[Kosy123]

this is going to be one of the most iconic parts of downtown for years to come. I LOVE IT!

It honestly will be! It'll be a great combination of:

- Big new park
- Valley Line stops nearby (I was worried how accessible these would be at first, but seeing the SE leg work as is, I'm much more confident of the downtown stops)
- Future residential projects (I fully expect and am confident some of the Housing Accelerator Fund money we'll be getting will be allocated to downtown residential grants)

It'll be a decent catalyst for people to visit, I'm excited to use the ice rink here in the future, especially with that Northern Lights feature they have.

 

[David A]

The fountain is gone due to budget pressures. The Pavilion is slightly enlarged to accommodate Parks maintenance but the programming space has been altered and reduced. Tree locations have been tweaked to reduce the need for soil cells in some cases. The rest of the park is the same and finalized, goes to tender early next year. Anticipated construction start May and substantial completion end of 2025.

As Claude Cormier passed away recently this is likely to be his final work.

Claude Cormier, Landscape Architect With a Playful Eye, Dies at 63 (Published 2023)

His archly humorous designs for parks and other public spaces confused officials and delighted the citizens of Montreal and Toronto.

www.nytimes.com

As a city we are so amazingly consistent in our shortcomings, it generally seems we cheap out and can't afford nice things, but so many here can afford to travel or move to other places that can.

 

[Greenspace]

I just wish it was bigger. That parking lot west of the Boston Pizza really bugs me. Why can't the city expropriate the land from that American owner?

It was never intended to be part of the park. Jasper Avenue is intended to have urban development along the street to form a street wall. Heard similar criticisms from others about how development there could shade the park in the future. There's pros and cons to both points of view.

 

[David A]

It was never intended to be part of the park. Jasper Avenue is intended to have urban development along the street to form a street wall. Heard similar criticisms from others about how development there could shade the park in the future. There's pros and cons to both points of view.

Good luck with that. How many decades since that lot facing Jasper Ave actually had a building on it?

I wouldn't be surprised the park will be long completed and there will remain that lovely parking lot in front of it for many more decades.

 

[ChazYEG]

You could say design elements are quite standardized!

My thoughts exactly. Tbh, I wish they could have gotten that parking lot AND the BP (maybe have BP relocate into The Parks CRUs). Could;ve given them space to have some things that were suggested here, such as sports courts (tennis, basketball), etc.

 

[TAS]

My thoughts exactly. Tbh, I wish they could have gotten that parking lot AND the BP (maybe have BP relocate into The Parks CRUs). Could;ve given them space to have some things that were suggested here, such as sports courts (tennis, basketball), etc.

Agreed. I'm happy for our park. This pic makes me sad.

 

[thommyjo]

Tbh, I’m still very excited.

This isn’t groundbreaking. But if we’re honest, we aren’t flush with cash and doubling the cost of this to “go big” likely backfires in political points and PR.

This is one of the best neighborhood parks in the city if that’s the comparison. Will it attract people from all over the city? No.

But it gets rid of a MASSIVE eyesore.
Has already started new developments with hopefully more soon.
It adds basketball hoops, some nice seating and swings, some children areas, tons of trees. Hopefully some well executed art. The theming is nice and feels local. Not trying too hard, but thoughtful.

In the end, how many people use it will be key. And the design definitely impacts that. But so does the residential development and safety around it. That’s more important imo.

I still think it was a miss to not build the most insane children’s playground in the city here as a marquee attraction though.

 

[EdmTrekker]

The city never plants cedars. They could do very well in a park setting add a nice accent, don’t spread out causing dead zones under their canopy, nesting sites for song birds and produce thousands of tiny cone as a food source. They can also be used as a wind break or screen or shade.

Tamarack - but they also need water. The city needs to be do a better job in creating sunken places so water can collect and hold longer and plant trees there. Should be city policy to use soil cells for all plantings of trees and larger shrubs.

 

[Greenspace]

^They use soil cells where trees are planted in or surrounded by hard surfaces like concrete and pavers.

 

[SMayo]

I've seen lots of debate about the parking lot, about how its included in some renderings being upgraded from its current state, and then in other diagrams being shown as out of project boundaries. Who owns that lot? its not the city is it? and if its not the city I really hope the city isn't involved in upgrading it for whoever is the owner.

 

[Garneau2Go]

As a city we are so amazingly consistent in our shortcomings, it generally seems we cheap out and can't afford nice things, but so many here can afford to travel or move to other places that can.

It is kind of disappointing that we are so wealthy and have so many natural resources yet our downtown and public works tend to be shabby in comparison to other Canadian cites. I've said it before in another thread but the difference between how Edmonton and Calgary are put together always suprises me

 

[Greenspace]

^Talk to the province. They don't give cities their fair share imo, balance their books by offloading services and issues to municipalities.

I provided some photos of cafes in other parks in other cities to administration for the pavilion. They're not interested in doing anything like that. I'm still excited for the park and pavilion and everything, but it's not 100% 'best practices', sometimes its what admin knows says in policy and they can't imagine anything beyond that.

Kafka's at Rainbow Park, Vancouver - https://movernie.com/rainbow-park-a...-vancouver-bc-canada-vancouver-travel-series/
Pique Nique at Tanner Street Park, London, UK - https://www.instagram.com/piquenique32/?hl=en

Both are located next to the playground or tennis courts for passive surveillance.

In the City's defense, if developments around the park have some retail bays looking onto the park, that could also accommodate something like a cafe. And there will be space and hookups for a food truck. But this was to be an instant win.

 

[Barnaby]

The private lot isn't a concern of mine at all. I was in this area on Friday night, and it was packed. I'm not sure if this is a result of the VLSE, but DT has been uncharacteristically busy at night recently. Towers will surround this park shortly after it's built.

 

[Tropical]

I can back this up that nightlife has been very busy downtown. My sense is that this market has too many kitchens and too few bars at the moment.

 

[IanO]

Too many kitchens or too few people?

Downtown used to be a destination for many when going out for dinner, but sadly its reputation, safety issues, parking costs and far better options in the burbs have reduced this crowd immensely.

Thankfully there are still a handful of worthy destination spots, but it pales in comparison to the hub it once was.