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Chance of a lifetime
reprinted from Red Deer Advocate (Paige Aarhus) January 23, 2009
City councillor Cindy
Jeffries hopes Red Deer residents will get on board for a "once in a
lifetime" opportunity to completely redevelop the city's riverfront.
Jeffries presented an update on the Greater Downtown Action Plan (GDAP)
at city hall Thursday. She and Lorne Daniel, a head consultant for
the project, described a dramatically different downtown Red Deer.
"This will be and is one of the highlights of my council career so
far," said Jeffries, chair of the GDAP steering committee.
The update reflects a growing interest in long-term high-density
urban development and greater pedestrian access to the riverfront,
developments that could transform Red Deer's low-lying downtown
core.
"One of the themes we use is 'growing up.' Red Deer is moving beyond
being a town, a small city and you'll see some high-rise towers
coming up," said Daniel.
Three new areas -- Historic Downtown in the city centre, Riverlands
west of Taylor Drive and Railyards west of Gaetz Avenue and north of
Ross Street -- would be developed using three separate themes of
live, work and play.
Daniel said high-density residential development in the Railyards
area will offer living space for "people of all ages and income
levels. Housing for everybody."
The neighbourhood would feature high-rise apartment buildings close
to the riverfront and smaller apartment and single-family
residential blocks in the area formerly known as Cannery Row.
"It will be a mix of low- and high-rise, lots of windows and doors
to create a sense of urban safety," he said.
The Riverlands area, with its theme of play, is attracting the most
attention. Developers envision a pedestrian bridge connecting Bower
Ponds to a vibrant recreational area tailored to tourism.
On the other side of the river, where the civic and transit garages
now stand, there are plans for a "Spirit of the River" plaza with
space for outdoor cafes, buskers, market stalls and an "urban-style
pool with fire pots" to attract evening viewing.
Riverlands plans also include a new hotel and convention centre and
a year-round indoor garden and water centre, initially called "The
Ark" and re-dubbed "Prairie Oasis" by developers.
Historic Downtown would get a new civic plaza, parkades to reduce
congestion and a pedestrian path that connects Barrett Park to Bower
Ponds.
The path will make it much easier for downtown workers to ride a
bike to the office instead of driving, said Daniel.
According to the report, the full build-out of the action plan will
take anywhere from 20 to 25 years to complete, depending on city
budgets, government funding, private investment and the overall
economic climate.
"The GDAP 2008 Update is a concept plan . . . It guides the future
development of area redevelopment plans . . . but does not prescribe
specifics," said the report.
But Daniel said baby steps, such as creating new public parks, will
be taken as early as next year.
"The idea is to build on what we have right now and not feel that we
have to completely re-do things," he said.
Council will decide on Monday whether to adopt the plan, which
includes recommendations to hire a projects manager, hold public
design competitions for major development elements and create a
volunteer design review panel funded and coordinated by the city.
"I think the plan looks great and I hope council will give it
approval," said Jeffries.
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