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The Quarters
- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
Gus Haynes
Active Member
That design is beautiful, but why do I feel certain that the final product won't look anything close to that?
buildings
Active Member
very handsome building. but I can't see it as a residential building; looks more suited to be housing some university dept. on campus.
northlands
Senior Member
"e4c's proposed development will include the construction of a purpose-built building that will provide transitional housing units, shelter beds, office and services spaces, a Women's Emergency Accommodation Centre and a Financial Management Hub."
Sounds like e4c wants to expand services + move out of the Alex Taylor school building.
SarcasticMarmot
Active Member
I don't know if this plan is to move out of Alex Taylor, which is primarily their office building. All of their services are located elsewhere.
WEAC is in the Gibson Block/Flatiron building (wonder if that will be available), the Financial Management Hub is on 97st across from Winspear, and the transitional housing/shelter beds are likely the replacement for the old transitional housing facility that they had in the Quarters that the city bought and tore down. Maybe they will be centralizing offices, but Alex Taylor is a pretty sweet deal for them.
husky
Active Member
Probably an unpopular opinion on that proposed building and the City is probably happy to get something built, but reading the council report a bit more it looks like it will have limited residential space with more of it being shelter space than actual residential space. It looks great and will be good because it will provide further social support but I'm not 100% sure this is what The Quarters necessarily needs more of in that concentrated area. I know this is where the services are needed given the general disorder in the area but I'm not sure it will do much to get other developments kick started in the area, especially being beside Kinistinaw Park.
Barnaby
Active Member
The entire city and province needs to absorb shelters and supportive housing. Residents of only three central neighbourhoods can't be expected to put up with it, or you're going to see a harsh pushback as the central population increases.
SMayo
Active Member
100% agree. The perception of the neighbourhood and surrounding neighbourhoods will never change if we continue to concentrate all of the regions social services there.
I’m still waiting for the day that St. Albert, Sherwood park, spruce grove etc. start pulling their weight and start providing their share of the services.
I’m still waiting for the day that St. Albert, Sherwood park, spruce grove etc. start pulling their weight and start providing their share of the services.
Edmcowboy11
Senior Member
That piece of land would be better as a property similar to the Mercury located there and that building and building purpose could go closer to the new medical center in Mill Woods area, west of the Millwoods station on 28ave.
David A
Senior Member
Sorry, but I feel it will be a long wait. Who is going to make them?
kcantor
Senior Member
Assuming this is a relocation of WEAC from the Gibson Block, not only is it an architecturally well done design next to a park and in close to municipal transit (mobility being a large component of reintegration), not only does stand nicely alone, hopefully it will enable E4C to dispose of the Gibson Block and replace an insular institutional use with more vibrant retail and mixed use opportunities in a highly prominent reasonably well maintained historic building.
SarcasticMarmot
Active Member
I don't know if "Reasonably maintained" is a term I would use for the Gibson Block. I've been inside fairly recently and IMO it will likely need to be gutted and possibly need some structural work for its next use. e4c has done the best they can with the resources/challenges they have but it will be quite expensive to save. Gorgeous building and I do hope it gets restored at some point.
SarcasticMarmot
Active Member
As someone who is fighting for these kinds of services. I can tell you the support sector 100% agrees with you. Not only is it bad for the community to have services concentrated, it also has major negative effects on people's recovery, growth, healing, etc. We know that concentrating folks with challenges leads to worse outcomes. Concentrated trauma creates new trauma and people need healthy role models and communities to grow. The best model is dispersed services integrated into all communities. But, that is 1) More expensive and 2) deeply politically unpopular. Our non-central communities have gotten comfortable with the idea of "those people" being in other places and will fight tooth and nail to stop them from being supported in the community.
After doing some good work with supportive housing and shelters over the last decade the City has largely given up fighting for social services to be shared by the whole city. The less said about the province, the better for my mental health, but it should be their problem. So as non-profits our choices are either concentrate services where it is socially acceptable and we can afford land OR provide no supports to people. It sucks.
David A
Senior Member
Fortunately, we do have at least a couple of people locally who are passionate and fairly knowledgeable about restoring gorgeous older buildings. The main floor space really should be used as retail/commercial and if there was something it would draw people to an area with several nice street front buildings, which is really rather dead now. Of course building some residential nearby on empty lots would help too.
northlands
Senior Member
Some more information RE the E4C project... and some delusion.