ganjavih
Senior Member
Wow, comparing the "out of scaleness" of Rackhouse M to the new condos has just taken this argument to a new level of silliness.
Sometimes I wonder how many of you have actually been to the Distillery District, given the views expressed here. It isn't a small site at all; Rack House 'M' is huge and probably has enough square feet of space to house the same number of people as the Clear Spirit condo will house.
Despite the shift from complaining about height to using the code-language "scale" it is clear that height is the issue with the opponents of regenerating the buildings. None have said how many storeys ( oops! "scale" ) would be acceptable.
The fact that it is a national historic site doesn't preclude one of the buildings being taken down, the materials reused, and a better use being introduced as a result of that new construction. This isn't, as Tewder puts it, "colonial-Williamsburg" - it is the site a former commercial business complex being relaunched for further commercial, residential and cultural enjoyment by the city as a whole, by tourists, and by whoever else wants to come.
The fact that it is a national historic site doesn't preclude one of the buildings being taken down, the materials reused, and a better use being introduced as a result of that new construction.
This isn't, as Tewder puts it, "colonial-Williamsburg" - it is the site a former commercial business complex being relaunched for further commercial, residential and cultural enjoyment by the city as a whole, by tourists, and by whoever else wants to come.
The due process was undertaken and, as a result, the Pure Spirit building and podium ( including parking ) is now under construction. The same dance between developer and the City, with public meetings that local residents have attended, is underway concerning the new buildings that are proposed. None of this is an example of, as syn puts it, developers being able to "build whatever they'd like".
Rack House 'M' is built on a different scale from the adjacent buildings, and in size it could reasonably be compared to the mass of a condo tower. It is quite obvious that, when it was built, no attempt was made to integrate it, visually, with those other buildings. It's replacement is designed to correct that error and bring new life to a derelict, windowless shell.
The due process was undertaken and, as a result, the Pure Spirit building and podium ( including parking ) is now under construction. The same dance between developer and the City, with public meetings that local residents have attended, is underway concerning the new buildings that are proposed. None of this is an example of, as syn puts it, developers being able to "build whatever they'd like".
Rack House 'M' is built on a different scale from the adjacent buildings, and in size it could reasonably be compared to the mass of a condo tower. It is quite obvious that, when it was built, no attempt was made to integrate it, visually, with those other buildings. It's replacement is designed to correct that error and bring new life to a derelict, windowless shell.