[lenaitch]

There is still some good architecture in Niagara Falls, but nearly all of that is inherited from the past.

I think the issue of the hotels and poor planning in Niagara Falls ultimately falls to the city and its lack of vision that has resulted in piecemeal development within a rather ugly inner city neighborhood. Still, it does point to a general shallowness of CanCon architecture and planning in many Ontario small cities and towns.

With particular regard to "inner city neighbourhoods", while I don't know the detailed history of the area, I get the sense that, historically, Niagara Falls was a fairly industrial town that just happened to surround an environmental feature. The OHPC and its predecessors no doubt employed hundreds of workers and the proximity to the Welland Canal spawned shipping and heavy industry-related employment. Back in the '50s and '60s, visiting The Falls was largely a day trip event.

*****

For those who think that a casino is guaranteed solution, both Gateway Casinos and Great Canadian Entertainment have or are dealing with significant debt lately.

Canada’s Gateway Casinos Seeks $1.3 Billion in Private Debt

One of Canada’s biggest gaming companies is seeking as much as C$1.8 billion ($1.3 billion) of private debt to refinance loans and pay owners a dividend, in what would be one of the country’s biggest such deals this year.

www.bnnbloomberg.ca

 

[SashaLemon]

This might be a stupid idea... but what if you built a GO station right next to the Fallsview using the Montrose spur? I guess your issue would be figuring out how to get back up to St. Catharines, either cheaply and slowly or fast but requiring a buttload of new infrastructure. Up the QEW? Rebuild the track that split off past Carl Rd to get onto the Stamford Sub and then do a little loop? Rebuild that track but then use the Thorold/Coniagas spur and then rebuild a bridge THEN go back to the mainline? Do something else equally crazy?

Listen I'm just starting at OpenRailwayMap here I don't actually know what is feasible in real life... I just keep looking at that spot next to the The Oakes Hotel where they built a parking lot and a road over the rail alignment but they left a tunnel... it almost seems perfect.

 

[rdaner]

FYI: ChatGPT
Tokyo Disney World - 200h
Shanghai Disney - 390h
Paris Disney - 700 h

 

[jje1000]

Also IMO the whole customs and road network around the Rainbow Bridge should be cleaned up, as often times the line of cars crossing the bridge into the US spills out into the adjacent streets.

 

[afransen]

FYI: ChatGPT
Tokyo Disney World - 200h
Shanghai Disney - 390h
Paris Disney - 700 h

What does this mean?

 

[lenaitch]

Also IMO the whole customs and road network around the Rainbow Bridge should be cleaned up, as often times the line of cars crossing the bridge into the US spills out into the adjacent streets.

A la Huronchurch Rd. in Windsor. A few others, like Sault Ste Marie and Cornwall would be as bad if volumes were as high. Many border crossings were built for simpler times.

 

[gabe]

Niagara will never be Vegas North. Maybe Atlantic City north, where they roll up the carpet in the winter months.

Vegas benefits from having no major city near by to compete with. Los Angeles is a 4 hour drive away in good traffic, heavy traffic 5 hours. Toronto is right down the street from Niagara.

 

[SubHuman]

Niagara will never be Vegas North. Maybe Atlantic City north, where they roll up the carpet in the winter months...

The supposedly "prime redevelopment site" of Atlantic City's Bader Field has been sitting largely empty for about 18 years, except for a little-used former minor-league baseball stadium and a small of number music festivals. Let's hope Downsview Airport develops a little more quickly.

Bader Field - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org