MissingMiddle
Active Member
I'd put all my money on the fact that development is waiting for the Eau Claire green line station to be integrated, I'm surprised the plaza redevelopment even started.
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Urban Development and Proposals Discussion
- Thread starter Surrealplaces
- Start date
Mountain Man
Senior Member
The Eau Claire neighbourhood has actually done quite well, lots of new development in the last 15 years. The site of the market itself has stagnated, lots of different iterations of that project proposed, but Harvard seems reluctant to pull the trigger. The funny thing is I think the market would be successful if renovated and reinvigorated.
darwink
Senior Member
The market would be successful if the operator offered long term leases with lower rents (perhaps rents with a variable component based on sales).
That the market almost instantly failed was due to a short term leasing strategy because the city wanted to ensure a return on their investment. Compare that to the Forks in Winnipeg, where after 20 years the mall is now standing on its own two feet even though in 2006 it sucked almost as much as Eau Claire did.
That the market almost instantly failed was due to a short term leasing strategy because the city wanted to ensure a return on their investment. Compare that to the Forks in Winnipeg, where after 20 years the mall is now standing on its own two feet even though in 2006 it sucked almost as much as Eau Claire did.
sameg
New Member
Demolition may start soon for this one. Area has been fenced off.
Pretty solid project. From the architect's website:
Work in Progress-The Martel Block | systemic-arch
www.systemic-ai.com
MichaelS
Senior Member
For Eau Claire, the one I am most diappointed in seeing stall out was Quadreal's B lands, the 7 tower project on those two massive surface parking lots north of 2nd AVe, between 4th and 6th Street.
JonnyCanuck
Senior Member
I agree. That project was planned as purpose-built rentals (not condos) and a hotel if I recall. In the time that it was proposed (I want to say around 2014-15), there have been at least a dozen purpose-built rental buildings completed in the inner city. It was not market demand that they were waiting for. It is something else that prevented this project from starting.
Similarly, Bentall Kennedy's expansion along 13 Ave never materialized.
Urban Outdoorsman
Active Member
I wonder if a part of the reason developers are going elsewhere is a lack of amenities in the neighborhood. Asides from the mall (which is half empty) there isn't really a lot going on in Eau Claire. I suspect even a grocery store and a more concentrated retail node would go a long way. As it is, you pretty much need to go to other neighbors like Kensington, EV or Beltline to access amenities. The few that do exist in Eau Claire are scattered around and not always in the best locations
CBBarnett
Senior Member
And Chinatown - loads of amenities and shops right there. But overall I agree, Eau Claire in itself isn't offering a lot except for centrality to all the other communities that offer arguably more.
What would be an absolute slam dunk is the developments around Eau Claire really integrating to their one killer asset - the pathways system.
Some developments are better than others at this, but mostly this remains a completely missed opportunity for a high degree of integration between the bicycle system and the building. Imagine living in Eau Claire and riding out of your parking garage every morning directly onto the pathway system like a train station in the Netherlands?
Eau Claire's current supply of developments are largely auto-oriented, fortress-style master plan blocks of towers and townhomes. Most have limited permeability and interaction with the pathway system. It's this weird irony - there's been tower and townhomes projects in Eau Claire for decades, demonstrating a level of demand to live here. But the way the buildings are designed, they seem to almost go out of their way to dissuade easy access for the residents to the amenity they (presumably) want to live nearby to.
Sure - there's some sidewalks and gates in the security fences, but I can't think of a better opportunity for true development/pathway integration in Eau Claire:
- bicycle garages that connect directly onto the pathway
- High quality connections through and around all developments
- Pathway-fronting retail and cafes
lemongrab
Active Member
I lived in Kensington for a few years and used that stretch of pathway a few times a week...I don't think I can ever recall seeing anyone going in or out of those gates. It's hard to articulate, but it's just a weird residential feeling there.
Col du Edworthy
Active Member
Saw the sign up today for this project on Center St:
Would have been nice to see more of the parking lot dedicated to the proposed patio and consideration given to removing the Center St parking access
For reference this is what the current site looks like:
www.google.com
Would have been nice to see more of the parking lot dedicated to the proposed patio and consideration given to removing the Center St parking access
For reference this is what the current site looks like:
Google Maps
Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com
CBBarnett
Senior Member
Yeah you'd think there's be an interest to really take advantage of the amenities you live near. For only the slightest bit of defense of this bad design, partially it's an age thing - the river pathways has evolved to be the killer amenity over the past 30-40 years, it wasn't always as obvious or attractive.
Obviously I am a fan - but I don't think developers, planners and the average Calgarian quite appreciate just how solid the core network of the bicycle path is. We have (almost by accident) created a high-capacity, high quality, entirely car-free corridor stretching from Montgomery to Forest Lawn. Longer still if you upgrade the quality and capacity of the rest of the pathways system. This is actually very unique for North America.
The only thing missing is the land use and intentional building design that takes full advantage of it. Our historic bias that pathways are just "nice things" rather than "infrastructure" is at work here. With a bit more effort on design and unlocking river-adjacent development potential, we could add thousands of river-adjacent units where active mobility isn't just a nice option that some people like, but actually would be obviously more practical to anyone living there.
I would be happy to be wrong - but I assume that in the design review rooms when a new river-fronting tower is proposed they spend their time on regular stuff like vehicle parkade circulations and trash pickup details rather than the design of pathway interaction. I have been in the Waterfront towers bicycle room before and it's pathway-adjacent location appears to have played zero impact to the design and accessibility of the bicycle room.
Imagine a review process that *required* pathway fronting properties to have their bicycle rooms connect directly and efficiently to the pathway system, just like how we require parkades to connect to streets
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Nimbus
Active Member
True about the pathways evolving to be better and better, so what is the excuse for Waterfront having garbage pathway access? Big swing and a miss there.
CBBarnett
Senior Member
Agreed - see the rest of my post about Waterfront. My theory is that our process and the actors within it (city planners, community and developers) do not correctly value the pathways system for what it is and what it can be.
Col du Edworthy
Active Member
Why isn't it a requirement for all condo buildings to have ground floor bike storage? How does that become the minimum and not the exception? Same goes for office buildings, I'm currently parking on P5 buried in a corner and have to contend with ridiculously steep parkade entrance / exits fighting with traffic.
Urban Outdoorsman
Active Member
Saw the sign up today for this project on Center St:
Would have been nice to see more of the parking lot dedicated to the proposed patio and consideration given to removing the Center St parking access
For reference this is what the current site looks like:
.Google Maps
Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
Looks pretty good. Although I would like to see Center Street move away from parking lots facing the street. Especially with the green line (hopefully) coming