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345 King St W | 6 fl | Complete
#61
(09-28-2017, 12:11 PM)rangersfan Wrote: Hopefully some of those businesses locate in the retail section of this project and setup temporary locations elsewhere.

Definitely not happening... the retail portion of this project will be expensive and premium space for high end restaurants/bars/cafes or retail. This is what gentrification looks like.
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#62
(09-28-2017, 03:53 PM)urbd Wrote:
(09-28-2017, 12:11 PM)rangersfan Wrote: Hopefully some of those businesses locate in the retail section of this project and setup temporary locations elsewhere.

Definitely not happening... the retail portion of this project will be expensive and premium space for high end restaurants/bars/cafes or retail. This is what gentrification looks like.

Well, what would you have suggested they do, then? This is the most central street in the entire city, in the very center of downtown, 3 blocks away from the future transit hub. Should we instead be building a few 2 storey homes on this lot instead? Not be building at all? Where else would be a better site to build in your opinion, if not here?
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#63
(09-28-2017, 06:09 PM)GtwoK Wrote:
(09-28-2017, 03:53 PM)urbd Wrote: Definitely not happening... the retail portion of this project will be expensive and premium space for high end restaurants/bars/cafes or retail. This is what gentrification looks like.

Well, what would you have suggested they do, then? This is the most central street in the entire city, in the very center of downtown, 3 blocks away from the future transit hub. Should we instead be building a few 2 storey homes on this lot instead? Not be building at all? Where else would be a better site to build in your opinion, if not here?

I think you have rather misunderstood the posts that you were responding to.
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#64
I'd hope one or two of those businesses could relocate to space in the Eaton Lofts, also owned by Perimeter and currently sitting empty.
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#65
(09-29-2017, 12:35 AM)mpd618 Wrote: I'd hope one or two of those businesses could relocate to space in the Eaton Lofts, also owned by Perimeter and currently sitting empty.

Again, Perimeter also wants that space for a premium tenant. They'd rather wait until the right one (in their view) comes instead of just leasing it to anyone. None of the displaced businesses would be able to afford space there, either Sad
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#66
(09-29-2017, 09:18 AM)urbd Wrote:
(09-29-2017, 12:35 AM)mpd618 Wrote: I'd hope one or two of those businesses could relocate to space in the Eaton Lofts, also owned by Perimeter and currently sitting empty.

Again, Perimeter also wants that space for a premium tenant. They'd rather wait until the right one (in their view) comes instead of just leasing it to anyone. None of the displaced businesses would be able to afford space there, either Sad

I don't see why Golden Turtle, for example, couldn't afford the space in Eaton Lofts (although that space isn't really set up all that well for a restaurant, I think).

But what's wrong with all the available space across the street, also currently sitting empty, and not currently slated for redevelopment?
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#67
(09-28-2017, 12:11 PM)rangersfan Wrote: Hopefully some of those businesses locate in the retail section of this project and setup temporary locations elsewhere.

My guess is the cost will be significantly more than they're paying now which could deter them.
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#68
(09-29-2017, 09:18 AM)urbd Wrote:
(09-29-2017, 12:35 AM)mpd618 Wrote: I'd hope one or two of those businesses could relocate to space in the Eaton Lofts, also owned by Perimeter and currently sitting empty.

Again, Perimeter also wants that space for a premium tenant. They'd rather wait until the right one (in their view) comes instead of just leasing it to anyone. None of the displaced businesses would be able to afford space there, either Sad

And I believe for a large tenant
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#69
One of the two empty storefronts on the Water St side of the Eaton Lofts is the former Bolero Pizza & Pasta.
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#70
(09-28-2017, 06:24 PM)panamaniac Wrote:
(09-28-2017, 06:09 PM)GtwoK Wrote: Well, what would you have suggested they do, then? This is the most central street in the entire city, in the very center of downtown, 3 blocks away from the future transit hub. Should we instead be building a few 2 storey homes on this lot instead? Not be building at all? Where else would be a better site to build in your opinion, if not here?

I think you have rather misunderstood the posts that you were responding to.

Sorry, I've just seen a lot of people lately complaining about anything downtown being removed in order to build something else being "gentrification". What's the rule then? Only ever build on undeveloped property? I just don't get it.
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#71
The comment struck me as simply an (accurate) observation rather than a complaint re gentrification. Although I view gentrification very favourably, so perhaps it was me who misunderstood.
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#72
I was not complaining about gentrification at all! Just stating the facts. New construction requires displacement sometimes, and a new state of the art building does not come with the cheap rents that some of these businesses are used to and can afford.
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#73
That's what I thought. I wouldn't be surprised if Starbucks located there.
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#74
(09-30-2017, 10:47 PM)panamaniac Wrote: That's what I thought.  I wouldn't be surprised if Starbucks located there.

We have so many high-quality coffee shops in DTK now (Matter of Taste, Smile Tiger x2, Settlement, Pyrus) plus a slew of more mainstream ones (Williams, Coffee Culture, Hacienda, Coffee Time, Kava, Darlisle, Europe, Commons, Elevenses, Fresh Ground, Yeti etc) that I'm not sure the opportunity for Starbucks is all that fantastic any more.  If they had opened up five years ago it would have been a different situation.
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#75
(09-30-2017, 11:40 PM)tomh009 Wrote:
(09-30-2017, 10:47 PM)panamaniac Wrote: That's what I thought.  I wouldn't be surprised if Starbucks located there.

We have so many high-quality coffee shops in DTK now (Matter of Taste, Smile Tiger x2, Settlement, Pyrus) plus a slew of more mainstream ones (Williams, Coffee Culture, Hacienda, Coffee Time, Kava, Darlisle, Europe, Commons, Elevenses, Fresh Ground, Yeti etc) that I'm not sure the opportunity for Starbucks is all that fantastic any more.  If they had opened up five years ago it would have been a different situation.

I don't disagree, although, a bit to my surprise, I haven't sensed that Downtown is at "peak coffee" yet (I wonder how Smile Tiger is doing at 8 Queen?  and Settlement at King/Victoria?).  Things still don't seem propitious for a return of retail (at least not of the high rent variety), which pretty much leaves restaurants and cafes as the most likely options in this location.  I don't think that's ideal, but I'm trying to be realistic.  Maybe they'll surprise me (one lives in hope!).
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