Could this be the start of something BIG?
Will it be the shake up required to promote serious revitalization of the downtown?
Sure would be nice!!!

This will certainly be an interesting one to watch to say the least.

1. whether it gets off the ground at all

2. if it does, whether it will be completed ...

3. if it does, how much the units will cost to buy and how long it will take to sell the units, unless they will be sold to out of City people and then be rentals ..

4. if that happens, whether they will be fully rented ...

5. and the same for the retail units - rental rates, whether anyone will be renting them, and if they do, how long they will stay in business.

Interesting to note that the parking is enclosed on the ground level .. a waste of potentially high end space. Maybe that should read underground since that location is high enough above the flood plain for that and I cannot see a developer giving away potential retail rental space for parking rental space. In fact, that could be contrary to our OCP, byt hey, who can be picky these days about downtown development.

Also interesting to note that construction is schedued to take over a year for such a small building.

Darn it owl, and I was just on the verge of becoming an optimist.
Now your posting makes me think we may have another "pie in the sky" project.
When is that proposed "gaming centre" going to make some headline news???
Must be on the drawing board by now.
Anyone out there "in the know?"

--revitalization of the downtown?---

I'm wondering if revitalization of the downdown is even feasable any more. It appears to me, the way we build a city these days seems to be moving away from the 'downtown' and maybe downtown will become a ghetto like the older parts of Detroit. All the major shopping centers seem to be moving away from downtown to attract neighborhood people. In a way that is a good thing because you won't have to drive to a congested area to shop for anything. I lived in the Downsview area of Toronto at one time and getting downtown was a horrible endeavor to say the least. There was no reason to go there except for the 'night life' or high priced shopping. Business offices were located there as well as panhandlers, which we termed 'bums'in those days. My trips to downtown Toronto were a yearly look at the CNE and 'Yorkville' (coffee houses with current folk or protest singers.) I travel to Calgary a lot throughout each year, and again, there is little or no reason to be 'downtown'. I drive through the downtown sometimes but usually avoid it. If I should ever attain the position of 'bottom feeder', I will spend more time downtown in Prince George than I presently do. I really don't care about the downtown of Prince George. I'm still waiting for the infrastructure in South Fort George to be updated to 1974 levels as was promised by the Moffat council when we joined the city. So far we have ditches that gather thistle and lower the property values even more than without ditches. So--who really cares about downtown?? Only those with a capital investment there.

But lefty--- right now it is a slum! Look around--we're building houses for bottom feeders to the tune of millions. Then we give 'em free needles so they won't get any diseases--jezus are we dumb!

Lefty ....

Will you be buying a 1,000 SF condo there for $175,000? If not, do you have friends who will be doing that?

How about renting retail space for $20 to $25 per square foot? Will you be doing that or anyone you know?

A bank just gave up its dwontown building and property and built a brand new building on the Bypass for space that would likely go above that rate if it was for a short term (5 year) agreement. Do they know someting we don't?

There is prime space available in another abandoned bank build kitty corner from thaqt and just a block away from the new development. It is renting for less. Why has that not been rented?

http://www.pgrentnet.com/07_Commercial/sonshine/SonShine.htm

How many in PG will buy $25,000 shares in the new development, the way some bought shares in the Microbrewery on Brunswick and 6th .... or the Casino in Wells?

Where is the prospectus for the new building? I would think that they do not need local investors. If they did, it would not likely go ahead.

I like the idea of more housing closer to the downtown. The commute is gone, rush hour is a thing of the past, forgetting something on the way home is a non issue, fuel costs are irrevelant, pollution from vehicles is reduced, and the time saved for more enjoyable pursuits is enhanced substantially.

One of the biggest problems is the current type of residents (shelters) and businesses (Pawn Shops)and government agencies (needle exchanges) that make living and walking downtown a very negative experience for most people.

The other major concern is air quality. I live in it, I walk to work in it and I work in it. The air quality sucks. So, from a health concern, many will not compromise their health for convenience. Chester

I look at it this way: if people in PG enjoyed living downtown, the housing between Vancouver Street and Winnipeg would long ago have been bought up to virtually the last building, most of it either torn down or considerably refurbished and valued as well as reselling for as much as the housing in some of the higher end subdivisions. That has obviously not happened. It has also not happened behind Connaught Hill, nor in the Gateway residential area, especially between 18th and 15th.

People living in the Central Business District is rare in many cities, certainly in small cities such as PG. But most of such cities have a reasonable level of high end housing immediately adjacent to the CBD.

While there are some great houses from the past there, and a few new ones, that might be at the most 20% of the stock and their aqssessed value is not exactly on the high end.

I would have moved there and refurbished a house a long time ago. I was never one for living in suburbia, as I do now. However, the thing which stopped me was the air quality. Last night was another good example of when it was bad enough that it could be smelled.

You see, it does not take a developer to do these things. In a free market economy, the people will indicate their living preference.

Let's face it, many people have come to Prince George for jobs and to live in the country on some acreage. There are considerably more of thsoe than those who have come to live in a more urban environment.

Perhaps the time has come for that.

As Chadermando says, only time will tell.

;-)

16 Condos (high end) at 6th and Quebec. A similiar situation at 2nd and Quebec. (Metropolis 2) Add to that the development that is supposedly going in at 6th and Victoria, add to that the big development that supposedly will take place when they move the Golf course, and you have some pretty major development coming to our fair city. The downside is the population of the city is static. The City will continue to locate and relocate business on the property along Highway 16 West where the new car lot is going in. Rumor has it that Safeway and Rona could also go in their. There has to be other major development in this area, as the city will no doubt close the par 3 golf course in the not to distant future.

In addition there in talk of Brick relocating to Highway 16 West. With the Major developments outside the bowl it is hard to see how or when the downtown will be revitilized. A gaming centre certainly wont do it. Business in the vicinity of Third and George must be on their last legs and I would expect some more closures in the near future.

The Citys planning outside the Downtown is inconsistant with their planning for the Downtown. This city is not big enough to support all the so called expansion in the future.

Someone will be going broke.