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Urban Development and Proposals Discussion

I can't say I'm particularly attached to that row of houses. I understand the appeal of narrow lots on a commercial street, but it's not like wide lots are incompatible with pedestrian friendly streetscapes. There are plenty of amazing streets in New York and the capitals of Europe that are almost exclusively wide lots. They just have to be done right.
 
O-tac said:
I agree with you but fear they are targetting those houses and others like them specifically. Also I don’t know if they actually own any of the fast food chains or parking lots. Developers only ever seem to buy interesting and or heritage buildings to bulldoze while leaving empty parking lots next door.
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ASI is definitely targeting those houses. One of the projects in their portfolio is on that block. Which is a shame because the owner seems to have his heart in the right place, it's just too bad they aren't targeting places like the KFC, or the empty lot across the street.

On a side note, some people in the article (like the owner of Una Pizza) talked about 17th ave going downhill and having less people visiting, but it seems the same to me as it always has. The fact that retail rents are still the same or higher than they were 10 years ago tells me we haven't seen all the numbers or the whole story. 17th Ave's position as the dominant destination spot for shopping/bars/restos isn't the same as it used to be in a relative sense. Kensington, Marda Loop, Bridgeland, Mission, and Inglewood have all made great strides in the last decade to make themselves destination spots. Streets like 1St SW, 19th street NW, and Edmonton Trail near Renfrew have made in-roads. East Village is also coming online now. I don't think 17th ave is fading except maybe in relative terms.
 
Well said Cowtown. Also a bit off topic, but I noticed the comment from Una Pizza as well, and wonder if it's their business in particular? Blaze is close by and has good pizza for a good prices.
Cowtown said:
On a side note, some people in the article (like the owner of Una Pizza) talked about 17th ave going downhill and having less people visiting, but it seems the same to me as it always has. The fact that retail rents are still the same or higher than they were 10 years ago tells me we haven't seen all the numbers or the whole story. 17th Ave's position as the dominant destination spot for shopping/bars/restos isn't the same as it used to be in a relative sense. Kensington, Marda Loop, Bridgeland, Mission, and Inglewood have all made great strides in the last decade to make themselves destination spots. Streets like 1St SW, 19th street NW, and Edmonton Trail near Renfrew have made in-roads. East Village is also coming online now. I don't think 17th ave is fading except maybe in relative terms.
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I'm wondering what they are planning for this block!! It's in an important prime location. Maybe this is the development that Druh tweeted about while back...
The news magazine store, which was located at 604 1st St. S.W., had to close shop as the owner of the Lougheed Building is planning a future re-purposing of the site.
https://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2018/4/billys-news
 
Meikkhaell said:
I actually don't mind it that much. I don't see the "hockey player" comparison they're trying to make - feels like a pretty big stretch - but the bird is nice i guess.

O-tac's right though. I've seen far nicer art get treated with a lot less respect.
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I think it's the colours they are trying to pass off as hockey, pretty loose connection at best.
 
Silence&Motion said:
I can't say I'm particularly attached to that row of houses. I understand the appeal of narrow lots on a commercial street, but it's not like wide lots are incompatible with pedestrian friendly streetscapes. There are plenty of amazing streets in New York and the capitals of Europe that are almost exclusively wide lots. They just have to be done right.
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They just add character IMO.
 
bgarneau said:
Between ASI scooping up all these low rises, and the Rivers District initiation (8000 residents, 4mm ft2 commercail anticipated), there sure is a lot of density-filling speculation going on right now.
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Beltline has been growing on average by about 550 people per year since 2003. This isn't speculation, it is just growth.
 
Cowtown said:
ASI is definitely targeting those houses. One of the projects in their portfolio is on that block. Which is a shame because the owner seems to have his heart in the right place, it's just too bad they aren't targeting places like the KFC, or the empty lot across the street.

On a side note, some people in the article (like the owner of Una Pizza) talked about 17th ave going downhill and having less people visiting, but it seems the same to me as it always has. The fact that retail rents are still the same or higher than they were 10 years ago tells me we haven't seen all the numbers or the whole story. 17th Ave's position as the dominant destination spot for shopping/bars/restos isn't the same as it used to be in a relative sense. Kensington, Marda Loop, Bridgeland, Mission, and Inglewood have all made great strides in the last decade to make themselves destination spots. Streets like 1St SW, 19th street NW, and Edmonton Trail near Renfrew have made in-roads. East Village is also coming online now. I don't think 17th ave is fading except maybe in relative terms.
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Developers don't "target" character buildings as part of some nefarious scheme. They look for value propositions, opportunities for consolidation (ever try building a parkade on a single lot?) and sites in good locations. I suspect part of the reason why lots like KFC, Wendy's, or MacDonalds are not "targeted" is because you have to work through their real estate divisions, which sounds like months, if not years, of headaches just to get a response.

High streets evolve. Find me any high street in a really urban city (European high streets for example), that are nothing but independent shops. Go to Kalvertstraat in Amsterdam or Gracia in Barcelona, and you will be hard pressed to find a mom & pop shop, and you couldn't throw a stone without hitting a Zara or H&M. Boutique retail is awesome, but it eventually gets priced out, but it just moves a few blocks away. There is nothing wrong with that.
 
Agreed. 'targeting', was not a good choice of wording, I meant that it was one of the parcels of land they own and are intending to build on. I also agree on the point about neighborhoods evolving as they do, I just meant that judging by the rents that landlords fetch along 17th, that it's not in decline as one business owner might suggest.
retrofiturbanism said:
Developers don't "target" character buildings as part of some nefarious scheme. They look for value propositions, opportunities for consolidation (ever try building a parkade on a single lot?) and sites in good locations. I suspect part of the reason why lots like KFC, Wendy's, or MacDonalds are not "targeted" is because you have to work through their real estate divisions, which sounds like months, if not years, of headaches just to get a response.

High streets evolve. Find me any high street in a really urban city (European high streets for example), that are nothing but independent shops. Go to Kalvertstraat in Amsterdam or Gracia in Barcelona, and you will be hard pressed to find a mom & pop shop, and you couldn't throw a stone without hitting a Zara or H&M. Boutique retail is awesome, but it eventually gets priced out, but it just moves a few blocks away. There is nothing wrong with that.
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Off-topic question for the crowd: many folks here seem to have strong opinions and are able to articulate their thoughts and feelings on whether a new project is aligning with their values. I will assume many people have an architecture and/or urban planning background, but if anyone would like to recommend some literature or other resources for an aspiring developer it would be greatly appreciated.
 
There are countless books on a lot of topics when it comes to Urban Planning/design. A good one that I would recommend though is Triumph of The City, by Edward Glaeser. Not sure if it is the thing you are looking for, but I enjoyed it.
 
bgarneau said:
Off-topic question for the crowd: many folks here seem to have strong opinions and are able to articulate their thoughts and feelings on whether a new project is aligning with their values. I will assume many people have an architecture and/or urban planning background, but if anyone would like to recommend some literature or other resources for an aspiring developer it would be greatly appreciated.
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Great question! It probably deserves its own thread. I joined UrbanToronto.ca about 10 years ago. A lot of my knowledge on architecture, planning, and development has come from spending a lot of time on that forum (and this one when it opened a couple years ago).

In terms of books:

Jane Jacobs' Death and Life of Great American Cities (the holy bible of urbanism)
William H Whyte's The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
Michael Sorkin's Variations on a Theme Park
James Howard Kunstler's The Geography of Nowhere
Janette Sadik-Khan's Streetfight

For specific cities:
Eric Arthur's Toronto, No Mean City
Mike Davis' City of Quartz (Los Angeles)
Ric Burns' PBS documentary on New York City (which draws a lot from Robert Caro's biography of Robert Moses, The Power Broker)

Annalise Klingbeil (former city hall reporter for the Herald) had been organizing the "Calgary Urban Affairs Book Club". I'm not sure if she's still doing it or not.
 
Some books with a planning focus that I've enjoyed:

Human Transit - Jarrett Walker

Happy City - Charles Montgomery

Cities for People - Jan Gehl

Retrofitting Suburbia - Ellen-Dunham Jones

Great Streets - Allan Jacobs

Where We Want to Live - Ryan Gravel

Toward Sustainable Communities - Mark Roseland
 
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