Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire
With regard to the Somerset heritage designation, I usually take the pie in the sky promises of companies trying to dodge these designations with a grain of salt. But in this case, CanadInns has the means to get it done, and the fact that they own all of the properties in question gives them serious credibility. I'd also say that the Somerset Building is drastically underperforming relative to its prime location and the fact that CanadInns owns the neighbouring buildings suggests to me that they have a real interest in boosting the Somerset's fortunes. So when CanadInns says it wants to do something big there, I'd believe them.
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I agree that most developers seem to sing the same old "heritage designation blues". In this case, however, I can see his point; it's a nice older building but doesn't really have a lot of distinctive architectural features. Still, the process needs to be followed, and personally I don't think he needed to play the "heritage designations is killing my plans" card at this point. My gut feeling though, is that as long as his plans don't include perching a circus tent on the roof or tearing it down and building a Dairy Queen, his plans will probably be approved.
I also agree the building underperforms considering it's location. I dig bargain stores as much as the next guy, but if the Somerset can be updated to include some entertainment options, as the article seemed to suggest, it could add a little more 'E' to the SHED district.