec. 5 on how much it would cost to demolish the building, and whether any 'practical alternatives' have come forward to repurpose it." They haven't considered the notion of selling yet, or they don't think the proposal is practical?
 
@bonk if I could answer that in any way that made sense, I would take a stab at it. Prime factor, I believe, is that the City politicos don't want to make a mistake that will come back and bite them -- it is easier to do nothing and to send the process through endless administration reviews than it is to stand up and make a decision. The quandary for the City is that the cost of Coliseum demolition roughly equals the value of the land. If they sell it off, there will be a hue and cry from some quarters that the City made a bad deal; from other quarters that the City didn't respect the wishes of the adjacent communities; and from still others that the City has shown favoritism to one developer or another. As predictable as the whole mess is, there is also a cost to doing nothing, but that isn't as politically obvious -- and so the City will risk it (doing nothing, that is). Also, I believe that the City may have offered the building and adjacent lands to Amazon in their bid to attract Headquarters II for that company (the bid is kept secret until a decision by Jeff Bezos is rendered). I also believe that the Amazon bid is a distant long shot.
 
If leaving it alone for now is the best (least costly) option, I hope they do that.

Imagine if you inherited a house and put it up for sale, but no one is looking to buy it, so your neighbours want you to pay to bulldoze your own house so it doesn't bring down the neighbourhood.
(There are "unkempt properties" bylaws, but boarding up the building wouldn't fall under that; the coliseum's not condemned or anything)

When residential area city sidewalks are rebuilt, the residents get half the bill. I wonder if area residents would still support demolition if they could get it done by paying for some portion of it (not that I think they should be required to pay, it's just that it irks me when party A is trying to convince party B to make a decision at party C's expense).


I would expect that some time in the future there would be clearer uses for the area, ie. a more valuable option for the City.
 
Estimated cost to demo Coliseum doubles, Edmonton report says
northlands-coliseum.jpg

Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton.
Global News

A report heading to Edmonton city council next week says the estimated cost to demolish the Coliseum has spiked from $8 million to between $15 million and $25 million.

“That figure that we’re quoting now – $15 to $25 (million) – is really, really high level,” City Manager Linda Cochrane said Friday.

“We haven’t done the analysis on the building to the extent that we’d want to do before we’d give an accurate cost to council.”

The annual operating costs in the vacant building would be about $1.5 million each year.

The city, through the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) and Northlands, has begun the transition of shifting employees into a new working arrangement. The operation of the Expo Centre will transfer over next month.

https://globalnews.ca/news/3892650/edmonton-coliseum-demolish-northlands-cost-doubles/

Demolishing Coliseum could cost up to $25M, city report says

northlands-coliseum.JPG

The former home to the Edmonton Oilers will close permanently at the end of this year. (Gareth Hampshire/CBC)

Demolishing Edmonton's iconic Northlands Coliseum could cost up to $25 million, the city says in a report going to council Tuesday.

In September, Northlands estimated the cost at $8 million.

The report from city administrators says the demolition cost could range between $15 million and $25 million.

"Fifteen to 25 is really high-level," said Linda Cochrane, city manager. "We haven't done the analysis on the building to the extent that we would want to do before we give an accurate cost to council.

The Coliseum, formerly known as Rexall Place, will permanently close on Jan. 1.

Not everyone sees the demolition of the Coliseum as inevitable.

"I've been pretty clear. I don't want to see the building come down. That's my primary concern," said Ward 11 Coun. Mike Nickel.

"I think we can repurpose it if we put our minds to it. I think the province, if we put something intelligent in front of them, they might be interested as well."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/northlands-report-city-edmonton-1.4428814

Demolition of Northlands coliseum could cost $15 - $20 million, city says
 
City Council needs to get it right on Northlands Coliseum redevelopment
Northlands-Rexall-Place-Hockey-Arena.png

...
As a resident of the area (I live a 10 minute walk away from the Coliseum in the Bellevue neighbourhood), it is frustrating to feel like this area of the city was an afterthought. But while it is important to recognize past mistakes made by the City on this issue, it is also helpful to look for solutions for the future.

Community input and engagement should play a critical role in determining the future of the Coliseum and the Northlands property. But the engagement should be meaningful. Meaningless buzz-phrases, like we saw included in a recent press release from the City of Edmonton on this issue are not helpful (ie: “tap[ping] into the magnitude of the opportunity for transformation”).

Meaningful engagement is important, because residential neighbourhoods and commercial districts in the area will be directly impacted by any future plans, just as they had by the past expansion of Northlands.

...

I am not sure what the best new use of the land would be, but I do not know anyone who thinks leaving the Coliseum boarded up and abandoned would be good for the neighbourhood. But an empty and abandoned lot fit for gravel and Used Car Dealerships is also not ideal.

http://daveberta.ca/2017/12/northlands-coliseum-edmonton/
 
Demolishing the Coliseum no easy task but should have been anticipated, prof says

northlands-coliseum.JPG

The former home to the Edmonton Oilers will close permanently at the end of this year and city council must decide if it will demolish the building. (Gareth Hampshire/CBC)

Uncertainty about the future of the Coliseum could have been avoided if the main players in Edmonton's new arena development had considered the realistic cost of demolishing the Oilers' former home.

"It certainly should have been discussed as part of the (Rogers Place) build," said Moshe Lander, a Concordia university professor who specializes in the economics of sports.

"Maybe there could have been a negotiation with the Oilers ownership ... that we'll give you $250 million, but we're going to claw back $20 million as part of your contribution to the decommissioning cost.

"If that wasn't done, that was — take your pick — oversight or negligence."

Lander's comments come as city council is set to discuss Wednesday the estimated cost of tearing down the once-storied home of the Edmonton Oilers. A report to council pegs the cost at between $15 million and $25 million.

But city council hasn't yet agreed to tear down the Coliseum, which will be shuttered on Jan. 1. Some councillors have expressed hope the building will be saved and re-purposed.

Mayor Don Iveson, however, is not convinced there are practical suggestions for how to re-imagine the arena's future. He noted the once-promising idea of converting the hockey arena into amateur sports space would cost more than building four new rinks from scratch.

"Vacant sites and boarded up buildings are not in the community's interests," Iveson said on Tuesday. "We'll take actions to remove buildings from the (Northlands) site, to prepare them for redevelopment, unless there's a compelling case for a re-purpose."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...tion-northlands-rogers-place-oilers-1.4434650
 

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