MacLac
Senior Member
It sounds like Ian is attempting to downplay the popularity of Parks so that his company can benefit.....all good...don't blame him one bit, since he will have 4 new buildings to fill downtown....
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IanO
Superstar
Not at all and let me be VERY clear about that. I like the project and have promoted it on some LinkedIn posts.
I'm simply reporting what I am hearing across the central market.
We benefit if they do well; stronger together.
Kosy123
Senior Member
Yup. The only thing I can think of opening this year is Phipps-Mckinnon but that's only 100 units in total. I don't think we're getting anything new till next year with Lotus Park from Westrich downtown at least.
We're probably going to be faced with an availability crunch downtown next year based on how fast units are renting out, and then we might get a scramble to build either from people who want to beat Ice District 2 or to compete with it.
The rules of economic agglomeration always apply. The more units, the more people, more services to cater them, more employment opportunities to come and the more momentum.
MetroEd
Active Member
I would think new units are very much needed with apparently 42,000 people making their way to Edmonton in 2024?
NicolBolas
Active Member
I think alot of these people want single family homes, particularly if they are transplants from GTA or the Lower Mainland. I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to go from downtown Toronto or Vancouver and end up on 104st and Jasper.I would think new units are very much needed with apparently 42,000 people making their way to Edmonton in 2024?
Platinum107
Senior Member
Maybe some people would like the downtown life without having to fork over $3000+ a month...
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NicolBolas
Active Member
That's not a apples to apples comparison. For $3000 a month you are also getting an actual downtown lifestyle, unfortunately Edmonton can't really provide a similar experience, we can't even provide a similar experience to Calgary now.
While I agree with developing downtown, what we are doing now isn't working as well as we had all hoped it would. Perhaps we need to do something like New York did in the 1970s and offer significant tax breaks to outside developers and REITs. While also mandating street level commerical in all new buildings.
We also need to realize that we are winter city, people don't want to walk outside in -30. Another mandate should be the expansion of our pedway system to all new builds, similar to the system in Calgary.
I find the single biggest problem Edmonton has, is that we don't seem to take lessons learned from other cities and apply them here.
While I agree with developing downtown, what we are doing now isn't working as well as we had all hoped it would. Perhaps we need to do something like New York did in the 1970s and offer significant tax breaks to outside developers and REITs. While also mandating street level commerical in all new buildings.
We also need to realize that we are winter city, people don't want to walk outside in -30. Another mandate should be the expansion of our pedway system to all new builds, similar to the system in Calgary.
I find the single biggest problem Edmonton has, is that we don't seem to take lessons learned from other cities and apply them here.
ADob
Active Member
Increasing the pedway system is 100% guaranteed to kill whatever nascent street vibrancy we might have. Nope.
Kosy123
Senior Member
I'd argue we were also chasing a Toronto/Vancouver/Calgary corporate demographic. We have significantly more success attracting students, new immigrants and a lower income level than these other cities in the core.
Interprovincial migration towards the suburbs towards SFHs isn't also a sure bet. A significant majority have, but there's enough new transplants moving to DT and the core. If that wasn't the case, we wouldn't have a vacancy level of 3-4% in downtown.
Interprovincial migration towards the suburbs towards SFHs isn't also a sure bet. A significant majority have, but there's enough new transplants moving to DT and the core. If that wasn't the case, we wouldn't have a vacancy level of 3-4% in downtown.
TAS
Senior Member
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inclusion
Active Member
We don't have a ton of vibrancy as it is, which is largely driven by social problems. Montreal has an extensive pedway system and their street vibrancy is still better than here. If anything, a pedway system offers people another mode of moving in the winter, particularly those with accessibility challenges, which means more people downtown even if they are inside. I'd rather more people in general downtown than the constant notion that pedways = bad when that isn't really true. Increased foot mobility should be seen as a good thing given more people will translate to supporting businesses.
an_edmontonian
New Member
I don't buy that an increased pedway system will kill downtown vibrancy. It would provide a comfortable way to get around during the cold months. When its nice out people will still choose to walk outside. What it would do is provide ways to comfortably get around downtown year round. Montreal, Calgary, Toronto, Minneapolis, and more have extensive pedway/underground walkway systems.
When I worked downtown I utilized the system to get around in the winter to use downtown businesses. In the fall, spring, and summer I would usually walk outside.
When I worked downtown I utilized the system to get around in the winter to use downtown businesses. In the fall, spring, and summer I would usually walk outside.
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BASE
Active Member
100% agree. I had a lot of meetups downtown that probably wouldn't have happened in the winter if not for the benefit of pedways.
Gus Haynes
Active Member
I like that there's a bit of a pushback here against the notion that pedways "kill vibrancy". I know that when I worked in the CBD, the pedways allowed me an option to visit businesses a few blocks away when I might not have otherwise in truly terrible weather.
archited
Senior Member
Pedways are great! They just need to be expanded in width in most cases to allow retail/eatery uses to occupy the space as well, not simply A to B pedestrian conveyances.