I, too, can't wait for the vitality that the block-long Shoppers will bring here...
The issue of what type of tenants are solicited by developers is one across the City and all development types.
I'm not sure that can be suggested as a flaw unique to this building or to 'The Avenues' planning program.
There is no effective means by which to break-up ownership of large sites/blocks, except and unless the City prioritizes additional blocks being created.
At 223M long, a case could certainly be made for breaking up this block with an extension of Galbraith.
But there are an awful lot of such sites across the City, I'm not sure this is a 'top 10' for that kind of investment.
I'm also not clear why a hirise would address this issue in anyway; which was what
@junctionist was responding too.
Elsewise, we could endeavour to limit chain/formula retail as other cities have done; I would certainly be a supporter of that.
But again, this is not really relevant to this building's typology/massing.
Hundred-year-old, pedestrian-oriented neighbourhoods are more desirable than fifty-year-old ones designed for quick automobile movement. News at 11.
I'm not sure I get the point here.
Again, what was being discussed was that a Hirise would not lead to addressing the concerns outlined.
It certainly wouldn't make the building stand-out less.
It doesn't address block-size or formula retail.
All it would do is put more people into the same spot while changing none of the less desirable characteristics of the community.