adamyyc said:
I will say that what’s proposed by Triovest does feel more like Toronto than Calgary. Massive tower with historic facade at pedestrian level is pretty standard in TO.
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Toronto has shit loads of historic buildings and many that are less impressive have facades retained. I would suggest the buildings along Stephen Ave that will be significantly altered are of more significance to Calgary as preserved rows historic buildings are very rare in Calgary cause we bulldozed everything old almost.
 
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Calgcouver said:
Toronto has a shit loads of historic buildings and many that are less impressive have facades retained. I would suggest the buildings along Stephen Ave that will be significantly altered are of more significance to Calgary as preserved rows historic buildings are very rare in Calgary cause we bulldozed everything old almost.
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Completely agree.
 
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/design-team-announced-for-stephen-avenue-redesign-1.5958677
Can someone please tell me what is going on. On the one hand we have a juggernaut development proposal for office towers along Stephens avenue, and now we also have an announcement
2 days ago that a design team for the Stephens Avenue, which is also more public realm type design? Shouldn't there be a "meeting of the minds"? That, or ditch the tower bullshit, and focus on public realm improvements?
Silos.... Silos.....Silos....
 
adamyyc said:
Agreed! This project deserves a collaborative approach. However all parties would have to be willing to make concessions. Example, it's not realistic for Heritage Calgary to expect all of the buildings to be saved/restored (specifically, some of the buildings on 7th Ave). Similarly, Triovest can't expect that they'll receive all of the variances that this project will inevitably require.
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There is one issue there. At some point continual 'keeping half' will over time end up with nothing.
For example, downtown calgary is what, 70, 80 blocks? Turn of the century buildings have been retained maybe on 5 or 6 if you combined them all onto blocks.
So at some point looking for concessions when 90+% has been conceded away is no longer reasonable.

Especially when it's a National Historic Site.

Especially when it involves 7 legally protected buildings.
Concessions on legal protection = legal protection becomes worthless city wide.
 
JoeUrban said:
There is one issue there. At some point continual 'keeping half' will over time end up with nothing.
For example, downtown calgary is what, 70, 80 blocks? Turn of the century buildings have been retained maybe on 5 or 6 if you combined them all onto blocks.
So at some point looking for concessions when 90+% has been conceded away is no longer reasonable.

Especially when it's a National Historic Site.

Especially when it involves 7 legally protected buildings.
Concessions on legal protection = legal protection becomes worthless city wide.
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York Hotel already set that precedent. Historical protection means nothing here already is what i would imagine the sentiment is from developers looking to redevelop historic blocks.
 
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Rode our bikes downtown and to 8th ave tonight. Found ourselves sitting on the patio at James Joyce Pub. What a great atmosphere along there today. I wish for more development downtown but there is no way they should be able to take treasures like this block away. Way too many other empty parking lots downtown to be filled first. I’m actual ok with them building along 7th ave, but keep hands off of 8th
 
Golfing guy said:
Rode our bikes downtown and to 8th ave tonight. Found ourselves sitting on the patio at James Joyce Pub. What a great atmosphere along there today. I wish for more development downtown but there is no way they should be able to take treasures like this block away. Way too many other empty parking lots downtown to be filled first. I’m actual ok with them building along 7th ave, but keep hands off of 8th
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Agreed. Out of an entire downtown of 60 or 70 square blocks, it’s the only place that is truly vibrant and enjoyable all days of the week and after 5:00pm. Without Stephen Avenue being as nice as it is, tourists staying downtown would be screwed.
If the city wants to revitalize downtown, start by not approving this development.
 
Surrealplaces said:
Agreed. Out of an entire downtown of 60 or 70 square blocks, it’s the only place that is truly vibrant and enjoyable all days of the week and after 5:00pm. Without Stephen Avenue being as nice as it is, tourists staying downtown would be screwed.
If the city wants to revitalize downtown, start by not approving this development.
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I'm on the Downtown community association mailing list and a while back they sent out info on the project and cast it in a pretty positive light, including that it will " integrate the Stephen Avenue into the rest of the downtown."

You know how you integrate Stephen Ave into downtown? you revitalize the 7th ave storefronts to expand what is so good about Stephen Ave further into the core. Not by making Stephen Ave more like the dead core.

Everyone is concerned about how dead the core is and how to revitalize it. You have the work already half done for you on 7th.
 
Don't know what to make of what I heard today as fact or just a rumor, but an employee at Suncor told me that they are looking to move within 5 years and this person indicated this project as a prospective new office. I guess they're not happy with how Brookfield is charging them or something along those lines. Then again this person also noted that Brookfield could negotiate again. I would be surprised if Suncor vacated their building especially with the vacancy rate but I just thought this would be something to keep in mind, not to start more rumors.
 
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I haven't read the first 30 pages so apologies if this is clear:

The historic facades are being maintained but the actual buildings are not - is this right?

Had dinner at the Wednesday room basement last week and it's such a tragedy to lose that gem. Positive to maintain the facacde though
 
Some of the historical facades are being maintained, others are being altered or removed. The Thai restaurant is being removed (not such a big loss), all of 7th Ave is being removed (debated about whether that is a big loss or not), and the ground floor of what was the Sportscheck is being removed.
 
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