thommyjo
Senior Member
This looks to be the retirement home conversion on 103ave?
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I agree that downtown foot traffic is improving, housing is needed to keep up the momentum. The makeup of restaurants in the core tell you exactly who's being attracted to DT, though. Everything existing is virtually high end now. Very little affordable options for clothing, food, entertainment.
I don't think this is a consequence of the kind of offerings, I think it highlights what's happening DT. McDonald's isn't able to succeed in Downtown Edmonton, but countless very expensive restaurants and an arena selling $300 tickets is?
Why can I easily find a $2000 sweater on 103rd st, but not a $2 cheeseburger?
The people turning their back on downtown Edmonton is the middle class, not lower or upper income folks. The EDTBA needs to find ways to draw the middle class into the core. This means housing.
All very well said. The lack of fast and cheap food options is especially brutal downtown. Cosmic donair is one of the only spots. and you can only eat there so many times. Jack's isn't even open on weekends and closes at 7 pm weekdays. Sometimes a guy just wants a <$10 burger at 9 pm on a Thursday but you're SOL if you're downtown.I agree that downtown foot traffic is improving, housing is needed to keep up the momentum. The makeup of restaurants in the core tell you exactly who's being attracted to DT, though. Everything existing is virtually high end now. Very little affordable options for clothing, food, entertainment.
I don't think this is a consequence of the kind of offerings, I think it highlights what's happening DT. McDonald's isn't able to succeed in Downtown Edmonton, but countless very expensive restaurants and an arena selling $300 tickets is?
Why can I easily find a $2000 sweater on 103rd st, but not a $2 cheeseburger?
The people turning their back on downtown Edmonton is the middle class, not lower or upper income folks. The EDTBA needs to find ways to draw the middle class into the core. This means housing.
Ha! I remember going there one time and watching a mouse scurry across the floor. Never went back lolI miss Garage Burger.
All very well said. The lack of fast and cheap food options is especially brutal downtown. Cosmic donair is one of the only spots. and you can only eat there so many times. Jack's isn't even open on weekends and closes at 7 pm weekdays. Sometimes a guy just wants a <$10 burger at 9 pm on a Thursday but you're SOL if you're downtown.
Don't even get me started on retail. Winners is basically the only place for not high-end clothing and it wouldn't surprise me if it closed tomorrow.
Worse yet, you have a store taking a gamble on downtown like Shop Chop on 107, which has a fun selection of some minor decor and kitschy gifts, but the VLW construction has blocked off sidewalk access to it currently with ZERO signage about how to access it. There's a sad degree of apathy this city shows towards businesses affected by construction in the core yet wonder why retail continues to flee out to the burbs.
I would really focus on those three words - safe, attractive and interesting. There are a number of components to them, but I agree focusing on that is a big part of the solution.Ya a bit of a strange article. We never did see a die off of any major amount of hospitality during or after COVID unless you bemoan McDonald's closing. But we certainly are is a worse situation when it comes to traditional retail and shopping and I haven't seen any improvement on this. Very incremental for sure.
Playoffs highlighted Downtown, maybe changed a few perceptions. The immediate solution to Downtown is office workers (government in particular) coming back. But fail that, longer term is residential something successive Councils have focused on since the 1997 Downtown Plan. It takes time and there's no magic bullet. Making Downtown safe, attractive and interesting will go a long way. This is exactly what the EDBA and its partners are already focusing on.