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RECENT POSTS
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Give Your Thoughts: Draft River Crossing Heritage Interpretive Plan
The draft Heritage Interpretive Plan for the River Crossing (West Rossdale) area is just about complete, and the City of Edmonton wants to hear from you! After a year of reviewing previous research, work and discussions around heritage in the River Crossing area as well as collecting information through the various engagement activities over the past year, […]
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Explore Rossdale – Jane’s Walks Are This Weekend!
Rossdale, the Power Plant, and the River Crossing are once again entering conversations around Edmonton, and this weekend there’s a great opportunity for Edmontonians to join the conversation during the Explore Rossdale Jane’s Walk! “Walk from the EPCOR precinct traditional burial ground around the residential / industrial area with historian Kathryn Ivany and members of the city’s […]
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Have Your Say in the Future of Rossdale
The City of Edmonton has received $72.9 million funding from the River Valley Alliance for five projects designed to improve access in the river valley (projects are funded by the provincial and federal governments). One of these projects is the construction of a riverfront promenade called Touch the Water. The Touch the Water promenade will […]
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Rossdale/River Crossing Update – 6 July 2015
A new update following the City Council meeting on June 30, 2015: Following the objections of several community groups that the plans for the River Crossing area only included a Technical Advisory Committee with all community groups being designated as stakeholders only, Executive Committee passed the motion below. There will now also be a Community […]
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River Crossing/Rossdale Update– Tuesday
Tomorrow! On June 30 (Tuesday) an administration report regarding plans for moving forward on the development of the River Crossing/Rossdale/West Rossdale area, including the EPCOR Generation Plant is on council’s agenda. You can link to the Executive Committee agenda (item 6.11) and related reports here. The key item of concern is the terms of reference […]
Rossdale ReGeneration 
I’ve often thought that the power plant would make a very fine art gallery in the tradition the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, which is located in an old Beaux-Arts train station built circa 1898. To avoid duplication of the downtown gallery’s focus, the power plant could focus on showcasing emerging Alberta/Canadian artists.
I’m not sure of the dimensions but it should be possible to stack several ball hockey/ indoor soccer/ basket ball courts in the space. And maybe even an ice surface or 2. Groups of players are always willing to chip in for games to generate income for the facility especially with social media to help organize games and leagues. This type of gym space is also useful for conventions, trade shows, art show events. Especially if the funky industrial feel flows through the retrofit of the spaces i.e. steel girders, wood floors, industrial lighting, piping reused for HVAC.
Plenty of inspiration from a basic Google image search.
What a great gem we have in our city, and what little vision our people have. I’m from Vancouver and how it became a great city was putting the cost of things aside, and looking at the big picture. Some people came from the “do nothing-spend nothing” there too and thank goodness nobody listened to them. It would be great to have something that could be used both in winter and summer. A gallery, something like a Granville Island even with a play place for kids. (something lacking downtown) They could have water taxies running in the summer and horse drawn in the winter. It could be anything but just not sitting there being a “do nothing”.
You folks should consider putting on a placemaking event (on-site if permissions are possible) similar to this one in Halifax:
http://placemakinghalifax.wordpress.com/
I have a great Idea. Why don’t you leave our Sacred Site ALONE!!! When will you people understand this is a Gravesite First and Foremost above all other ideas. Where does RESPECT fit in????
Here is some questions I would like you to answer.
When is it right to abuse a child?
When is it right to abuse an elder?
When is it right to abuse and Desecrate a known Sacred Site?
When is it right to abuse and Desecrate a known Historical Burial Ground?
There are two sides of History. Which side are you going to choose?
When people try to convince themselves of something that is morally NOT right, to believe that it is right the
humanity within that person is gone. Human Dignity should be also asked. With grand illusions such as this we personally don’t
see it. $$
However the site is to be used – gravesite, burial ground, hockey arena, art gallery, interpretive centre, market, etc – it will require significant investment. Also, the historical confluences of the site being home to the first Fort Edmonton, a Metis community, a place of trade between First Nations and Europeans, and an important industrial site require respect by the design. How can we honour all of these realities? Also, there are likely very practical considerations about flood vulnerability, erosion, archaeological protection, among others, that will take time and effort. Redevelopment principles could 1) respect the history (all of the histories) 2) build literacy about these histories 3) Make the past relevant to the present 4) Generate new social, ecological and economic value
It wouldn’t be fair to speculate about the details until we have a shared understanding about the narrative for the site.
However the site is to be used – gravesite, burial ground, hockey arena, art gallery, interpretive centre, market, etc – it will require significant investment. Also, the historical confluences of the site being home to the first Fort Edmonton, a Metis community, a place of trade between First Nations and Europeans, and an important industrial site require respect by the design. How can we honour all of these realities? Also, there are likely very practical considerations about flood vulnerability, erosion, archaeological protection, among others, that will take time and effort. Redevelopment principles could 1) respect the history (all of the histories) 2) build literacy about these histories 3) Make the past relevant to the present 4) Generate new social, ecological and economic value
It wouldn’t be fair to speculate about the details until we have a shared understanding about the narrative for the site.
There are at least 50 high-rise buildings that have a direct view of the Rossdale power plant and we will be stuck forever with your eventual design.
We are not even mentioned in your stakeholders consultation report.
The building is beautiful, but I have to look at the DIRTY CHIMNEYS front and center every single day from my kitchen and living room and balcony.
The average future visitor will swing by a few times a year and won’t have to put up with years of construction after years of construction on other projects. We also run and bike in that area as it is right now.
BOTTOM LINE: You will piss off thousands of people if you keep the chimneys and forget about the bird’s eye view.
You have to be able to rent a bike, snowshoes, etc.
Running Room, tennis, beach volleyball. A hidden GIS indoor substation instead of what is there right now.
Parking lots are EXTREMELY UGLY LOOKING (looking at the kinsmen parking lot just from the fourth floor is stressing me out)
Thank you for the comment. You bring an interesting perspective on Rossdale’s future. Unfortunately, Rossdale Regeneration is not a coordinator of consultations and determining stakeholders, but there have been and will be more opportunities to discuss this with City of Edmonton and other stakeholders.
Rossdale Power Plant is a provincially designated historic resource and the chimney stacks are part of that designation, so their removal is not forseeable. We hope you didn’t purchase your current residence with the understanding that there would be “improvements” to your sight lines and removal of parking lots and chimneys.
While perhaps a minority view and concern, the presence of residential towers along the top of the river valley impedes sightlines and access into the river valley from adjacent neighbourhoods, not to mention blocking sunlight to some areas in the valley. The aesthetics of many of these buildings is not exactly universally appreciated either, but creative compromises typically prevail to balance the concerns of nearby residents with the eventual benefit to the many future visitors.