Quote:
Originally Posted by GGG
Why does it get costlier to clean up?
What demand is driving the development when you have east village and the stampede area currently being developed.
I see it as an untapped future resource that can be exploited by the city when the market demands the space. A CRL is then used to fund the clean up and the infrastructure and the city comes out way ahead of where it would be then if the stadium and arena take up half of the prime real estate along the river.
It's 20 years down the road but using that location on a giant concrete box is a waste.
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It gets costlier because labour prices inevitably go up, and as the city grows in population, density and infrastructure around that area, leaving that area untouched makes it more challenging to shut it down for cleanup. Not impossible, just more challenging. As an example, when the airport tunnel was built, everyone bitched at the cost of it, but doing it years later (ie. now) would have brought the cost up by many millions. I was involved with that project during its construction. Now it's a critical piece of infrastructure that is paid for and serving Calgary and will only grow in importance as it is eventually connected to the ring road.
And, this has nothing to do with demand right now. But, it does have something to do with preparing for that demand in the future. Right now, the city knows it has an opportunity to capitalize on a potential tax base by densifying the West Village with residential and commercial development. That's why there's a development plan for that area. This discussion is much bigger than an arena, which you keep going back to. There will a West Village development at some point.
Whether you like it or not, that area will be developed, arena or not, and that creosote issue will need to be addressed. It's not a question of if, but when.