Gronk!
Senior Member
Response to CBC article.
I couldn't help but notice that he's posting from Ireland.
I couldn't help but notice that he's posting from Ireland.
Blatchford Development | ?m | ?s | City of Edmonton
- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
Kosy123
Active Member
Oshry replying in the comments too lmao.
And Staples lmaooo
My respect for those two goes down to nonexistent.
kcantor
Senior Member
^
They also quoted Councillor Stevenson’s opinion that "a very apt analogy for Blatchford is that a plane has to gather up speed down the runway before it starts to take off.”
In my opinion, “if anyone really wants
to make an airline analogy, Blatchford is more like an airplane having been sent down the runway with all of the passengers having been left stranded at the terminal.”
They also quoted Councillor Stevenson’s opinion that "a very apt analogy for Blatchford is that a plane has to gather up speed down the runway before it starts to take off.”
In my opinion, “if anyone really wants
to make an airline analogy, Blatchford is more like an airplane having been sent down the runway with all of the passengers having been left stranded at the terminal.”
thommyjo
Senior Member
Hasn’t Chris built some decent businesses? When we talk about council not being too in touch with the business community, wouldn’t he be the sort of guy we would want involved? Or how would people weigh his views?
David A
Senior Member
This is just another example of a Councillor trying to portray a rosy picture of or dismiss criticism. Too many on our current city council seem to defend city administration or past councils for decisions are made.
Sometimes I wonder if they work for the city administration, not the voters. The Blatchford situation at least deserves more serious scrutiny that this Councillor with her don't worry and pat us on the head attitude is giving it.
Friendmonton
Active Member
I feel I could write a short novel about my frustrations with Blatchford.
Here’s one of my biggest beefs: the incredible wasted potential.
They want to make Blatchford ‘a destination’, then why did they cheap out on the original vision and downgrade the recreational lake? Imagine families on a hot day taking the LRT with their beach supplies! People have wanted a public beach space for years!
Then there’s the alignment of the LRT. Ripping up one relatively new station, then building one in the middle of nowhere away from the first phase of development. Now imagine they linked the VIA rail station on the Western side and you have LRT access to a train link to Jasper. Yes it would need a new station, and yes it would need some priority work but at least it’s in the realm of possibility with some vision and effort. Even Calgary doesn’t have that option!
Then there’s the build quality of the homes. I don’t think it’s common knowledge but there are tons of problems with many homes and their roofs to the extent there’s talk of multiple class action lawsuits. Oh, and there’s the price of the first homes being totally unreasonable — a bunch of overpriced townhomes full of people who think they’re progressive and eco friendly when I’ve found a few to be quite snobby and rude.
Anyways, I could keep going on the district energy system, the delusional thinking about their retail area, and more but it just makes me so sad that we had such an incredible opportunity that feels squandered by value engineering, poor planning and worse execution. I want it to succeed but the grandiose rhetoric matched with the results so far leave me quite disillusioned with the whole project.
Here’s one of my biggest beefs: the incredible wasted potential.
They want to make Blatchford ‘a destination’, then why did they cheap out on the original vision and downgrade the recreational lake? Imagine families on a hot day taking the LRT with their beach supplies! People have wanted a public beach space for years!
Then there’s the alignment of the LRT. Ripping up one relatively new station, then building one in the middle of nowhere away from the first phase of development. Now imagine they linked the VIA rail station on the Western side and you have LRT access to a train link to Jasper. Yes it would need a new station, and yes it would need some priority work but at least it’s in the realm of possibility with some vision and effort. Even Calgary doesn’t have that option!
Then there’s the build quality of the homes. I don’t think it’s common knowledge but there are tons of problems with many homes and their roofs to the extent there’s talk of multiple class action lawsuits. Oh, and there’s the price of the first homes being totally unreasonable — a bunch of overpriced townhomes full of people who think they’re progressive and eco friendly when I’ve found a few to be quite snobby and rude.
Anyways, I could keep going on the district energy system, the delusional thinking about their retail area, and more but it just makes me so sad that we had such an incredible opportunity that feels squandered by value engineering, poor planning and worse execution. I want it to succeed but the grandiose rhetoric matched with the results so far leave me quite disillusioned with the whole project.
kcantor
Senior Member
nonsense!!!
there are many of us who have been highly critical of the city’s mismanagement of this project from the day they selected perkins & will’s award winning master plan (the last thing the city did right) for blatchford including perkins & will.
why would you think those who have been proven right so far should be the ones no longer involved???
ChazYEG
Senior Member
Reading between the lines of what he said, it felt more like:
"If they're only here to say "I told you so" and not bring any suggestions to move forward, they shouldn't be involved"
And with that I agree. Criticizing for the sake of it serves no one.
erudyk_29
Active Member
Once Blatchford reaches a critical mass I'm sure it will take off a lot more. It's not very appealing to be living in a house that's surrounded by otherwise empty lots. As the streets start slowly filling in and a neighborhood starts to emerge instead of a small cluster of houses in an empty dirt field, people will start moving in much faster. It may never reach the potential it had, but it won't be a total flop either as some are suggesting. The changes from the original design are far more disappointing than the speed at which its developed imo. I don't think we can expect a brand new, vibrant neighborhood to pop up out of nowhere over night this was always going to be a long process.
kcantor
Senior Member
^
once blatchford reaches a critical mass?
how many private sector neighborhoods have already reached that critical mass starting with the same "not very appealing" beginnings in the 15 years since council approved blatchford?
once blatchford reaches a critical mass?
how many private sector neighborhoods have already reached that critical mass starting with the same "not very appealing" beginnings in the 15 years since council approved blatchford?
Barnaby
Active Member
None that are transit connected in a desirable area.
erudyk_29
Active Member
Completely different scenario. Those are all happening in auto-oriented areas which naturally are able to build themselves out much faster due to market factors as well as costs associated with building on a site that was previously dedicated to another use in the inner-city. Apples and Oranges.
EtoV
Active Member
Yup, the attractiveness of this development is based on walkable amenities and transit connectivity, not cost or square footage like outer ring suburbs. It makes complete sense that it is a harder sell currently without those present.
yeggator
Active Member
None that have had to be developed on the remediated lands of a municipal airport that was operating flights until 2013. Instead of comparing this to some suburb in Windermere, compare it to Griesbach. I don't know how long ago it was an operational military base, but it's still being built out. And don't get me started on the Homesteader subdivision on the site of that old creosote plant.
kcantor
Senior Member
^^ ^^^
i'm sorry, i must be missing something...
the closest lrt stations are nait and kingsway and neither of them is terribly convenient for anyone living in blatchford at the moment.
the closest bus routes are on kingsway and 107th street, also not terribly convenient for anyone living in blatchford at the moment.
if you want people to pay premium prices to live in a transit connected community in a desirable area, one might think that there should be transit in the community.
this is the same shortsightedness that our suburban subdivisions (industrial as well as residential) are saddled with - the city withholds service until they feel the demand might be there and by then everyone in the subdivision is already driving and it's almost impossible to get people to shift their modes of transportation.
in this respect, blatchford isn't a completely different scenario, it's par for the course.
i'm sorry, i must be missing something...
the closest lrt stations are nait and kingsway and neither of them is terribly convenient for anyone living in blatchford at the moment.
the closest bus routes are on kingsway and 107th street, also not terribly convenient for anyone living in blatchford at the moment.
if you want people to pay premium prices to live in a transit connected community in a desirable area, one might think that there should be transit in the community.
this is the same shortsightedness that our suburban subdivisions (industrial as well as residential) are saddled with - the city withholds service until they feel the demand might be there and by then everyone in the subdivision is already driving and it's almost impossible to get people to shift their modes of transportation.
in this respect, blatchford isn't a completely different scenario, it's par for the course.