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Surrealplaces

Surrealplaces

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Thread for this project. Located beside University City Towers.

This is the rendering in the RioCan Boardwalk document.
https://www.bwalk.com/en-CA/Investors/GetInvestorDocument/277
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Here is a link to the Boardwalk document. Apparently a bit older info.
http://riocan.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/development_book_2016
 

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I go there every Monday evening for wings and beer at Kilks with my frat brothers, so I should be able to update this fairly regularly now that construction has commenced. My current cell cam is total shit though, so it being dark out so early, the pics won't be great quality.
 
Why is it always the repulsive designs that get built?
 
This one also looks like it could get started. Seems to be in the final tendering stage. A lot more rental projects are getting the green light recently even though the vacancy rate is still quite high.
 
JonnyCanuck said:
This one also looks like it could get started. Seems to be in the final tendering stage. A lot more rental projects are getting the green light recently even though the vacancy rate is still quite high.
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That's what we're talking about. It is under construction as of now. I can confirm that there is a drill on the site, just wasn't able to get a pic because I called shotgun and one of my buddies might have stolen it if I stopped to take a pic :p hahaha
 
I can confirm that too :) I was at Pho Kim yesterday and snapped these on the way home.
 

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I don't mind either design too much. I would like to see some better details of the ground-floor treatment, however overall either building looks like it might succeed:
  • Variable heights, with low-maximum makes it more interesting and less shadowy than a point-tower while maintaining high density
  • Purpose-built rental helps diversify the area and generates more street life, demand for services
  • Maintains the mini-street grid forming from the University City development (that is a very low bar, but more than I can say about the Co-op proposal)
  • Pushes density further south, towards the main activity centre in the area and why development is happening here in the first place (University of Calgary & the research park)
  • Pedestrian-oriented retail in both examples
What the city should do to help these Brentwood developments reach their full potential is working on the connectivity within the site (strong, consistent street grid) and re-organize 32nd Avenue NW across Crowchild and into the university. The road is largely over-built / over-engineered like most of our 1970s era boulevards that sap urban vibrancy potential away by being too fast, too wide and hostile to pedestrians. The University of Calgary area is the most obvious area outside the core to invest in a higher-quality public realm and active transportation designs because it combines both poor active transportation designs with the high active transportation mode share.
 
I prefer the 'repulsive' design. I'd rather see Brentwood TOD as a grouping of different designs rather than a grouping of buildings all of the same design. The podium has retail facing both streetscapes, which is what I care about most.
 
I actually like the brown one better as well.
 
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