[IanO]

 

[archited]

Better to think of them as "incentives" @jason403 rather than "subsidies", confused by them having been given after the fact rather than leading into a project (that is the major failing of the City government). The City should lay out incentives for (especially) infrastructure-related projects. Think back and consider that, if the City had engaged the developer more directly to achieve certain outcomes, we might have had in the case of the Ice District a better developed plaza that would have had broader appeal to retailers and hospitality providers -- it could have been a hard-to-match City Square -- sure, the developer would have benefited (call it corporate welfare if you like), but the public realm would have benefited even more with an incomparable outdoor entertainment "theatre". The City could have played the role of provocateur, pushing the developer to exceed minimal standards. We could have had that roof-top public park in the heart of downtown, for example. Perceptibly, we could have imagined that such a forward-thinking force might have held onto entities like the dine-in theatres, the sports bars, etc. and the impetus of such a push might well have encouraged the developer to move Phase II plans into gear to keep up with and to sustain the momentum so created. It is that kind of thinking that was beyond the scope of what the current Mayor and Council could conceive of and it is why I call them "managers" rather than "visionaries". City "expenses" must always be laid against the notion of "potential income" -- if the City centre benefits from growth based on exceptional ideas then there are no losers and the tax base gets spread across a much larger matrix; the corollary of that is stagnation and payment of things in repair instead of in growth.

 

[David A]

I agree it would have been clearer and made more sense for the incentives to be before rather than after the fact. It probably would have given the city more ability to influence the vision of things too, but as already said they are not a visionary bunch. My observation is this city council in particular unfortunately is mostly led by city management. Its not that I am saying city management is bad, but their job is more to manage than lead. I hope after the next civic election we might get some on council who are more able and willing to lead than just follow.

 

[KreationYEG]

 

[Avenuer]

 

[IanO]

Much more 'complete'.

 

[Daveography]

Great overhead photo of the site from Leroy Schulz; you might need an Instagram login to see it:

Leroy Schulz on Instagram: "City building continues, deep freeze be damned.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Ice District, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ #photooftheday #citybuilding #construction #winter #2021 ⁠⁠ ...⁠⁠ #yeg #edmonton #alberta #capitalcity #canada⁠⁠ ...⁠⁠ #down

155 likes, 11 comments - leroyschulz on January 24, 2021: "City building continues, deep freeze be damned.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Ice District, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ #photooftheday #citybuilding #construction #winter #2021 ⁠⁠ ...⁠⁠ #yeg #edmonton #alberta #capitalcity #canada⁠⁠ ...⁠⁠ #downtown #streets...

www.instagram.com

 

[Edmcowboy11]

^^I like the skyline view in the shots, although I look forward to seeing a tower or two in the relative near future to fill in that gap.

 

[cmd uw]

Much more 'complete'.

Yes, helps complete it. Looking forward to this.

 

[KreationYEG]

 

[KreationYEG]

 

[IanO]

 

[Clearshades]

I think once this becomes completed and activations builds momentum, we could possibly see the tower portion erected sooner then we think.

 

[Edmcowboy11]

^or it might encourage other towers in the vicinity to move forward.

 

[IanO]

There is a reason that they call these 'anchors'

I just hope that enough people are willing to walk with bags, for it's incredible how many folks in our building drive the 5 blocks to SaveOn.