11-23-2018, 12:36 PM
(11-23-2018, 11:11 AM)panamaniac Wrote: With the complete demolition of the buildings on the site, I've gone from super enthusiastic about the future development to "meh".
(11-23-2018, 11:29 AM)Spokes Wrote: I'm definitely less excited too.
Auburn will have to do something significant to get some wow back here. I'm not confident in their abilities.
(11-23-2018, 11:37 AM)tomh009 Wrote:(11-23-2018, 11:11 AM)panamaniac Wrote: With the complete demolition of the buildings on the site, I've gone from super enthusiastic about the future development to "meh".
And yet that's what the plan has been for the past two years.
The reality is that not every old industrial building can be salvaged and repurposed. Like what is now the School of Pharmacy building, this is basically a brownfield opportunity that allows the developer to build from scratch on a large yet relatively central property. We'll have to wait and see what the site plan proposal looks like.
The demolished buildings were not practical to be saved at all... and they had no aesthetic value like Kaufman, for example. However, a couple buildings on the property will be saved and repurposed for some cool stuff. This will be a true mixed use development (residential, office, commercial, open space), and it will also have really good open space that is badly needed by the surrounding neighbourhoods.