archited
Senior Member
That's next on my radar. I have assembled quite a bit of relevant information (mostly from the link that you noted) that will uncover NorQuest's expansion plans. You can help in that regard -- much appreciated!
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Edmonton and the play for post-secondary educational relevance
- Thread starter archited
- Start date
archited
Senior Member
NorQuest's long-term goals envision a campus that expands westward to 109th Street and northward to 104th Avenue abutting the MacEwan Campus, eventually forming a substantial University District in the downtown core. MacEwan's and NorQuest's expansion plans are equally aggressive.
archited
Senior Member
Talk about substantial anchors vis-a-vis Capital Blvd. -- the Legislature and the Provincial Government Centre at one end and an Educational District at the other end -- infill between is a given.
Gronk!
Senior Member
What happens to the businesses along Norquest's expansion path? I'm looking at The Parlour, Dennys, Naked Cafe and Champs Boxing Studio .
ChazYEG
Senior Member
Can confirm. It happened 5 minutes away from my place and a lot of people hang on to the fact that it was a "targeted hit" despite the fact that this dude, and several other gang members, live in the area
scyeg
Active Member
Exactly. We're in the same area and, targeted or not, it happened in the middle of the day at a busy shopping area. I go to that gas station, I shop at that Sobeys, I take my daughter for ice cream at the Dairy Queen. A child in my daughter's daycare happened to be at the A & W with her mother and was witness to it and is terrified—a trauma that will leave a lasting impact.
So yeah, when violence happens in the suburbs it's "just a targeted attack", but when it happens downtown it's a reason to avoid ever going there.
archited
Senior Member
Nothing for the next 15 years or so... I suspect that their leases are not longer than 10 years. They will have time to plan for a relocation... some of them may want to be included in the campus expansion.
archited
Senior Member
My speculation is that when the land on the existing campus has been developed MacEwan U. will expand northward along 109th Street where MacU already owns several lots (existing Campus shade in light red; expansion potential shown in light orange). I also speculate that the Entertainment District will encompass the land north of the existing MacU campus and east of 108th Street (light green). The northward expansion of NorQuest is shown in light pink.
The main purpose of this map is to show the potential for incorporating Retail and Hospitality into campus expansion plans. According to Jessica T. Zolotorofe, Esq., who has done an exhaustive study on the subject, quick-service restaurants top the list of on-campus food desirables in this order: Chipotle, Which Wich, Panera, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin' Donuts, Subway, Chick-fil-A, and Starbucks (in Canada there could be local variations more suited to the Canadian palette). In a separate category late-nite campus favorites include Insomnia Cookies, Jimmy John's, Taco Bell and local Brew-Pubs and Wine-tasting outlets (especially popular if entertainment is included).
Sit-down restaurants also have a strong appeal -- mostly independently owned eateries but also including popular chains like California Pizza, Black Angus, TGI Fridays, P.F. Chang's and Jersey Mike's. These do best when they are ganged in a "Restaurant Row" type of configuration and where parking is ample.
Other than dining possibilities, other popular on-campus stores include Target small format stores, Publix, Weiss Supermarket, Walgreens, and CVS.
With MacU opening a new building servicing their Business Faculty it would be interesting to see a study program established that focuses on Retail and Hospitality start-ups that are geared to on-campus or near-campus locations. It could be an in-community Retail/Hospitality incubator program that also draws input from the City of Edmonton, near-by NorQuest College, and the Feds and Provs as well as NGO orgs relevant to community growth.
The main purpose of this map is to show the potential for incorporating Retail and Hospitality into campus expansion plans. According to Jessica T. Zolotorofe, Esq., who has done an exhaustive study on the subject, quick-service restaurants top the list of on-campus food desirables in this order: Chipotle, Which Wich, Panera, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin' Donuts, Subway, Chick-fil-A, and Starbucks (in Canada there could be local variations more suited to the Canadian palette). In a separate category late-nite campus favorites include Insomnia Cookies, Jimmy John's, Taco Bell and local Brew-Pubs and Wine-tasting outlets (especially popular if entertainment is included).
Sit-down restaurants also have a strong appeal -- mostly independently owned eateries but also including popular chains like California Pizza, Black Angus, TGI Fridays, P.F. Chang's and Jersey Mike's. These do best when they are ganged in a "Restaurant Row" type of configuration and where parking is ample.
Other than dining possibilities, other popular on-campus stores include Target small format stores, Publix, Weiss Supermarket, Walgreens, and CVS.
With MacU opening a new building servicing their Business Faculty it would be interesting to see a study program established that focuses on Retail and Hospitality start-ups that are geared to on-campus or near-campus locations. It could be an in-community Retail/Hospitality incubator program that also draws input from the City of Edmonton, near-by NorQuest College, and the Feds and Provs as well as NGO orgs relevant to community growth.
MacLac
Senior Member
Great work but we all know well that 2/3rd's of the restaurants you named don't have a snow ball's chance in hell coming here let alone Canada. I'm all for getting ALL of them especially Jersey Mike's and JJ's but some reason is that no one here or in the country even has any franchise rights to them?
archited
Senior Member
Edmonton has been singled out as the best City to try out expansion plans for U.S. eateries -- e.g. California Pizza and its sole Canadian location in Windermere. Chipotle has one location in Alberta in Calgary with expansion plans that include Edmonton. Which Wich is going international in 2024 (including Canada). Panera has locations in Eastern Canada looking to expand westward. Dunkin' Donuts ceded to Tim Horton's in 2018. Subway has 3 locations in Edmonton. Chick-fil-A is coming to Edmonton in 2024. Starbucks has 3 locations in Edmonton. Insomnia Cookies has one location in Canada at York University looking to expand across the country. Jimmy John's has no Canadian presence. Edmonton has 3 Taco Bell locations. Black Angus does not have an Edmonton Location. TGI Fridays does not have an Edmonton Location. P.F. Chang's has a location in Windermere. Jersey Mike's has locations in Ontario with expansion plans westward. That hardly accounts for 2/3 of the restaurants listed being "a snowball chance in Hell" of coming to Edmonton. Apart from that the study by Ms. Zolotorofe was of food locations at U.S. campuses and I did say that there would be comparable Canadian alternatives. Whose to say what possibilities there would be 15 years hence. @MacLac I don't get your negative inferences -- I had always thought better of you. Canada has its own brands that stack up favorably against U.S. counterparts so in a complete understanding of my general point, transfer in names that appeal to you at will.
Gronk!
Senior Member
I'm sorry but this is absolute B.S.
Yeggy
Active Member
Its actually not.
Edmonton’s isolated market had long been used as a test market, so has Winnipeg.
West Ed also played a big roll in the past.
Edmonton proving a popular test market for US chains - Restobiz
US restaurant chains looking to take their first steps into the Western Canadian market are focusing on testing the waters in Edmonton.
www.restobiz.ca
bodsbods9090
Active Member
Far from it. We seem to be a test ground for American chains to try things out up here.
Gronk!
Senior Member
bodsbods9090
Active Member
Yeah, you're correct there. I can count 3 on the southside that come to mind off the top of my head. And I know I'm missing a lot for sure.