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Gibson Block

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itom987

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It's time we do something about this building. I would love to see a cafe open in the corner, can we make this happen?
 
David A said:
Really anything decent goods or services retail here would be great. The main floor was designed and intended to be retail space.
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The main floor was indeed designed and intended for that but I believe the City's lease with E4C for WEAC precludes it from being used as such. There were plans to expand/relocate WEAC to a new facility east of Kinistinaw Park in the Quarters but i'm not sure of the status. If that does come to pass, there would be an opportunity to reanimate all of the Gibson Block.
 
^^
You might be right but as far as I know - or can find out - the only agreement that was actually reached or awarded was the City approving the sale of the land at a discounted price..
 
itom987 said:
The city needs to tear up that lease and allow ground floor businesses to operate. The city should not be stabbing themselves with counterproductive leases.
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Um... so your response to the location of a women's emergency shelter is to TEAR UP the lease?

This decision making matrix is wild.
 
^
I would think that the response was meant to delete or amend that clause in the lease, not the entire lease although the problem with that is that to implement it would require substantial changes to the building itself that the shelter can't afford/rationalize. The solution for them and for the Gibson Block is a relocation to a new/more appropriate facility, something they have been pursuing for the better part of a decade.
 
Tropical said:
Um... so your response to the location of a women's emergency shelter is to TEAR UP the lease?

This decision making matrix is wild.
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IMO it's not the women's emergency shelter that is of any particular issue here, and I can completely understand why they would preclude other ground floor uses, but just simply the unfortunate way that competing priorities of the City butting heads continues to hinder forward progress in the Quarters/east Jasper ave.

A beautiful structure with great ground level retail space is made unavailable (and worse, the mirrored glass makes it appear completely unoccupied) despite it being adjacent to untold amounts of money spent to improve the area in terms of the 96th st streetscape, the Quarters LRT stop, Kinistaw Park, etc.
 
kcantor said:
^
I would think that the response was meant to delete or amend that clause in the lease, not the entire lease although the problem with that is that to implement it would require substantial changes to the building itself that the shelter can't afford/rationalize. The solution for them and for the Gibson Block is a relocation to a new/more appropriate facility, something they have been pursuing for the better part of a decade.
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The foot dragging on their part needs to stop, find a building and move.
 
Geesh, the hostility here is intense. Have a little patience, change is coming. e4c is actively moving forward with its relocation and will vacate the building in the near future. It's also important to remember that the most likely alternative outcome for the building when e4c took over the space 25 years ago was demolition. Its a beautiful building, but needed alot of repairs and in an area where despite the improvements not many folks have shown interest in investing. In the long run I think the building will find a great new usage and the WEAC period will be a colorful anecdote.
 
I agree that the main floor needs some sort of commercial usage. What I wonder though, is the any chance we may see some sort of construction of a new but complimentary building west of the Gibson. It has always astounded me how one of the most picturesque sections of Jasper ave still has very little activity going on.
 
YEG imagineer said:
^I think once Pendeniss and Brighton Block have their main floors leased and hopefully thriving, then there will be real interest in a building west of the Gibson Block.
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... and will that happening any time soon or will it be another five or ten years?
 
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