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

[Markyeg]

The biggest thing for vibrancy isn't just population, but walkable amenities. Even if the population is super high, it will still feel dead if people are getting in their cars for groceries and other errands. The current commercial makeup is literally the worst you can get. Banks and the Oilers stores are all things that most people aren't visiting more than a few times a year.

I'm assuming rents here are pretty high, which has ensured this area will never be interesting.

I also think the Loblaws City Market was kind of a missed opportunity. It’s a nice store and great if you need a couple of things, but is way too expensive for a full weekly/monthly shop, which will in turn get people to hop into their cars and drive elsewhere for groceries.

 

[Gronk!]

I shop at the Brewery District location of Loblaws City Market every week.

I rarely shop at the ICE District location because of the amount of groceries I need to take home by foot, and attempting this in rainy weather or -30 temps is not fun, plus trying to find parking is a pain in the arse.

 

[ADob]

The biggest thing for vibrancy isn't just population, but walkable amenities. Even if the population is super high, it will still feel dead if people are getting in their cars for groceries and other errands. The current commercial makeup is literally the worst you can get. Banks and the Oilers stores are all things that most people aren't visiting more than a few times a year.

I'm assuming rents here are pretty high, which has ensured this area will never be interesting.

Edit:I live in an area that's far less dense than DT Edmonton, and is has for more vibrancy because of the wide range of commercial options. One of the best ways for an area to become vibrant is to have a critical mass of a certain type of store, that creates a destination and allows people to ship around for specific things. Examples would be thrift stores, shoe stores, even luxury goods. This is pretty common in Vancouver, where different streets are known for different specialties. It allows you to visit an area not for a specific store, but because you know the will be a lot of options for the items you're looking for, which results in far more foot traffic

Sure, but we had that. City Centre mall used to be a destination, back when I was a teen. More recently we had some great shoe stores along Jasper, all with far fewer residential buildings, so why? What happened that we now have far more residential density but far less to offer?

Re: Loblaws, it is stupid expensive. I admit I do most of my grocery shopping at Costco, H&W, and No Frills. Seeing the exact same products being sold for twice the price is a no go for me.

 

[Kosy123]

I mean the Loblaws makes sense in the Ice District? I agree it's smaller but it does cater to more of a non weekly grocery shopper, or the office worker population.

Pretty much serves a similar purpose to the Loblaws at the Post in Vancouver imo.

I agree that this isn't enough to move the needle, but it's part of the more than 3000 units that are under construction or planned downtown. Plus it's a non conventional outside investor making the move here. They're moving at Westrich speed in trying to get something built and that's commendable tbh. Whole of a lot better than institutional investors out there right now in having confidence in this city's downtown core.

 

[thommyjo]

On the walkability part, I wonder if valley line west will also help this area. Brewery district a few stops away on the train could get people walking+transit vs driving. And parking/access to the ice district will improve as another train comes online.

 

[Edmcowboy11]

I forget which Youtuber has said this but I really like the term that can be applied to our Valley Line, the tram system is a walking accelerator.

 

[David A]

Sure, but we had that. City Centre mall used to be a destination, back when I was a teen. More recently we had some great shoe stores along Jasper, all with far fewer residential buildings, so why? What happened that we now have far more residential density but far less to offer?

Re: Loblaws, it is stupid expensive. I admit I do most of my grocery shopping at Costco, H&W, and No Frills. Seeing the exact same products being sold for twice the price is a no go for me.

Loblaws is better than nothing, but a No Frills would probably be something many more people nearby would take advantage of. Yes, hard to believe now but City Centre was a fairly good mall for many decades until around the time COVID.

If you remember, the old grocery stores downtown decades ago in the department stores including the Woodwards one in City Centre, were generally in the basement. Why? Probably because the rent was less on that space.

 

[johnnyboy]

A No Frills downtown would do absolutely bonkers business. I’ve never understood the logic(?) that downtown requires the most expensive grocery models to serve residents and workers (a la Sobeys on 104, City Market, Save-On, or Safeway).

While those stores likely do well with their take-away counters, I bet most customers would prefer not getting ripped off on a can of soup or a green pepper.

 

[IanO]

^convenience. I probably shop at CM or SaveOn 5 days a week, simply because I can grab stuff on the way home from work or at lunch and not have to get in my car and drive somewhere.