David A
Senior Member
Retail in Edmonton suburbs thrives while Downtown works to revive
"Honestly, we need more residential Downtown. That's really what it comes down to."
edmontonjournal.com
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- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
edmontonjournal.com
.crystalised.
Active Member
The western half should be demolished. Save Delta and the parkade on the north side of the lot if necessary but everything else must go.
Build two residential towers ala Encore on the 103 St side of the lot, and a mixed-use tower on the SE corner to preserve the pedway connections to Manulife and City Centre East. Delta and the cineplex could relocate into the lower levels of the mixed-use tower.
City Centre West has been a huge gap in our skyline forever. Time to fill that gap. But with Edmonton's luck, demolition would proceed and then we'd be left with another Tower 101 lot until kingdom come, lol.
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David A
Senior Member
A better option rather than demolishing the whole west side, would be to only just demolish the former Bay space which is already vacant, leaving the hotel, movie theatres, partly occupied remaining space and parkade.
This would also be much less disruptive and also allow the Pedway connections to be maintained. Demolition would involve costs, so I doubt would be undertaken until there was a solid plan to build a residential tower here.
Given the long empty Tower 101 lot just to the south of the mall, I am skeptical anyone credible is eager to build a residential tower in this area right now.
Tropical
Active Member
Is that empty lot truly indicative of a lack of eagerness to build in the area? Falcon 1 just went up mere blocks away...
IanO
Superstar
A work in progress: City Centre Mall to undergo redevelopment project
As the downtown landscape changes, Edmonton’s City Centre Mall is adapting to new consumer trends and could be getting a facelift.
www.ctvnews.ca
Gus Haynes
Active Member
^Boo. For a moment there, you had me thinking this was a new article!
Tropical
Active Member
Yeah... A bit of context typed in before dropping a link is awesome.
David A
Senior Member
Yes, this was over 4 years ago. Sadly, it goes to show how long we have been talking about this without anything happening. Although it is good to look back at past ideas which may still have merit.
Perhaps something like this may eventually happen, but downtown and this area in particular has a lot of stigma attached to it because of the problems over the last few years.
So if this does go ahead anytime soon it will not be by the cautious conservative types that generally are involved in investing in such projects.
Perhaps something like this may eventually happen, but downtown and this area in particular has a lot of stigma attached to it because of the problems over the last few years.
So if this does go ahead anytime soon it will not be by the cautious conservative types that generally are involved in investing in such projects.
Edmcowboy11
Senior Member
If something like that had been done, that would have probably worked and no receivership. But alas no willingness to take that leap.
David A
Senior Member
Yes, it could have attracted some interest and then led to momentum building. If the vessel is taking on water, you may need to do more than just bail it out.
Being cautious and conservative does not always work out.
Offworld
Active Member
This had almost no effort or true strategy in it. You look at the shopping list of uses they proposed and it read like planning department pr0n. Throw everything at it including High Line steps. Honestly, there was no demand for what they were proposing, hence total failure. It threw hail Marys like hail and managed not to hit or land a single thing.View attachment 676827
A work in progress: City Centre Mall to undergo redevelopment project
As the downtown landscape changes, Edmonton’s City Centre Mall is adapting to new consumer trends and could be getting a facelift.
kcantor
Senior Member
Sometimes you include things in your zoning uses request that aren’t really in your immediate planning horizon. Some of them are simply a recognition that the zoning will exist for a very long time and you want to be able to respond to changing market demands without having to amend or change your zoning every time that happens. That’s why initially it looks like a shopping list even though your strategy is much more focused.
MacLac
Senior Member
New Mall GM……hopefully he has a few tricks up his sleeve……
Offworld
Active Member
^ Don't read too much into that GM position. They've been hired by the receiver. It's the GMs job to say no to any financial outlays unless there is a massive risk unless they take action. This is just pro forma receiver process, and I've seen it several times.
whattheheck
Active Member
The reality is, our downtown is in terrible shape. Some difficult choices are going to have to be made. It's dirty, the landscaping and trees and in rough shape. There are homeless everywhere. It smells, there's open drug use, access is severely constrained. Our 'face' to the world is for most a no-go zone.
And please stop the cheerleading. The first rule of fixing a problem is to acknowledge a problem exists. And it's worse now, compared to any time before.
I want our DT to thrive, but some tough love is needed to deal with the disorder. And this 'but the province' Sure, but the province does not give a damn about Edm. That's our reality; the hand that we've been played. The next council has to do something, grow a spine and stick to it. Otherwise, it will just get worse.
And please stop the cheerleading. The first rule of fixing a problem is to acknowledge a problem exists. And it's worse now, compared to any time before.
I want our DT to thrive, but some tough love is needed to deal with the disorder. And this 'but the province' Sure, but the province does not give a damn about Edm. That's our reality; the hand that we've been played. The next council has to do something, grow a spine and stick to it. Otherwise, it will just get worse.