Quote:
Originally Posted by SebC
There's better ways to do that. Stop subsidizing expansion at the fringes (this one actual pulls double duty, it brings people to the core while saving the city money, and people who live in the core tend to play in the core); invest in truly public infrastructure like the new central library, new/redeveloped parks (e.g. Sien Lok, Century Gardens, St. Patrick's Island), pedestrian bridges; revitalize places like 8th St SW; etc.
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I think that any new arena should certainly be in the core. There is benefit and a lot of potential synergies with surrounding uses. It can, if done well, be a catalyst for other development. Vancouver's arena is squeezed between elevated roadways - in fact not all that well integrated into their core.
I agree, that the focus on investment should be in other areas - like the public realm. Just look at how Calgary utilized a CRL - to build infrastructure to redevelop the East Village. That includes the library, streetscapes, parks, the river pathway, etc. That will draw people and will ultimately be the kind of thing to truly revitalize the core and make it great. Edmonton is choosing to use CRL for primarily an arena. I'll take our approach to revitalization.
It's also important to keep in mind that the core (Bow River to 17th Avenue, and Elbow River to 14th Street SW) produces
43% of our city's entire property tax base. It is the goose that lays the golden egg from a tax base perspective, so it's really important to feed that goose by investing in it and making it better.