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Legislature Grounds / Centennial Plaza

Xtend said:
Do the fountains increase in height and meet in the middle at the top of the dome anymore, or is it just the one lower bundt-cake height now?
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If it helps I was there last night and the height of the fountain is the same in the photo previously provided. One nice touch is it now lit up with LEDs for different colours.
 
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This lot continues to drive me nuts. What are your ideas for it? Personally...

- Family focussed attainable housing with rooftop playground/space for residents to gather
- Classy double loaded brownstones
- A giant pickleball facility which uses the Terrace parking off hours

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Here are my ideas for that parking lot:
- Extension of the Legislature green space that includes a dog park and a fountain.
- Fitness facility that includes an outdoor/indoor swimming pool, running track, 3-on-3 basketball and pickleball.
- Hot springs facility similar to the one in Radium.
- Cafe/restaurant/pub/live music venue.
 
Mostly City of Edmonton owned (82% or something) with some private parcels, archeological/burial potential and had plans with the most recent West Rossdale plan that involved some realignment/closures.
 
The one-time residential lots were bought up by the City back in the 1960s -1970s with a view to repurposing the land to develop "pristine woodlands" -- myself and urban Planner Larry Taylor convinced the City to stop this idiocy (much as we should be doing now with the City's program to buy up residential lots in Boyle Street, demolishing the houses thereon and then hoping to sell to a developer for some grand refresh scheme). The City finally did stop but ended up with ownership of a disjointed puzzle of raw land and absolutely no idea of what to do with it. I have proposed that it be a site along with the Historic Power Plant Building for a permanent World Indigenous Peoples' Exposition -- that idea (with the City) is slow to take root.
 
archited said:
The one-time residential lots were bought up by the City back in the 1960s -1970s with a view to repurposing the land to develop "pristine woodlands" -- myself and urban Planner Larry Taylor convinced the City to stop this idiocy (much as we should be doing now with the City's program to buy up residential lots in Boyle Street, demolishing the houses thereon and then hoping to sell to a developer for some grand refresh scheme). The City finally did stop but ended up with ownership of a disjointed puzzle of raw land and absolutely no idea of what to do with it. I have proposed that it be a site along with the Historic Power Plant Building for a permanent World Indigenous Peoples' Exposition -- that idea (with the City) is slow to take root.
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These lots should be sold to the highest bidder (with no floor), which would be contractually obligated to develop within a framework that could be extremely profitable for the developer, and extremely sustainable regarding tax revenue. These Boyle Street lots would be better off sold for $1 each than sit as gravel lots any months longer.

Allow for density between row housing, and the tallest possible structure that could be built there.
 
archited said:
The one-time residential lots were bought up by the City back in the 1960s -1970s with a view to repurposing the land to develop "pristine woodlands" -- myself and urban Planner Larry Taylor convinced the City to stop this idiocy (much as we should be doing now with the City's program to buy up residential lots in Boyle Street, demolishing the houses thereon and then hoping to sell to a developer for some grand refresh scheme). The City finally did stop but ended up with ownership of a disjointed puzzle of raw land and absolutely no idea of what to do with it. I have proposed that it be a site along with the Historic Power Plant Building for a permanent World Indigenous Peoples' Exposition -- that idea (with the City) is slow to take root.
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Yes, the problem partly is that others make money by building and developing things. Cities do not. So there is more of an incentive for private owners to do something with their holdings.

Density may arise slowly and naturally and gradually with additions and secondary structures or more quickly with land being assembled and larger buildings built. That area as it is now is a travesty. What is a scenic area so close to downtown is now just a bunch of empty lots interspersed with a few remaining buildings and the power plant building is also being neglected and ignored.

It has been like this for many years and there is still no incentive now for the city to do anything with it, even if they could figure out something good which it seems they can't. They should quit being like a dog in the manger and it they can't make better use of what is there, just let someone else take it on.
 
It looks ok in the pictures and maybe it being more basic allows attention to focus more on the legislature itself, the fountain, pool and grounds all of which are all spectacular.

I was never a fan of the pebbled concrete before which seemed to be from a certain era and somehow take some attention away from the rest, but it was fairly durable. Hopefully the new concrete will hold up well.
 
David A said:
It looks ok in the pictures and maybe it being more basic allows attention to focus more on the legislature itself, the fountain, pool and grounds all of which are all spectacular.

I was never a fan of the pebbled concrete before which seemed to be from a certain era and somehow take some attention away from the rest, but it was fairly durable. Hopefully the new concrete will hold up well.
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Exposed aggregate is the name of the finish. Done on the cheap by Lougheed
 
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