This kind of thing is why I think our issues downtown are more one of narrative than they are of any particular statistic. Edmontonians believe downtown is dangerous, dead, and hard to navigate. We need to change that viewpoint before anything else will happen. We need to be much better at selling what is already good about the core. I love living downtown, there's nowhere else I'd rather live in the city. One day I want to own a condo here; but people in Edmonton really genuinely just don't understand what an urban lifestyle can look like or how it's great. I once mentioned the price of a nice condo to a friend and they were aghast I was willing to pay that, because "I could get a house for that." They couldn't for the life of themselves understand that I don't want a house.
Anyway, back on topic, I'm very excited to see any movement at all on this site. I think this project - in terms of mindshare - will have the most transformative impact on the core out of anything starting in the near future. That corner of Jasper Avenue is a depressing mess, and Capital Boulevard is oozing with unmet potential.