Blatchford Development | ?m | ?s | City of Edmonton

MacLac said:
University District in Calgary? Why would we want that? Please elaborate.....
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Have you been? Very successful node with tons of density, local retail, and parks/amenities. Doesn’t have the “potential” of blatchford. But it’s executed a lot better than blatchford seems to be and might ever.

Cool idea from culdesac in Arizona:

Free/discounted transit/scooters/e-bikes. If blatchford offered free transit passes and a bike share of some sorts with some e-cargos, that’d be pretty compelling. That’s how you start to punch above westmount/highlands imo for value prop.
 
I am planning a photo tour of UDistrict in the near future as I really am impressed with its 'Main Street' and plaza.
 
thommyjo said:
Here’s pics and vid’s of udistrict for some inspiration. We honestly just need some 5 over 1s with decent retail to go in and maybe 1-2 more “attractional” type things that will draw outsiders in as well. https://instagram.com/udistrictyyc_?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
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Meh.....bunch of apartment buildings and such...no different than what we have in our own backyard....

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What I like about Universitydistirct in yyc is the multiple 3+ story buildings facing the streets. Looks like the Blatchford plan might be similar idea around the 2 LRT stations, at least shown in these renders,
 
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VaultBoy said:
What I like about Universitydistirct in yyc is the multiple 3+ story buildings facing the streets. Looks like the Blatchford plan might be similar idea around the 2 LRT stations, at least shown in these renders,
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Love that video. I wish some of the buildings along the LRT route could happen sooner vs where building is currently happening only.
 
Gronk! said:
They need to construct 118 Ave from Kingsway to 109 St c/w bike lanes and transit-only lanes. If the city won't do this then it's another missed opportunity if you ask me.
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The missed opportunity was not just connecting the west and east ends of 118th Ave together. This neighbourhood is going to be an insulated bubble from its surroundings.
 
dunno said:
The missed opportunity was not just connecting the west and east ends of 118th Ave together. This neighbourhood is going to be an insulated bubble from its surroundings.
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I agree. Access into the neighbourhood needs to be increased. I feel like I'm going down a service road to get into it. It's a gated community right now - that being a chain link fence around most of it.
 
MacLac said:
Meh.....bunch of apartment buildings and such...no different than what we have in our own backyard....

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Very different than anything we have 🙂 it’s ok to celebrate, appreciate, and learn from other places.

Google maps isn’t how you experience an area. If you walk udistrict, you’ll see why it’s thriving.
 
Glenco said:
You guys are addicted to the car culture. Putting a major arterial road through the neighbourhood wold fragment it to the point of making the whole concept unviable.
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I'm not exactly advocating for a Whitemud freeway through Blatchford. I'm just asking for an extended 118 Ave with one car lane per direction with separate lanes dedicated to transit and separate lanes for bicycles.
 
Glenco said:
You guys are addicted to the car culture. Putting a major arterial road through the neighbourhood wold fragment it to the point of making the whole concept unviable.
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Connecting 118 ave on both ends through Blatchford doesn't necessarily mean putting a major arterial there. The Blatchford section could very well be transit and active transportation oriented, with maybe one narrow lane each way for cars, wide sidewalks, bike lanes, wide sidewalks...

The way it is designed right now, the area is a bubble that doesn't feel like part of the city's fabric any more than any of our suburbs.
 
ChazYEG said:
Connecting 118 ave on both ends through Blatchford doesn't necessarily mean putting a major arterial there. The Blatchford section could very well be transit and active transportation oriented, with maybe one narrow lane each way for cars, wide sidewalks, bike lanes, wide sidewalks...

The way it is designed right now, the area is a bubble that doesn't feel like part of the city's fabric any more than any of our suburbs.
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I fail to see what this would accomplish besides traffic jams. Four or six lanes either side funneling into two is going to create a nightmare. You do realize there is a freeway in the making a few blocks north of there.
Comparing Blatchford to the burbs at this point is futile. How do you know what the feel is going to be like once the neighbourhood starts to take shape. Come back in a few years.
 
Glenco said:
You guys are addicted to the car culture. Putting a major arterial road through the neighbourhood wold fragment it to the point of making the whole concept unviable.
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Ummm… I don‘t even own a vehicle, but ok!

I’m not advocating for a stroad or highway through Blatchford. But a crosstown main street that prioritizes walking, transit, and cycling, with yes, some room for cars, wouldn’t be a bad thing. It could be more like Jasper Ave or Whyte Ave or 124th Street. Not 111th Ave or Gateway Blvd.

Instead, we’ve got a new urbanist version of the neighbourhood unit concept from the ‘50s and ‘60s. Arterials ringing the neighbourhood so as to not disturb the peace of quaint suburban streets, disconnected from surrounding communities/amenities. Except this time it has LRT and bike lanes.
 
thommyjo said:
Very different than anything we have 🙂 it’s ok to celebrate, appreciate, and learn from other places.

Google maps isn’t how you experience an area. If you walk udistrict, you’ll see why it’s thriving.
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The comparison to the University District is interesting because I think, broadly, it’s probably something similar to what the City wants Blatchford to become. I do think accessibility (whether by bike, transit, foot, or car) needs to be improved before something like a Cineplex VIP could be entertained in the area, though. I also think things like that would make people take notice of the area more and increase it‘s desirability as more people take regular outings into the neighbourhood. My hope is the LRT helps kickstart this more.
 
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