What do you think of this project?

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I admit I was unaware of the goji berries here. That is kinda interesting.

What about the gojis? Edmonton tower plans sprout debate
As city council weighs the pros and cons of a contentious 80-storey condo proposed for the river valley, some little-known plants are sprouting up into the conversation.

Edmonton’s Chinese community planted a throng of traditional goji bushes sometime in the 1930s to 1940s near the area where developer, Alldritt, is now proposing to build the tower.

Their history is spurring debate over preserving the city’s history.

Lan Chan, the historian for Chinese Benevolent Association of Edmonton, said Tuesday the bushes are deeply rooted in local Chinese culture, noting residents would use them for medicines and food.
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http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmont...gojis-80-storey-tower-plans-spout-debate.html
 
Land sale for 80-storey Edmonton tower raises questions: Community member
The city has released the public side of its proposed deal to sell river valley land so a developer can build an 80-storey tower on it.

The deal, split into a public and private portion to protect the developer's business interests, has several clauses that deal with what might happen if the developer, Alldritt, doesn't stick to the city's wishes.

What’s concerning for some is the scenario where Alldritt doesn't build the tower and instead wants to sell the land. If that happens, under the current deal the city may not be able to buy back the land.

"A commercial sale of land to a developer who can resell it to other developers does raise some flags, in terms of what precedent is set for the future of the river valley park," said Candas Jane Dorsey, treasurer of the Boyle Street Community League.
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http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmont...and-details-for-river-valley-development.html

Risks identified in sale of Edmonton parkland for 80-storey tower
The 80-storey tower dangles like a carrot before council.

But there’s significant risk, says a public report released Thursday on the possible land sale. There’s little in the agreement that would protect the city if the developer buys the river valley parkland from the city and builds something at a lesser scale, like a 40-storey tower instead.

Likewise, if the developer starts to build, then can’t finish, the city’s hands would be tied, says the city report. “The city would not be able to buy the city land back at this point.”

The first scenario is “likely” to happen, says the city’s land sales group, assigning it a 4 out of 5 for likelihood of occurrence. The second scenario is a 3 out of 5, or “possible.”
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http://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...sale-of-edmonton-parkland-for-80-storey-tower
 
Daveography said:
http://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...sale-of-edmonton-parkland-for-80-storey-tower
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"But there’s significant risk, says a public report released Thursday on the possible land sale."
From the report: "Public Access Easement Area and Public Access Easement Fee ● The City to pay the Buyer a Public Access Easement Fee to secure easement rights over the public amenity space."

Why wouldn't the city divide up the land so that they keep the part that they want to use as a public access easement? Then they could let the market do what they want with the rest of the land.


Risks identified in the report:
  • "Developer purchases land and does not proceed with development or obtaining a development permit" (3 - Possible) ie. it is possible for developer to purchase the land and merely sit on it as an investment. "Note that if a development permit is never issued then the City never receives the Additional Purchase Price. "
  • "Developer purchases land and sells land for a profit without developing" (3 - Possible)
  • "Developer purchases land and does not deliver a project on the scale of what is being proposed" (4 - Likely)
  • "Developer purchases land, begins development, and can not complete development" (3 - Possible) This is the only case where the city could not buy back the land. However, since "The conditional sale of City-owned lands is proposed to be concluded at market value", I assume a later buy-back would also be at market value at the time.
  • "City may potentially not have park space for a period of up to 15 years." (3 - Possible)

I think people should stop calling this the "80-storey tower". They call that the "carrot" being dangled, but it's not what's being negotiating. Calling it that is just misleading to others, or to ourselves. If we called it what it is, it would be the "0-storey building with option to build a 1- to 80-storey building".
 
Opinion: Tower will enhance and protect river valley
I enjoyed the opinion piece by Alice Major on the Alldritt Tower. I share much of her vision for a city we love, but I disagree with her conclusions.

Alice noted council is considering the sale of a small area of parkland, a steep slope of brush. It is also inaccessible, unusable and invisibly sandwiched between Jasper Avenue and a retaining wall on Grierson Hill. Despite this, she considers it to be all the more precious because of what the city took away for Hall D.

Anyone looking at the Quarters Hotel and Residences plans would see a proposal exactly the opposite of what we inherited with Hall D, protecting and enhancing our views while providing public access and potential connections to Louise McKinney Park that won’t otherwise be achieved. It will enhance, not eliminate, our sense of the river valley and our relation to it.
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http://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-tower-will-enhance-and-protect-river-valley
 
This is not a bad idea:

Environmental advocates pushes for 'no net loss' on 80-storey land sale south of Jasper Avenue
Conservation groups pushed for “no net loss” of river valley land Tuesday as councillors pondered the sale of a contentious piece of parkland in The Quarters.

“This is one of the most modified piece of land in the entire river valley,” said Charlie Richmond, a representative for the Sierra Club in Edmonton.

Richmond said he’s against selling parkland, but if it is sold, the Sierra Club has several private parcels of land in the river valley they’ve identified that could immediately be purchased with the proceeds.

“It has close to zero ecological value. We could use those funds for augmenting the river valley and ravines,” he added, pointing to the land slumps, development, coal mining and human use of that parcel for more than a century.
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http://edmontonjournal.com/business...on-80-storey-land-sale-south-of-jasper-avenue
 
This on the other hand...

Opinion: Tower would change river valley forever
We have several concerns about the proposed Alldritt project east of the Shaw Conference Centre. The proposal involving selling river valley parkland to a private developer in a private deal along with what appears to be a promise to change major zoning bylaws seems to be ill-conceived.

Edmontonians may believe that the city sells its assets, especially its most prized assets, only through an open, public, transparent, deliberate and competitive process that entertains no private deals. In this case, they will be sorely mistaken. Apparently, the proposal’s supporters on city council see the proposed 80-storey structure as an iconic building that will finally put Edmonton on the world map. Therefore, all norms and time-honoured practices in such matters can be discarded.
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This has to be the most widely discussed tower project in the history of Edmonton.

City committee delays decision on sale of river valley land to Quarters tower developer
The city's executive committee is delaying a decision on whether to sell a piece of river valley land for a proposed 80-storey hotel and condominium.

A portion of the steep, sloped river valley would have to be sold to the developer of the Quarters Hotel and Residences to go forward with the project, which would be Edmonton's tallest building.

It would be located along the south side of Jasper Avenue, just east of the Shaw Conference Centre.

But Mayor Don Iveson said part of the reason for the two-week delay in making that decision is because the city needs to figure out how it could buy back the land if it's sold, but the project doesn't go ahead.
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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-committee-quarters-development-project-1.3982895

'Serious project' needs 'serious foundation': 80-storey tower on river valley slope would rest on piles 75 metres deep
Alldritt Group would spend tens of millions of dollars to stabilize the river valley slope before even starting to excavate for its 80-storey tower in The Quarters, the architect said Tuesday.

“This is a serious project that needs a serious foundation,” architect Brad Kennedy said as he tried to answer some of the biggest questions about a plan to build the highest tower in Western Canada above a former coal mine.

...

Kennedy said the project team would install a line of concrete piles 1-1/2 metres wide and 75 metres deep along the south edge of Jasper Avenue. Then they’d excavate and install more than 100 piles down to the bedrock.

“You’re essentially balancing the tower on those stilts and in this case there would be well over 100 of them just to hold the tower up,” said Kennedy. “You go down to a level of stabilized substructure, which in our area would be called bedrock. That structure is not subject to slides or slope instability in any way. It’s down 75 metres.”
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http://edmontonjournal.com/business...on-80-storey-land-sale-south-of-jasper-avenue

David Staples: Nine reasons to build Western Canada's tallest skyscraper

Update: Edmonton 80-storey tower debate spurs push for 'no net loss' of river valley

Proceeds from Quarters land sale should preserve more river valley: Sierra Club
 
We must save our beautiful parkland!
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IMHO the developer under the guidance of Brad Kennedy will do a much better job of designing the park space than City Administration could ever hope to achieve. The "urban balcony" concept already exists in the crude form pictured above. The space needs relativity -- relationship to the historical buildings across the street; relationship to the Quarters' Armature (which dead-ends on the "urban balcony"); relationship to Jasper Avenue, Edmonton's main Main Street; relationship to its neighbour to the west -- the Convention Centre; relationship to the historical buildings to the east -- the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Barbara and the RCMP buildings east of that; AS WELL AS the River Valley and the parks adjacent therein. Here's my two cents: Change the paving on Jasper Avenue to amalgamate the "floor" with the pedestrian way across the street, fronting some fairly important historical structures (one housing the new Ukrainian Cultural Museum that would certainly benefit from the boost in attention) -- maybe even create a broad pedestrian crosswalk -- a full block in length -- that serves the dual purpose of slowing vehicular traffic along Jasper Ave. and allows a flood of pedestrians to experience both sides of the street; Illuminate the area so that it glows at night -- I am thinking in-slab lighting combined with historical street lamps (pedestrian scale) -- maybe even a broad canopy over Jasper Avenue that functions as a story board for the River as it has impacted Edmonton's history -- what better place to highlight Edmonton's roots as a First Nations' gathering place, Edmonton's fur-trading past, a view of refinery row in the distance, and the importance of the river as a place of wonderment and awe and the river valley as a continuum of past, present and future. My hope is that the Alldritt will find a top hotelier for its over-podium portion -- perhaps a Four Seasons -- and that that will complement the new Dub-designed hotel across the street.
 
Council heading to an early vote on 80-storey tower Tuesday
Edmonton’s city council added a last minute report to their agenda Tuesday, setting themselves up for an early vote on selling parkland to accommodate an 80-storey residential tower in The Quarters.

The land sale debate will be in private, but any vote would be in public later Tuesday afternoon.

The vote wasn’t expected until executive committee next week, but means a public hearing on the contentious 80-storey tower could go ahead as planned Wednesday.

The public hearing will give Edmonton residents the chance to weigh in on rezoning considerations for the Alldritt Tower planned for Jasper Avenue just east of downtown. It starts at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
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http://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...g-to-an-early-vote-on-80-storey-tower-tuesday
 
Edmonton city council delays decision on 80-storey Quarters tower for 60 days

Edmonton city council has delayed for 60 days a land deal that could pave the way for what might become the tallest building in Alberta’s capital city.

The 280-metre high, 80-storey mixed-use tower, proposed by Alldritt Land Corp. and architect Brad Kennedy, is tentatively being called The Quarters Hotel and Residences. The thin skyscraper would be located on the south side of Jasper Avenue, east of the Shaw Conference Centre and west of 96 Street.

Alldritt Group wants to buy a piece of river valley land for part of the tower project. The proposed development would require council to make several zoning bylaw amendments to accommodate its ambitious height and the fact it would partially intrude on publicly owned land.
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http://globalnews.ca/news/3265023/e...sion-on-80-storey-quarters-tower-for-60-days/
 
Decision over proposed 80-storey tower postponed
City council has delayed the sale of land for an 80-storey residential tower in the Quarters by up to 60 days.

Council pulled a surprise move Tuesday by adding a private discussion on the land sale to its agenda a week early, but ultimately voted to delay any decision.

The proposed Quarters Hotel and Residences, located below Jasper Avenue near 96 Street, would be the tallest tower in Western Canada and taller than the still-incomplete 66-storey Stantec tower near Rogers Place in Edmonton.

“We’re continuing to make progress, but ultimately council needs to be 100 per cent assured that the public interest is protected in all scenarios of what could unfold,” Mayor Don Iveson said.
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http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2017/02/22/debate-over-proposed-80-storey-tower-postponed.html

City council delays Quarters tower decision for two months

Council sends 80-storey tower proposal back to developer
 
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