Rogers Place | ?m | ?s | Katz Group | HOK

What do you think of this project?


  • Total voters
    25
I get tired of people who want everything for free.
Fair, but you're talking about trying to get people into downtown edmonton.

now here is a thought process.
someone can go into downtown, pay for parking and go a bar/lounge/restaurant anything like that.
or
someone can go into the brewery district, NOT pay for parking and go a bar/lounge/restaurant anything like that.
or
someone can go into the whyte ave, NOT pay for parking and go a bar/lounge/restaurant anything like that.
or
someone can go into the WEM, NOT pay for parking and go a bar/lounge/restaurant/casino anything like that.

why would someone not living in downtown go to a place where they have to pay for parking when there are so many other options that are just as good and fun?
 
... I think the biggest challenge is getting interesting things downtown to draw in the suburban crowd, so it becomes worth making the trip.

You mean like NHL games, big ticket concerts, a large art gallery, a big-ass museum, concert halls, high-end hotels, local eateries, pubs, awesome patios, promenades, parks - need I go on?
 
You mean like NHL games, big ticket concerts, a large art gallery, a big-ass museum, concert halls, high-end hotels, local eateries, pubs, awesome patios, promenades, parks - need I go on?
Most entertainment venues were closed a considerable period of time due to COVID and still have restrictions. Many people who worked downtown during the day are still working from home.

It is good to see the Oilers back and it will help some, but a few hockey games can not support everything downtown.

Having an entertainment district was a good idea and still is in the long run, but it obviously did not anticipate two years of COVID and all the related restrictions and effects.
 
Having the casino/Match/Atlas not open pre/post-game the other night was disappointing. It served to elevate the overall entertainment experience for many and was often a fun way of spending a few bucks with friends.

One complaint on the new food offerings in the arena is their purported 'smash burger'. It was not and falsely conveyed something as fresh to the consumer.

Don't understand this at all.

Every time I have been in there on an Oilers game night, every table is packed with drunk people ready to lose some money.
 
Don't understand this at all.

Every time I have been in there on an Oilers game night, every table is packed with drunk people ready to lose some money.
Yes I was going to say the same thing. The oilers have a great and loyal fan base that almost sells out or comes close to selling out almost every game during the regular season. Max capacity for a game at Rogers is around 18.5k. Let’s say 17k people go to a game. Thats 17 thousand people, 34 thousand little feet waddling around the arena. I’ve gone to multiple games at Rogers and the casino afterwards is almost always packed with drunk uncles. Event nights are great too, especially on a weekend. The pandemic did molest the casino a bit, but I was completely surprised when hearing that it’s closed indefinitely.
 
Edmonton has a lot to improve on in our downtown core but we do have some unique entertainment options. I remember back in 2019 I had two really good friends come visit here from Vancouver. We ended up going to an escape room that’s right downtown and to my surprise, they told me that they hadn’t don’t one before. When I asked why they told me that they didn’t have much escape rooms in vancouver so they just weren’t as accessible. Our entertainment downtown is definitely lacking, but I also think it deserves some credit in certain places. Right now we don’t even have a movie theatre downtown. Which is crazy to me.
 
Edmonton has a lot to improve on in our downtown core but we do have some unique entertainment options. I remember back in 2019 I had two really good friends come visit here from Vancouver. We ended up going to an escape room that’s right downtown and to my surprise, they told me that they hadn’t don’t one before. When I asked why they told me that they didn’t have much escape rooms in vancouver so they just weren’t as accessible. Our entertainment downtown is definitely lacking, but I also think it deserves some credit in certain places. Right now we don’t even have a movie theatre downtown. Which is crazy to me.
Your omniscience falters you, hahaha. We have the Landmark in ECC.
But I agree, Downtown has way more attractions than we give it credit for. We just need to figure out a way to attract people to them - pun intended.

I believe we can make some improvements with relatively low budgets and a lot of creativity. For example: I have a few friends who live in the suburbs and openly hate coming to downtown, but they were super excited and enjoyed it quite a lot when we had those public art exhibits earlier this year. They came, brought friends, their kids and posted pictures on social media...

It's not too much of an effort to put some food trucks in one of our public green spaces, maybe a different one every weekend, a few picnic tables and some live music. Nothing big, but just enough to be predictable and activate these spaces.

And, I can't believe I'll agree with Ian, but yes, at least until we either have enough populational density or transit ease of access, we need free/cheap parking to be easily available.

That and a few big retail options, and we can see the area make a 180 and start moving forward.
 
Except here we have a bunch of stubborn truck/car loving rednecks who bitch about no free parking all the time.

Tell us how you really feel about people expressing concerns over something that directly affects their communities. Do you own in the Downtown area? If not, I would argue you have next to no voice in comparison to "us truck loving rednecks".
 
Well if I'm to classify myself I would include me and my 1 old ford f150, K5 Blazer and Chevy Tahoe into the Truck loving Redneck grouping of Edmontonians. Do I own downtown, no I don't, but I would imagine that neither do you. I do indeed work downtown in places like Rogers Place, convention center, Citadel theatre and Winspear Center and used to attend MacEwan University downtown for a few years and one of my kids attends one of the high schools just north of downtown so I do travel in and out of the downtown quite a bit. When I do drive into the core I understand that we don't live in a small prairie city anymore and if I have to pay for parking than I do so (even though I would put myself in a lower income bracket who can't afford to pay on a regular basis).
Simple thing is I have chosen to not sit there and complain why I can't find parking and swear to never come downtown. And if I can I will either bus it or LRT into the downtown (with all my hard hat and work gear) to get to work at whichever venue I happen to be working at.
 
Your omniscience falters you, hahaha. We have the Landmark in ECC.
But I agree, Downtown has way more attractions than we give it credit for. We just need to figure out a way to attract people to them - pun intended.

I believe we can make some improvements with relatively low budgets and a lot of creativity. For example: I have a few friends who live in the suburbs and openly hate coming to downtown, but they were super excited and enjoyed it quite a lot when we had those public art exhibits earlier this year. They came, brought friends, their kids and posted pictures on social media...

It's not too much of an effort to put some food trucks in one of our public green spaces, maybe a different one every weekend, a few picnic tables and some live music. Nothing big, but just enough to be predictable and activate these spaces.

And, I can't believe I'll agree with Ian, but yes, at least until we either have enough populational density or transit ease of access, we need free/cheap parking to be easily available.

That and a few big retail options, and we can see the area make a 180 and start moving forward.
There actually are a ton of these sorts of events that experience moderate success. Root 107, al fresco, 124th market on Thursdays and Sundays, DT farmers market, open streets. Then all the one off events in pocket parks, bike tours, art exhibitions, etc.

I think following the right social channels is helpful, explore edmonton, dba, edify, etc can keep us in the loop.

But I do think these small events are different than permanent attractions like a Rec Room, favourite bars, movie theaters, etc.

One thing I've seen in places like Vancouver and NY too is how impactful religious gatherings are in downtowns. Because the community often draws from all over a city, especially smaller groups like Jewish or Hindu communities. So if they have gathering places in downtown, people from all over the city drive and train in to gather. And then that also brings children and people looking to enjoy food often as well.

I find our downtown has very few active or large religious groups. A few historical buildings, but there are mosques and temples and churches in the suburbs that see 1000-5000 people every weekend. In Vancouver and NY you see thousands of people downtown for religious stuff on weekends. In edmonton, its empty on Sundays. And I think religious gatherings can compliment downtown social scenes well as they're often mornings/afternoons, and for Christians, Sundays. Whereas nightlife, bars, festivals are more afternoon and evening/night.

Just another observation of what edmonton doesn't have vs some other really lively DTs!
 
There actually are a ton of these sorts of events that experience moderate success. Root 107, al fresco, 124th market on Thursdays and Sundays, DT farmers market, open streets. Then all the one off events in pocket parks, bike tours, art exhibitions, etc.

I think following the right social channels is helpful, explore edmonton, dba, edify, etc can keep us in the loop.

But I do think these small events are different than permanent attractions like a Rec Room, favourite bars, movie theaters, etc.

One thing I've seen in places like Vancouver and NY too is how impactful religious gatherings are in downtowns. Because the community often draws from all over a city, especially smaller groups like Jewish or Hindu communities. So if they have gathering places in downtown, people from all over the city drive and train in to gather. And then that also brings children and people looking to enjoy food often as well.

I find our downtown has very few active or large religious groups. A few historical buildings, but there are mosques and temples and churches in the suburbs that see 1000-5000 people every weekend. In Vancouver and NY you see thousands of people downtown for religious stuff on weekends. In edmonton, its empty on Sundays. And I think religious gatherings can compliment downtown social scenes well as they're often mornings/afternoons, and for Christians, Sundays. Whereas nightlife, bars, festivals are more afternoon and evening/night.

Just another observation of what edmonton doesn't have vs some other really lively DTs!
Not right Downtown but there are a couple major religious buildings in Oliver - St. Joseph's Basilica and the Beth Shalom Synagogue, both of which attract quite a crowd. I wouldn't want any 'mega church's' or the like located downtown with capacities into the thousands, unless a group wants to use existing buildings like Rogers or the Convention Centre.
 
Everyone, keep in mind that just as the other buildings in this district (besides Rogers) were being opened COVID hit and killed the entertainment industry for a little while, an industry that's still in quite a bit of pain. It really does suck and it's unfortunate that it's not panning out well atm, but I definitely believe that things will change for the better soon enough.
 
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Well if I'm to classify myself I would include me and my 1 old ford f150, K5 Blazer and Chevy Tahoe into the Truck loving Redneck grouping of Edmontonians. Do I own downtown, no I don't, but I would imagine that neither do you. I do indeed work downtown in places like Rogers Place, convention center, Citadel theatre and Winspear Center and used to attend MacEwan University downtown for a few years and one of my kids attends one of the high schools just north of downtown so I do travel in and out of the downtown quite a bit. When I do drive into the core I understand that we don't live in a small prairie city anymore and if I have to pay for parking than I do so (even though I would put myself in a lower income bracket who can't afford to pay on a regular basis).
Simple thing is I have chosen to not sit there and complain why I can't find parking and swear to never come downtown. And if I can I will either bus it or LRT into the downtown (with all my hard hat and work gear) to get to work at whichever venue I happen to be working at.

Nobody’s complaining. You are projecting with that comment.

For the record, I do own a condo downtown. Therefore I have a vested interest in making the community more successful. I personally believe listening to peoples concerns about the things that obstruct this from happening, then working on innovative measures by a large city’s standards to fix them, might actually have a significant impact on bringing people downtown.

Comments like yours about rednecks obsessed with vehicles does nothing to contribute to the debate and discussion. I would say if you want people to be receptive of your opinions, you should show some respect for theirs.
 
I wonder if the problem is that Edmontonians just want free parking or if it isn't more than DT businesses need to focus on adding value' I think part of the problem for the DT casino was that they wanted to operate like the one at WEM or beside the Yellowhead based on free parking. DT Edmonton needs to create unique offerings that aren't available anywhere else because it is unlikely anyone will drive there and pay for parking to get something on offer closer to home and for less money.

There is so much that can be done, I wish places like the casino would take advantage of being DT instead of treating it like a problem to be overcome.
 

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