Valley of Dreams - an article about the River Valley Alliance plans

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Oklahoma City
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmont...turn-1.2928057

Building a downtown canal helped pull Oklahoma City out of a long economic slump when it was completed 15 years ago, says the city’s public works director.

The canal was one of nine visionary projects - including a ball park, NBA arena, convention facilities and civic centre - approved by the city in a leap of faith, Eric Winger told Edmonton AM's Mark Connolly Thursday.

“Each of these … brought a unique attraction and to this day Oklahoma City continues to grow and develop because of the original projects.”

Citizens approved a “one-penny sales tax” to pay for the projects, he said.

The canal was inspired by San Antonio’s river walk as an entertainment centre with hotels, theatres, restaurants, water taxis.

Work began in 1993. The canal — one mile long and one metre deep — was dug along existing streets in an abandoned industrial neighbourhood of vacant brick buildings called Bricktown.

The canal was completed six years and $20 million later.

Businesses were slow to warm up to the new district, he said. Now 15 years later the canal is fully developed, fully landscaped and has grown into the prime entertainment district for the city, Winger said.

A group of prominent Edmontonians is floating the idea of building a two-kilometre-long canal through the Rossdale neighbourhood.

Winger recommends patience should Edmonton approve the idea.

“It takes years and years for all those amenities to come around.”

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Pier Park, New Westminster
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/...570/story.html

https://www.google.ca/search?q=pier+...H&ved=0CC0QsAQ

[Airboy]

Tomorrow on the river.

http://www.albertaboatrace.com/

[Coldrsx]

OH yes... seems like almost no coverage this year.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

David Staples is posting a bunch of pics of the river valley and lamenting its lack of usability
https://twitter.com/DavidStaplesYEG

[canucklehead2]

Considering Edmonton started out as a river fort settlement, you'd think we wouldn't have been so quick to ignore our history. It's a real shame that even today the Edmonton Queen is about the only way Edmontonian's ever get to enjoy the river unless they own a canoe... I'd love to see water gondolas/taxi's built with piers at the major public parks (Hawrelak, Rundle, McKinney) and the spaces programmed. Frankly the Hawrelak ampitheatre is a great under-used venue (save for ESO's Symphony Under the Sky, Shakespeare Festival) but a great model of an attraction that should be multiplied throughout the city... Think outdoor movie series, outdoor concerts, plays... It'd be nice to see something scheduled for every weekend evening ideally...

[Airboy]

River was busy today. Spent 4 hours on it and the area between Harewluc and the Fort foot bridge was heavily used. Also the beach and sandbar upstreem of the fort was packed with swimmers and sunbathers.

But we do need a river patrol. Lots of power boat flying down the river while people paddled. Had on guy in a bass boat yell at us for telling him to slow down as he headed full tilt at some canoers. Oh and he did not have registration numbers on his boat.

[Coldrsx]

Friends were on it today and said it was busy as well.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Besides river patrols, need more water taxis and more riverboat tours like the Edmonton Queen. And piers at Rundle, LMP, Rossdale, Kinsmen, RAM, Hawrelak, Zoo, Ft Edmonton and other points of interest so that people can travel by boat.

[Airboy]

Water taxis would be good but need a jet motor. The rowing Club damaged 4 props today during a race. And they know the river.

[Coldrsx]

Yup, friends also ran aground and messed theirs

[feepa]

I'm not sure I support Mr Staples plea for development in the river valley. As for it being empty and devoid of people? Absolutely wrong. Half the city had to be in the river valley yesterday. It's just so vast and big that David probably felt out of place with out hipster coffee bars and tapas. Judging by his pictures, he went from 105 street to 109 street, and consider that a grand tour. His photos were very carefully chosen to support his point of view, but I'd bet that even he knows the river valley is a lot more than what he bandying about .

Leave Edmonton's River Valley alone. It's a recreational mecca. A place for nature lovers. Sure, some flat foot in a sports jacket might feel a bit out of place, but we have downtown and old strathcona if you want to drink lattes and enjoy an urban environment.

[Coldrsx]

Develop rossdale, that's it other than around the shaw.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

I would limit development between LMP and Rossdale, maybe no further than the Menzies LRT bridge. As for the rest - turn the multi-use trails along River Valley Road and Sask Drive into wide promenades akin to Victoria Promenade, widen trails at some other spots, trim greenery at lookout points, extend Hawrelak Park to the river shore, build piers at points of interest and that's it - leave the rest as is.

[Makenosmallplans]

Originally Posted by feepa

I'm not sure I support Mr Staples plea for development in the river valley. As for it being empty and devoid of people? Absolutely wrong. Half the city had to be in the river valley yesterday. It's just so vast and big that David probably felt out of place with out hipster coffee bars and tapas. Judging by his pictures, he went from 105 street to 109 street, and consider that a grand tour. His photos were very carefully chosen to support his point of view, but I'd bet that even he knows the river valley is a lot more than what he bandying about .

Leave Edmonton's River Valley alone. It's a recreational mecca. A place for nature lovers. Sure, some flat foot in a sports jacket might feel a bit out of place, but we have downtown and old strathcona if you want to drink lattes and enjoy an urban environment.

Think you missed his point... the stretch between the Glenora and the LM park is already developed and has been developed for hundreds of years. its just that right now its been developed poorly and with little regard for citizen's interaction with it. parking lots, institutional buildings and trails in the bush set back from the river bank... for that stretch why not do more formal development with the kinds of access and amenities other posters are suggesting? there are literally hundreds of kilometres of river valley in or near the city limits. we are talking about 2 or 3 km near the core - twice that if both sides of the river were developed. i'm fine with leaving the remaining 100's of kms in a more natural state.

[SHOFEAR]

Originally Posted by feepa

I'm not sure I support Mr Staples plea for development in the river valley. As for it being empty and devoid of people? Absolutely wrong. Half the city had to be in the river valley yesterday. It's just so vast and big that David probably felt out of place with out hipster coffee bars and tapas. Judging by his pictures, he went from 105 street to 109 street, and consider that a grand tour. His photos were very carefully chosen to support his point of view, but I'd bet that even he knows the river valley is a lot more than what he bandying about .

Leave Edmonton's River Valley alone. It's a recreational mecca. A place for nature lovers. Sure, some flat foot in a sports jacket might feel a bit out of place, but we have downtown and old strathcona if you want to drink lattes and enjoy an urban environment.

I'm not one to heap praises on other cities.....but Winnipeg nailed it with the forks.

[Airboy]

There is lots we can do , but you have to remember our river can rise 10 meters in a day. And there is a regular rise and fall of about a meter every day.

Buena Vista park work is slowly getting started. I heard over the weekend the Yorath House is being redeveloped. That's the house just to the NE of the Zoo.

[Coldrsx]

A few images from the engineering report, April 24,2015 from edmonton.ca

[EdmTrekker]

Maybe its just me - but I don't see a way for a wheelchair bound person to get to Louise McKinney park from the funicular. Where exactly is the end of the track?

[s211]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

A few images from the engineering report, April 24,2015 from edmonton.ca

Wow. File this alignment in the batsh!t crazy folder. Why in God's name would they terminate the south end of this thing in the middle of that no-mans land?