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The Greater Downtown Plan

Silence&Motion said:
I like that there's talk of affordable rental units and space for post-secondary education. However, I think this is going to be a failure unless the City massively redesigns the streets, including removing lanes.

One of the controversial elements of the plan is "enhancing" the Plus 15 network, which includes adding more connections. While I wouldn't go quite as far as some people who advocate for the dismantling of the Plus 15, I'm a little worried that doubling-down on the Plus 15 might be indicative of a larger mindset of just throwing money at preserving the status quo.
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I don't think the +15 plan will be as bad as it sounds. I'd prefer they avoid trying to enhance or expand it, but this seems geared at trying to get the +15 connected to residential buildings. I can see some value there. There needs to be an incentive to have businesses open at street level instead of the +15. If they can keep the +15, but move the businesses to the street level I'd be good with that.
 
Chinook Arch said:
this seems geared at trying to get the +15 connected to residential buildings. I can see some value there. There needs to be an incentive to have businesses open at street level instead of the +15. If they can keep the +15, but move the businesses to the street level I'd be good with that.
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I think the plan is to: have the city contribute to the +15 fund on behalf of residential buildings, then use the fund to fund missing links in the system.
 
It is crazy the level of rental incentives buildings in and near the core are offering right now. I'm about to sign a lease with First on Tenth (formerly Bromley Square), and I'm getting a 29th floor, 650 ft2 with 150 ft2 balcony, south facing unit for 1175/mo with two months free rent :oops: It's definitely a renters market out there for once. These units are typically 1450, not including the extra for having a dog.

UPTEN, The International, Rocky Mountain Court, and 1215 (at least) are all offering major incentives right now too.


That said, if it's taking that much to entice people to the core right now, it might be a while until we see an uptick like we're wanting to.
 
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UrbanWarrior said:
It is crazy the level of rental incentives buildings in and near the core are offering right now. I'm about to sign a lease with First on Tenth (formerly Bromley Square), and I'm getting a 29th floor, 650 ft2 with 150 ft2 balcony, south facing unit for 1175/mo with two months free rent :oops: It's definitely a renters market out there for once. These units are typically 1450, not including the extra for having a dog.

UPTEN, The International, Rocky Mountain Court, and 1215 (at least) are all offering major incentives right now too.


That said, if it's taking that much to entice people to the core right now, it might be a while until we see an uptick like we're wanting to.
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So a big thing that effects the rental apartment market is what I'd call 'new household formation'. People leaving their parents' place and gradually moving up the chain.

Usually the natural incentives for young people to form their own household are very high: the ability to have people over, party, live close to work, and live close to amenities they want.

There is very little incentive to give up access to the amenities of a family household right now, when the amenities of the 'new grad' household are almost non-existent.

This will swing FAST once we reopen. We will have two years of very little household formation trying to all move at once.
 
UrbanWarrior said:
It is crazy the level of rental incentives buildings in and near the core are offering right now. I'm about to sign a lease with First on Tenth (formerly Bromley Square), and I'm getting a 29th floor, 650 ft2 with 150 ft2 balcony, south facing unit for 1175/mo with two months free rent :oops: It's definitely a renters market out there for once. These units are typically 1450, not including the extra for having a dog.

UPTEN, The International, Rocky Mountain Court, and 1215 (at least) are all offering major incentives right now too.


That said, if it's taking that much to entice people to the core right now, it might be a while until we see an uptick like we're wanting to.
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I hope that building is in much better shape than when I was there in 2005, that place made me quite nervous, especially the elevators!
 
Mountain Man said:
I hope that building is in much better shape than when I was there in 2005, that place made me quite nervous, especially the elevators!
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yeah, I remember it from when I moved here 10 years ago. The name was essentially synonymous with ghetto… as if Calgary has anything close to a ghetto.

My best friend has lived there for the past year, they've redone it completely, granite countertops and the whole 9… It's pretty impressive. The reviews are either really good or really terrible, but I'm gonna go with what I've seen/experienced.
 
I'm getting into the 29th floor south facing. So freaking excited.
 
Mountain Man said:
Which side are you on and how high up? I had a south facing unit on the 25 floor and the views were spectacular!
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I lived on the 18th floor of Mount Royal House (above Bottlescrew Bills) across the street from you around the same time (2005/2006). Because of the 7 floors of parkade, I was actually about 25 floors up. My view was west, sold me on the apartment the moment I saw it. Here are some throwback photos from that era I found on my computer....

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This sums up what some of us have been saying on this blog. No new condo projects coming to downtown. Me also thinks there will be glut of rental apartments in the core, when Curtis Block, Arris, Place 10, Steps The Bridges, Dominion, West Village, The 5th, Block on 4th (and others I have missed); hit the market. These units will be on top of the hundreds that are sitting empty. I don't see how it won't take many years to absorb.
Also concerning, is the author underlining the need for residential development around the new Event Centre in order for the cost of that build to make sense. You would expect those same Vancouver-based developers to be first in line in normal times.
 
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