8-10mil to demo if I recall with that land being worth less than that (guesstimate).
 
8-10mil to demo if I recall with that land being worth less than that (guesstimate).
Sounds about right. I recall seeing the numbers come through to bring the electrical and mechanical systems up to code and it wasn't worth the money.

I believe that was the biggest issue with the current status of the building
 
Or use for cheap housing? How many cell blocks do you reckon? At least 300….bingo….homes for 300 that would normally live under a blue tarp off of 97th…..
 
As Vacs mentioned, far from cheap to bring it up to code and make it a place that is anything close to a 'home' for anyone.
 
2019 ABC

I have not read the building evaluation report, but my guess would be all new electrical, some plumbing updates (coring gets expensive), upgraded common spaces and a whole bunch of life safety.
you are correct.

from what I have seen, to bring it up to current code its pretty much a gut job for life safety, plumbing, HVAC and electrical.

then you are coring and slab cutting which adds up real fast when every wall in the place is made of concrete
 
Probably cost $20m to demo it. What’s the bare land worth before rezoning?
 
probably an awful lot less than $20M... the site is actually a lot more problematic than even the coliseum which shares the same issue - the cost of creating the vacant land is substantially greater than the underlying value of the land. It's more problematic here because the site itself is quite restricted because of the lrt alignment between it and the brownlee building.

both of them will require a much more imaginative solution than demolition and new construction if they are not going to remain black holes sucking the life out of whatever is around them.
 
52158862433_1c875585aa_k.jpg
 

New future for old Edmonton remand site​

February 15, 2023 Media inquiries
Demolition of the former Edmonton Remand Centre will start this year to make space for new developments in downtown Edmonton.
To make way for new building opportunities in Edmonton’s downtown core, a Request for Proposal has been issued for the demolition of the former Edmonton Remand Centre. The remand centre was built specifically as a corrections facility and it would not be cost effective for the government or private sector to repurpose for any other use.
“Fiscal responsibility matters and demolishing this unused facility is the best choice for Alberta’s bottom line. We will be saving tax dollars on the upkeep of an old, empty building, while opening the door for future development opportunities for downtown Edmonton.”
Nathan Neudorf, Minister of Infrastructure
Demolition is expected to be complete in 2025, after which the land will either be sold or repurposed for another facility.
The former remand facility has not housed inmates since April 2013 when the new Edmonton Remand Centre opened. The former site was decommissioned in 2019 to save approximately $1 million per year in upkeep costs.
Demolition of the former Edmonton Remand Centre, which is located on 97th Street and 104th Avenue, across from the Royal Alberta Museum, is expected to begin in June 2023 and take approximately 18 months to complete.

Quick facts​

  • The facility had been offered for use to other Government of Alberta ministries in 2014, 2016 and 2019. None expressed a need or use for the building.
  • In October 2019, the facility was fully decommissioned and shuttered per recommendations of the Government Savings and Revenue Action Plan.
    • This included shutting off all building systems and utilities.
    • The facility is no longer fit for occupancy or immediate reuse.
  • Between 2013 and 2019, the facility was sporadically used as a government training site, as temporary severe weather winter shelter in support of Boyle Street Community Services and as a filming location for a variety of film and television projects.
  • The former Edmonton Remand Centre was originally built in 1979 and is approximately 18,500 square metres.

Media inquiries​

Benji Smith

780-686-5798
Press Secretary, Infrastructure
 
The optimist in me hopes that once this is torn down, we see development on the site within a few years, or sooner.

The pessimist in me sees this site sitting un-developed for many years.

Let the optimist side of me come out Edmonton!
 
The realist in me sees this site sitting un-developed for many years.

I fixed that for you. Given numerous reasons including the amount of undeveloped land parcels that sit in the core area (Rossdale, Exhibition, other phases of Station lands) and the general market activity, coupled with the less than attractive location and lack of amenities in the area, I cannot see this being developed for quite sometime unfortunately.

That is not pessimistic or negative. That is a strongly realistic outcome given the factors I mentioned.
 

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