I'm
talking about urban planning, not basketball
By Mark
Schadenberg
Carleton
University in Ottawa knows more than just basketball.
The
Carleton Ravens recently won the CIS basketball championship,
trouncing cross-town rival Ottawa Gee-Gees 93-46 to win their fifth
consecutive national basketball title, and 11th in 13
years. Coach Dave Smart is brilliant.
Carleton
also boasts smart students that can win awards at a brilliant urban
design project for the City of London's SoHo district.
The
so-called South Street Hospital (SoHo) neighbourhood will be
revitalized over time with most of the buildings removed, and a new
focus on the Thames River shoreline – likely with a promenade and
paths, and a mix of commercial (office and retail, not industrial)
and residential developments, along with parks on the banks of the
river.
Carleton
was voted to have the top ideas at a weekend symposium brain-storm
session. Hometown Fanshawe College placed second among the dozen
entries – all post-secondary students assigned to augment their
architecture and urban planning education with this hands-on
competition.
The
multi-layered designs had to include all facets of a future
neighbourhood's streetscape, including suggested building density,
green space, transportation routes and commercial uses, plus some
consideration for arts and culture.
Even
though Carleton is in Ottawa – a large municipality with the
significant Ottawa River, a member of the winning team had an
interesting synopsis of London's possibilities.
“It
is unique — you have this older community, an abandoned hospital
and a riverfront. It seems so contradictory,” said Michelle Blom,
part of the winning Carleton team to the London Free Press in
describing their team's fabric of ideas. “We wanted to celebrate
the heritage and the riverfront at the same time. We wanted to focus
on the river as a key part of the neighbourhood and its relationship
with heritage buildings.”
A
long-term vision for SoHo is coupled with the on-going storyline which earlier this month saw London city council debate which of the remaining hospital property buildings should be salvaged and therefore
renovated, and which should be earmarked for the wrecking ball.
At
the weekend competition, Fanshawe teams claimed second and fourth
place, while the University of Guelph was third. One Fanshawe teacher
in particular could see the reality application of the competition in
connecting some of this past weekend's ideas and maybe apply some to
existing SoHo visions and configurations.
There’s
a chance some of the designs may make it to the South St. development
site, added William Pol, a professor in Fanshawe integrated
land-planning technology program. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime
urban-design project,” he said.
()()()()()()()()()()()
I
do find it interesting to note that the site's proximity to the forks
of the Thames proves that our collective nature conscience of today
wants to protect and beautify waterways and not pollute and congest
them with industry.
London
city council has been debating which buildings at the site should be
retained and renovated versus completely levelled to build brand new.
Naturally it's council that has the final say on all such projects,
certainly also where zonings and overall intensification (height of
buildings) is weighed.
Developers,
architects and builders will then leap in with concrete, bricks and
blueprints to construct this soon-to-be emerging neighbourhood. I would anticipate the flavour of the new buildings will be close to the 'look' of the three buildings remaining.
In
a LFP story by writer Norman DeBono on March 9, an interesting
deadline was discussed as a provincial-level funding timeline was
approaching, which was an opportunity to secure high-tier monies for
demolition and remediation.
()()()()()()()()()()()
The
goal in saving the buildings is that they be converted to residential
or commercial use. The estimated cost of preserving the three
buildings on South St. is about $41 million. Developers will foot the
bill.
Politicians
are recommending the massive Gartshore nurses residence be demolished
because of the high cost to redevelop it. Its small interior rooms
are not well-suited for other uses. . . .
The
(planning and environment) committee was on deadline to make a
decision because the London Health Sciences Centre can get $6 million
in Ministry of Health funding to help pay demolition costs and deal
with hazardous materials in the buildings.
The
South Street hospital site consisted of 816,000 square feet of space,
and the city has already taken down 536,000 sq. ft.
()()()()()()()()()()()
It's
rather intriguing to sit here in Woodstock and follow the story as
our city also recently tore down an old retired hospital. Locally,
Rembrandt Homes of London is already building detached homes into a
condominium format on the west side of Riddell Street, while the
lands the actual hospital resided on is completely vacant and sits
waiting.
With
10 times the population, London has its additional concerns including
building (or not building) a new entertainment (performing arts)
centre to replace Centennial Hall. If the desire in London is to
truly put the SoHo district on the map, why do they not include this
concert theatre for that site?
The
city of London owns this large parcel of prime land as the community
leased it to the hospital more than 120 years ago.
LINKS:
http://www.lfpress.com/2015/03/20/provincewide-competition-has-students-duelling-with-their-designs-to-revive-the-south-street-hospital-lands
http://london.ctvnews.ca/fanshawe-urban-design-contest-focuses-on-former-south-st-hospital-site-1.2291248
www.soholondon.ca
http://www.lfpress.com/2015/03/09/city-staffs-final-draft-of-the-london-plan-is-expected-this-spring-with-pushback-from-developers-and-some-citizens-likely
ARCHIVE LINKS:
Mark
Schadenberg, Sales
Representative
Senior
Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)
Royal
LePage Triland Realty
757
Dundas St, Woodstock
www.wesellwoodstock.com
(519)
537-1553, cell or text
Email:
mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter:
markroyallepage
Facebook:
Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
Discussion
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