I've reached out to IHG to try to get some deets.
Wonder what the west side is... I'll be starring from that from my bedroom. Also would love to know what that north hotel is, seems different than simply the holiday inn.
There are windows higher up and along the other wall that also abuts. I think they could be more creative and put windows from the 2nd floor up.North wall abuts another property, no way around it.
Is there an alley there? It is hard to tell from the Google shot. If so, that corner inside is ripe for shady activity. Our neighbour built his fence with a piece that juts in along the back alley and people are always sleeping in there. I think they could have been more thoughtful on that wall given the type of property that will be there, and, the neighbourhood this will be located in. There is something to be said for the security of your guests. While I appreciate that this area will likely gentrify in the future, it is definitely not there yet and I think developments like this need to be more thoughtful in the environments they are going into. This screams like a small town hotel dropped into the middle of the city.@westcoastjos They would need to set it back from the property line in order to add windows. Not sure it's worth it, i.e., if/when that north property gets redeveloped.
Personally I'd rather have a contiguous block than have it broken up with additional setbacks.
So it adjoins the building with the blue frontage in the 3D maps image? That is what is hard to see. If so, I can see why there are no windows. That said, it is difficult to tell and looked like there was a slight gap between the two buildings - there is where my concern was. I'm not arguing against the overall development at all, but saying every project should be held to a high standard. There is too much crap in this town, because we (EDC, council, etc) accept a lot of meh and so-so developments. It is literally my job to look at things with a very critical lens. While development isn't related to my job, I would apply the same critique if it were my job.@westcoastjos I'm not sure I understand your concerns with this. Building a hotel like this will go a long way to adding some vitality to the area and adding eyes on the street, which improves safety overall. It doesn't make sense to wait for other developments to improve an area before building, not even for a hotel.
Keep in mind that this project was reviewed and approved by EDC, which includes a CPTED lens.