News   Apr 03, 2020
 7.2K     3 
News   Apr 02, 2020
 7.4K     0 
News   Apr 02, 2020
 2.5K     0 

Edmonton City Centre Mall (Renovations) | ?m | 2s | LaSalle Investment Management

When I went by again around 3pm today, saw six more people in this area - three at the corner and three going into the mall entrance.

So while it is far from lively, there is more activity than the picture suggests.

Also, noticed some activity again in the space next to Talbolts - still wondering what that is.
Haha a whole six people!! No offence, but man are you grasping at straws. I do respect your optimism through!
 
Haha a whole six people!! No offence, but man are you grasping at straws. I do respect your optimism through!
Lets put this in context, this specific space is a dead zone because no retail (a vacant department store covers 1/2 the block), street access tricky, LRT not up and running, people use pedway instead, etc ...

I am not trying to say it is busy, in fact I did not. What I was responding to what the picture that showed no one. Anyone can randomly take a picture at a certain time, but it does not mean no one is ever here.

It is not so much optimism, but some of over done pervasive negativism that really irks me. It is not helpful, nor it it entirely accurate. The recovery of downtown may be drawn out, but if you are there everyday like me, you can see it happening.
 
That stretch 'died' when the Bay/Holt closed and they limited the vehicular access along 102. It's a weird dead zone. It'll be ripped up soon enough.
As someone accused of being overly positive, my not so positive take on it is it will remain a dead zone until either the LRT is running or something fills some of that space.

Its not that there are no people downtown, its just that there is no reason to go to this specific area.
 
I didn't get a chance for a closer look, but the 101 St entrance to ECC East (near TD) appears to be now reopened.

There were a lot more people wandering through ECC during the noon hour, almost at pre-COVID levels if I dare say so.
I echo that. Was there today for the first time in a while and it felt like "almost" normal. If only we were able to keep at least half of that level of traffic throughout the day, ECC would be an actually functional mall.

Overall, downtown is feeling a lot livelier than it has in quite some time, even with the still pretty chilly temperatures, there were quite some people out and about.
 
I think the entrance reopening will help the mall. One of the things that devastated this mall, was unlike other malls in the city, a number of entrances were closed during COVID.

At one point it was almost harder to get into than a high security facility. Even if you were downtown and wanted to get something, it was easier to just go elsewhere.
 
^During the initial few months of the pandemic, I worked in the mall and I had a hard time getting in.

I still find it pretty bad, to be honest -- i.e. trying to see a movie during an evening and not being able to access any entrances on 102 Ave or pedway connections at that time of day.
 
101 St entrance to ECC East and TD renovations

20230412_113359.jpg


20230412_113404.jpg


20230412_113409.jpg
 

Back
Top