Connect Centre | 56.3m | 16s | ONE Properties | DIALOG

What do you think of this project?


  • Total voters
    57
Well one thing corporations need is talent and if you want to keep people here you need to make this a a great place to live so the rapid expansion of bike lanes and keeping the pedal to the metal on lrt expansion is a positive action.

Addressing downtown safety, homelessness etc will also be huge and hopefully this council will have success on these files, too. I like some of the direction so far on that front.
What are you seeing or hearing has been done about safety and homlessness? I know the city if going gangbusters on affordable housing but that will not improve safety or deal with vagrancy, panhandling, vandalism or people loafing around selling drugs.
 
This is great news but make no mistake about it, Edmonton council has been very hostile toward corporations and thus far this new council has shown to be the same.
How?

The City has very limited jurisdiction over businesses.

You are aware of the boosterism that is funded by the City, and promotion being done, by Edmonton Global? Is this deficient in some way?
 
What are you seeing or hearing has been done about safety and homlessness? I know the city if going gangbusters on affordable housing but that will not improve safety or deal with vagrancy, panhandling, vandalism or people loafing around selling drugs.
Not immediately. Ignoring affordable and supportive housing for years contributed to the issue though. Hopefully by investing in the systems now, it will have long term impacts.

There are no magic overnight solutions of dealing with homelessness and safety. Safe consumption sites helped to an extent.

I just realized what thread we're in. Will clean this up later.
 
Reference ID:Job No 424066839-002
Description:To install (1) Fascia On-Premises Sign(s) (REAL CANADIAN LIQUORSTORE)
Location:10324 - 103 STREET NW
Plan 1722545 Blk 2 Lot 7
10324 - 103 STREET NW
Plan 1722545 Blk 2 Lot 10
Applicant:INTERNATIONAL NEON
Status:Intake Review
Create Date:2/18/2022 12:29:18 PM
Neighbourhood:DOWNTOWN

Reference ID:Job No 424039266-002
Description:To develop a Comprehensive Sign Design Plan To install (7) Fascia On-Premises Sign(s) To install (2) Projecting On-Premises Sign(s) (LOBLAWS CITY MARKET)
Location:10324 - 103 STREET NW
Plan 1722545 Blk 2 Lot 7
10324 - 103 STREET NW
Plan 1722545 Blk 2 Lot 10
Applicant:INTERNATIONAL NEON
Status:Intake - More Info Requested
Create Date:2/18/2022 10:06:48 AM
 
Not immediately. Ignoring affordable and supportive housing for years contributed to the issue though. Hopefully by investing in the systems now, it will have long term impacts.

There are no magic overnight solutions of dealing with homelessness and safety. Safe consumption sites helped to an extent.

I just realized what thread we're in. Will clean this up later.
The difference for Ice District/Connect Centre however is that it is private, and security can deal with problems as they arise or restrict folks causing problems.
 
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From last week.
 
This is a big missing link for the bike network. Is the expectation that people biking will use the cross walk and end up in the plaza? Or will the bike extend and then strangely end at 104? Anyone know if there are plans for this?
Honestly it's not that big of a deal at the moment - I just wait for the scramble crossing to open for pedestrians and I cross diagonally into the Plaza, but that is without 103 Street being open to car traffic yet between 103 and 104 Ave, mind you.
 
Honestly it's not that big of a deal at the moment - I just wait for the scramble crossing to open for pedestrians and I cross diagonally into the Plaza, but that is without 103 Street being open to car traffic yet between 103 and 104 Ave, mind you.
That’s what I do as well. But I wouldn’t say that’s meets the 8/80 rule and all ages and abilities targets of a successful bike grid, let alone the way finding challenges. Ideally they’ll add a clear extension of the bike lanes on the west side of 103st to connect with the rest of the grid. Not sure exactly how though. The arena sort of blocks the connection to 105ave.

104ave is a serious “wall” rn for the grid and needs to get sorted out. Not sure if the connect center/103st/plaza opening will help at all

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That’s what I do as well. But I wouldn’t say that’s meets the 8/80 rule and all ages and abilities targets of a successful bike grid, let alone the way finding challenges. Ideally they’ll add a clear extension of the bike lanes on the west side of 103st to connect with the rest of the grid. Not sure exactly how though. The arena sort of blocks the connection to 105ave.

104ave is a serious “wall” rn for the grid and needs to get sorted out. Not sure if the connect center/103st/plaza opening will help at all

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Definitely agree that 104 needs better bike crossings, but I'd say that going through McEwan at 106 Street is AAA.
 
^^^There was already a façade improvement planned, my guess it that will be sped up.

The reality is that amount of square footage being used and office workers in the Downtown is stagnant, and has been for a very long time. Owners of the current CWB building will have to be very aggressive at attracting smaller firms, small engineering companies or tech start ups (Jasper/103st and area could be a bit of a tech hub if positioned correctly).
Well Edmonton doesn't have a history of being a head office city. The city doesn't put much effort into attracting head offices, it mostly pays lip service to it and I don't think it really understands the benefits having more head office would bring.
However no, that is not the fault of the current or past mayor or a councillor or two someone may not feel is pro business enough. Its way beyond that, is a systemic thing in the City of Edmonton.

Also, part of the problem arises is that larger commercial office buildings are often owned by large companies in distant cities that either don't understand or care about the local market. I think I have called them absentee landlords before. I don't mean physically absent, but mentally absent.

So, if the owners of the CWB have to get more aggressive to lease the space, I think that would we a good thing, at least from my perspective as a commercial tenant smaller firm. I find it puzzling how some landlords here just sit on vacant space for years and years when there are smaller tenants who could use the space, but perhaps not at a premium price. It is not Toronto here, where perhaps the passive approach to being a landlord works. You do have to adjust your strategy to suit the market, if you want to be successful here.
 
This is a big missing link for the bike network. Is the expectation that people biking will use the cross walk and end up in the plaza? Or will the bike extend and then strangely end at 104? Anyone know if there are plans for this?
It was always going to be an awkward terminus and many of us pointed that out a long, long time ago.

E/W you are suppose to use 105ave or 102ave.

N/S 106st or 99st.
 
It was always going to be an awkward terminus and many of us pointed that out a long, long time ago.

E/W you are suppose to use 105ave or 102ave.

N/S 106st or 99st.
Woulda been nice to utilize alley space to build out the bike network. In my opinion our alley space in downtown is an underutilized and unmaintained asset utilized only by occasional, slow moving, traffic. It would have provided an opportunity for much needed alley space improvements and kept bikes off the roads (imo this cyclist network isn’t separated in anything but name).

102 ave E/W could have formed the backbone of this network with pedestrian crossing which would incentivize cyclists to actually get off their bikes, stop, and take a look before blowing across the street as they so often do.
 

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