[dunno]

Every time I feel a little bit of hope that our core may be improving I just walk/drive by this site, the Teglar/BMO site, the site of the proposed Emerald tower, anywhere in the Quarters, (etc., etc.), and all that hope disappears. The fact that this site has been in this shape for more than two decades is a sad indictment of the complete ineffectiveness of our laws/bylaws as well as the leadership in this city.

Almost two decades. The fire was in 2005.

 

[The_Cat]

It's really sad to see some sections of Edmonton that never really recovered. Boyle Street was torn down in the Late 60's-Early 70's for new developments. A lot of the houses south of 100 Avenue (105-108 Street) were torn down, with nothing new built. The area around the Ice District sat largely empty as parking lots. Was it land speculation?

There has been some improvement (like 104 Street), but downtown still has empty spaces.

 

[David A]

I blame the Arlington situation on unfortunate events, a belligerent owner and the city in that order. However, it was a unique and difficult situation for everyone to deal with. But even worse, like a black hole the problem has expanded, you can see the effect it has had on the nearby commercial spaces, three nearby spaces that used to be vibrant are now also empty. Understandable, as who would like to live or work next to such a dump?

It is frustrating that our current elected officials seem unable to deal effectively with so many problems. I do think the voters notice and hopefully will choose better in the next election. I think several smug, but less than competent politicians will be surprised by the voters response.

The BMO site has even a longer more convoluted history, part of which relates to the city's management of the LRT line construction (or lack of). Again everyone involved in this should be ashamed of themselves.