Rollerstud98
Active Member
Deerfoot mall died for me when they took the fountains out. Really all malls sucked after that.
- Thread starter Surrealplaces
- Start date
Thrillhou
New Member
Never really thought much about it but they really go the way of their anchor tenant. North Hill mall (Sears died a slow death), Deerfoot (Woolworths) pivoted to Walmart, market mall (The Bay/Safeway/Zellers/Theater), North Land (I don't remember what it was before Walmart).
It makes sense that Market survived, it always had the better anchor tenants.
It makes sense that Market survived, it always had the better anchor tenants.
Urban Outdoorsman
Active Member
I wouldn't say that North Hill mall had died or is dying. I grew up really close by and the reality is it's always been a pretty boring mall but it's generally made up of the kind of businesses that cater to daily needs, i.e. hair salons/barbers, banks, some select clothing stores, a grocery store, a gym, etc. I've always seen North Hill as a convenient one stop shop for people who live in the area. As such finding a parking spot there has never been easy.
All that to say, whoever owns the Sears building and surrounding parking lot needs to take a look at U/D and start working towards something similar. However I suspect that the mall itself will largely remain.
All that to say, whoever owns the Sears building and surrounding parking lot needs to take a look at U/D and start working towards something similar. However I suspect that the mall itself will largely remain.
Duck Lightning
Senior Member
I don't know why you guys seem to like Deerfoot City so much. The lanes in the road through the middle are really narrow to the point that large vehicles stick out into traffic from the diagonal parking, there really isn't enough parking for the strip malls they built along 64th Ave, large portions remain with indoor mall access, and most of the plans were never built! But most of all I can't forgive them for closing the bowling alley!!
crisp
Active Member
BentallgreenOak
Considering North Hill already has a train station, it is one of the greatest TOD opportunities in the city IMO. And I'd go even further than just U/D style development, it should be high-rise Vancouver-style TOD.
I agree - close to downtown, intersection of LRT and one of the more useful BRT lines, and north of the station it has a large amount of unused land for parking/the abandoned Sears. Perfect TOD opportunity.
(South of the station is the $1 million bungalows of Briar Hill, maybe less opportunity there)
(South of the station is the $1 million bungalows of Briar Hill, maybe less opportunity there)
trtcttc
Active Member
The Sears site is owned by Concord Pacific, developers out of Vancouver. There were talks of condos in 2015, but that was shelved probably due to the oil collapse. I hope someone else purchases the land and the adjacent mall together into a U/D style development, with larger scale. Adjacent to SAIT, direct LRT access, few stops away from UofC, library/community space that can be redeveloped, this is about as good of a location as you can get in the city.
Sears Canada and Concord Pacific sign $140-million sale-lease deal for three of its properties
Sears Canada Inc. has signed a deal with Concord Pacific Group of Companies to sell and lease back three of its properties for $140 million
financialpost.com
If Concord keeps it I wouldn't be too optimistic. They build nice looking buildings but their community style projects are pretty soulless and uninteresting - CityPlace Toronto and Park Place in North York. Their newest development proposal in Toronto is... something. The thread might be an interesting read for people to see just how crazy the housing crisis in Toronto that there's a proposal for 10k units and it's just one of many developments on an yet to open LRT line (about 1/3 the capacity of the ctrain)
crisp
Active Member
Also the hospital. I knew a nurse renting a duplex in Mt.Pleasant with three other nurses. Imagine how many nurses fresh out of college would be renting here.
Chinook Arch
Active Member
IMO, this development has Deerfoot city beat just on the fact that it has residential on site. Deerfoot city is better than Deerfoot Mall, but not by much.
Chinook Arch
Active Member
Agreed, North Hill Mall is actually quite busy, especially on the west side of the mall. With the LRT station there and several bus stops there are a lot of people coming in and out, if they could tear down the Sears portion and put up some residential buildings, and refresh with some new retail, that mall would be bumping. Would be a fine example of how to do a good little retail residential TOD.
CBBarnett
Senior Member
I think what's missing - in which redevelopment can be a tool to solve - is more thoughtfully reorganizing and planning the whole site to better link everything together. The LRT station, grocery, and library are all very busy and it's very accessible. Only problem is none of it is designed to be very attractive or organized around people.
Same story at Lion's Park as all these places. Sidewalks too narrow and not direct, way too much vehicular circulation and parking right at and in-between the Library, mall and LRT. Fences and random barriers left over from all these places planned in isolation from each other for amount buildings, sites and streets around it.
Just a more thoughtful human-first approach (plus some additional density) would do wonders here. All the pieces are otherwise already there and reasonably popular despite poor designs.
A large redevelopment of the mall could offer different options, buteEven a minor tweak such as re-aligning the connection from the mall to the station would make a difference, and wouldn't cost a lot of money.
Start by cutting off the in/out vehicle access from the east end of the parking lot and create a wide, raised pedestrian path, taking out the furthest parking spot if necessary.
If possible align the crosswalk and the path out of the mall entrance so it's a continuous path from mall to station path. The total distance doesn't change, but the path would feel smoother.
Start by cutting off the in/out vehicle access from the east end of the parking lot and create a wide, raised pedestrian path, taking out the furthest parking spot if necessary.
If possible align the crosswalk and the path out of the mall entrance so it's a continuous path from mall to station path. The total distance doesn't change, but the path would feel smoother.
Always_Biking
Senior Member
IIRC, there was also an issue with soil contamination in the former Sears’ parking lot due to a previous gas station.
Even though the condo market is soft, I think they could sell condominiums at that location. Though maybe a different developer, somebody like Knightsbridge or Minto, where they go for cheaper units that people could rent out students.