Brewery District | ?m | ?s | DIALOG

What do you think of this project?

  • Total voters
    13
Fjallraven wants to be where there's a critical mass of shops. They also want to be with like-minded shops like MEC. People will go to both.
 
Aaron_Lloyd said:
Is it really an issue of parking, or failure to fix disorder? There's plenty of parking in downtown Edmonton, there's plenty of ritzy shops in other city's downtowns...
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It's because the parking isn't free. It's a matter of of principle for a lot of folks.
 
Aaron_Lloyd said:
Is it really an issue of parking, or failure to fix disorder? There's plenty of parking in downtown Edmonton, there's plenty of ritzy shops in other city's downtowns...
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If you look how empty downtown street parking spots are on most weekends and even after 5 on Monday to Friday, it makes no sense to charge for street parking in most areas downtown in these times.

I doubt the city will cover the cost of their meter patrols (if they even bother at these times). They will at best make pennies on the extended hours. The loss on property tax because of the decline in downtown property values will far exceed that. As the saying goes - penny wise, pound foolish.

Our downtown is not going to magically turn into say downtown Seattle, a different approach is needed here.
 
David A said:
If you look how empty downtown street parking spots are on most weekends and even after 5 on Monday to Friday, it makes no sense to charge for street parking in most areas downtown in these times.

I doubt the city will cover the cost of their meter patrols (if they even bother at these times). They will at best make pennies on the extended hours. The loss on property tax because of the decline in downtown property values will far exceed that. As the saying goes - penny wise, pound foolish.

Our downtown is not going to magically turn into say downtown Seattle, a different approach is needed here.
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There's a lot of penny-wise pound foolishness in this budget that council felt was necessary to keep the tax hike low(er). The last council really fucked us with their tax freeze.

Just for reference, $2M/year pays for the 100M capital cost of the bike lane network ($1.7M/year) with money left over.
 
David A said:
If you look how empty downtown street parking spots are on most weekends and even after 5 on Monday to Friday, it makes no sense to charge for street parking in most areas downtown in these times.

I doubt the city will cover the cost of their meter patrols (if they even bother at these times). They will at best make pennies on the extended hours. The loss on property tax because of the decline in downtown property values will far exceed that. As the saying goes - penny wise, pound foolish.

Our downtown is not going to magically turn into say downtown Seattle, a different approach is needed here.
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If free parking made downtowns vibrant then Tulsa, Kansas City and Omaha would be tourist meccas. That isn't our problem.
 
Went the other day and noticed almost all the retail bays are full after Fjallraven opened. Maybe 1-2 left. I wonder what will be the last to fill it up? Personally, I'd love for a small Indigo/Chapters to open up since they closed their CC Mall location.
 
tkoe_ said:
If free parking made downtowns vibrant then Tulsa, Kansas City and Omaha would be tourist meccas. That isn't our problem.
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On this issue, I am not aspiring for us to become a tourist mecca, just to help keep the businesses downtown hanging on going and maybe enough traffic to bring in a few more.

The lack of FREE parking is major deterrent for many people to go downtown, especially on weekends. Usually you charge for something when there is more demand than supply, but all the empty spots I see on the weekend and some evenings show that is clearly not the case.
 
When developers sit down with each other and congruently cater to families downtown is when downtown will come to life again. When people have to battle the freeways and other arteries after a long working day, no one is going to make downtown their priority unless it is hockey.
 
David A said:
On this issue, I am not aspiring for us to become a tourist mecca, just to help keep the businesses downtown hanging on going and maybe enough traffic to bring in a few more.

The lack of FREE parking is major deterrent for many people to go downtown, especially on weekends. Usually you charge for something when there is more demand than supply, but all the empty spots I see on the weekend and some evenings show that is clearly not the case.
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Why would anyone drive all the way downtown for free parking to shop at a grocery store they can visit in their own neighbourhood? Free parking will not revitalize downtown and if DT businesses have a model that relies solely on drivers they will fail.

Downtown must offer unique propositions that cannot be found anywhere else -- the Ice District is a perfect example. They have to offer something that differentiates their product and makes people come downtown for something they cannot find elsewhere in the city.
 
I really don't think this about grocery stores. Say I live equally distant from downtwown and a shopping mall, I still go to my neighbourhood grocery store, which by the way is very close.

However, when chosing to go shopping for something else, say particular clothing, shoes, etc... the cost of parking may be the deciding factor.

Of course, if you live in by south Edmonton Common, you are not going all the way downtown. Likewise I seldom go there because of the distance.

However, not everyone lives in far flung suburbs, this is about getting the people in between.
 
tkoe_ said:
Why would anyone drive all the way downtown for free parking to shop at a grocery store they can visit in their own neighbourhood? Free parking will not revitalize downtown and if DT businesses have a model that relies solely on drivers they will fail.

Downtown must offer unique propositions that cannot be found anywhere else -- the Ice District is a perfect example. They have to offer something that differentiates their product and makes people come downtown for something they cannot find elsewhere in the city.
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This why I was hoping that proposal by the CN Tower (The Galleria) would have gone ahead because that would have been another catalyst to add to downtown, on top of the Ice District.
 
Clearshades said:
When developers sit down with each other and congruently cater to families downtown is when downtown will come to life again. When people have to battle the freeways and other arteries after a long working day, no one is going to make downtown their priority unless it is hockey.
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Reality is this. The more people that LIVE downtown, the more it will improve its overall livability, activity and vibrancy. That really is the secret sauce. People. Free parking, access to parking, all of that other sh*t doesn't matter. PEOPLE do.
 
Chicken and the egg though... until there is critical mass, do everything you can do (within reason) to accelerate things to that point.

Don't rob Peter to pay Paul.
 
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