At least these folks are planning to do it properly
In this story Council bosses seek a developer to provide world-class city waterfront (From Daily Echo) from the UK a Municipal Council wants to redevelop its aging waterfront. Reading the story I am struck by a comment from a Council member, that one of ours should have made during our debates, "Cllr Smith said: “This has to be a big draw. It’s not going to be block of flats on the waterfront.""
14 comments:
On my living room wall I have a large, framed photograph taken by my uncle Johnny Haynes.
It shows the harbour with the boats in the marina and a row of magnificent tall trees behind it, with Victoria Hall in the far background. The gentle ripples of the Lake almost seem to be moving in the picture.
Little did we know when he took that shot that someday it would just be a memory. Now, from that same view, all you can see past the marina is that stolid row of ugly, bland blocks of conformity.
Sad, very sad. I recall when the Town did its master plan for the harbour area, Councillor Ben Burd stood alone in opposition. Being the Miriam Mutton of his day; aka the Outsider, his pleas for reason were ignored.
It is to weep.
Back in the 1970s Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau suddenly announced the Federal government was going to buy the disused industrial area on Toronto's waterfront and turn it into a national park. What a good idea this was. It is a pity that the area was instead turned into a wall of condominiums.
The problem appears to be that rather than of turning the area over to Parks Canada it was given to a special crown corporation, who were subsequently infiltrated by the real estate industry.
Presumably a similar fate could occur to Southampton, since the press report already refers to "offices, at least two hotels, restaurants, marine related shops, luxury flats, an 8,000-seater indoor arena and a Las Vegas-style casino” for the site.
In fact 80% of the readers comments after the article prefer the area to remain an open space.
Harbourfront, in Toronto, was a big dream that took decades to unfold. Yep, included lots of condos. The place thrives.
I know some people in Cobourg would like the harbour area to be nothing but an empty windswept space for dog walking. Sure the townhouse development could have looked better--the Town could have bought the whole harbour area and developed a co-ordinated architectural plan. Even better, the federal government could have given the Town all that old railway land for free, like they did for the Harbourfront in Toronto. However Cobourg was dumb enough to pay big money for it.
But it's still not too bad, I would say. There is a lot of open space down there, with a nice little stream and pond/icerink in the middle.
What really should be done though is to clear those freeloading trailer people out of Victoria Park and take back a big chunk of shady waterfront area for the town residents and vistors to use. A start would be to restrict all trailers to weekly rentals only and not rent at all for holiday weekends like Canada Day.
And why can't the Town do something about that empty and desolate pier that runs from south Division out to the lighthouse. Instead of wasting it as a turnaround for cars, it should be leased out for some restaurants and other places of amusement. How pathetic- we have a lakefront town but nowhere you can sit and have a beer or a meal and look out at the water.
I wish people who have ideas would be willing to identify themselves. So often "anonymous" views tend to be extreme and poorly thought out. Probably we should begin to refuse to acknowledge anonymous postings.
However, I will comment on the idea of " clearing those freeloading trailer people out of Victoria Park". Does the anonymous poster believe all people with trailers are "trailer trash". If they are then why are the yacht people from the harbour any different? At least the trailer residents are more likely to shop locally than the yacht people. The trailer people also pay fees to be there, and provide a useful presence which helps restrain untoward activity.
Or is anonymous one of these people who believe they could personally profit from developing the waterfront?
I agree about the trailer park. I have lived here all my life and I cannot understand why some hold onto what started as a sketchy transient stop among the coal piles. Now it is just a portable condo centre taking up some of the most beautiful property on Lake Ontario. We own it, please can we have it back.
Interesting that Greg H (you call that identifying yourself) thinks the trailer people "provide a useful presence (in Victoria Park) which helps restrain untoward activity". Not sure what nefarious activities he thinks they're holding back but one thing they are definitely restraining by occupying this lovely shady waterfront area is its enjoyment by Canada Day crowds who are forced out instead onto the hot pavements around the harbour.
And what about those much maligned condo people at the harbour, Greg H? Are they not also thanklessly restraining untoward activity by their presence, not to mention paying big taxes, and probably shopping more locally than anyone from the trailer park.
The comparison offered between "trailer people" and "yacht people" (or should I say yacht trash) can only be considered spurious. Unlike the trailers, the "yachts" occupy space not usable by anyone else but harbour swimmers. And for my money, a harbour full of boats is far more attractive any day than a park full of trailers.
As noted by another poster, the "trailer park" originally, as may be seen in old photographs, was a transient tourist campground, with many tents as well as small overnight trailers. But things have changed. Most users of the trailer park nowadays could hardly be considered tourists. Instead, this part of Victoria Park has become a cheap summer cottage lot for repeat visitors from such exotic places as Belleville and Orono.
FYI, my only interest in this issue is to see one of the nicest parts of Victoria Park opened up for public use again. This is especially relevant with so many new visitors coming to use the park and beach in recent years.
Well long time posters and devotees know who Greg H is, anonymous. But nice to see that you have reduced the trailer park argument to that old saw - class warfare. Don't forget that "those people" could probably buy and sell some of us and that opinion is based on the size and opulence of their trailers, no bivvy for them!
I imagine the long term trailer guests pay a hefty fee to park their portable cottage in the park, and buy their groceries in Cobourg, perhaps going to dinner at Cobourg's establishments.
What is this issue of spending money in Cobourg, of who spends more. This reminds me of border checks, "Where are you going? What do you plan to do? How much money do you have?"
I`d rather have the yacht lot, where they park their huge hulls, removed from the waterfront -- they are a monstrous eyesore.
As a newcomer to Cobourg (and one of the horrid denizens of the hated condos),I often wonder what the waterfront was like prior to the construction of the waterfront condos? I'm lead to believe it wasn't to attractive but perhaps the condos were not the solution everyone was looking for.
On my own behalf, they are the reason I have come to town. There was nothing else like them anywhere we looked. We've been very pleased with where we live so far. In addition, we haven't had a single visitor who has not gushed about our place and the town as a whole. And those are global viewpoints. So maybe they are not a perfect solution...but they're pretty good.
An ancillary question: there are large areas of concrete below the surface of the lake to the east of the beach. What are they and are they related to the state of the waterfront prior to the condos?
The waterfront prior to the establishment of the present marina and waterfront walkway was pretty gruesome. That's why some of us wanted the best possible environment in the recontruction of the area. We were starting from a clean slate so to speak. What has transpired is not the full potential that some of us desired. the Completely open and vibrant people place has not happened due to the Council allowing developers (all two of them) to build blocks of nice looking condos, but they have no adequate commercial space that would provide the peole places that other waterfront areas have. No restaurants, no gift stores and no real feeling of wanting to be there as opposed to just looking. I often wonder how the boaters moored on the wall feel about being viewed like monkeys at a zoo. The Rotary Club secured the open space needed for its tents for a once a year event but really has the midtown creek been the people place that it should be. I would suggest that most people don't feel welcome in a public space that appears to be the front yards for private buildings. No thinking person would condemn the condos and their owners for being bad people but given the potential it is natural to ask, "Is that all?"
FYI Laurie. Fear not--that is not concrete you see under the water east of the beach, it is a ledge of shale-- 100% natural.
Some years ago, friends who were visiting Cobourg for the first time remarked that the trailer park was the nicest aspect of the town. I agreed with them then and I still think it's true. It's a charming old place, much like drive-ins. Take out the vacationers and you'll end up with ... nothing (except maybe more expanses of concrete, should that be the Mayor's whim of the week). All I would insist is that the vacationers be forced to pay what the market will bear. I think we're charging far too little for the space, especially for the all-summer regulars who treat the place as their summer cottage. Keep the trailer park, raise the prices!
I would like to see the west pier and beach be gently nurtured as a junior Leslie Street Spit. The Ecology Garden could act as an anchor and staging area for the natural evolution of the area. The eyesore is the hideous parking lot for yachts. They are parked on town property, not marina property. I hope the owners of those yachts are paying a hefty fee for the 'privilege' of parking their luxurious hulks in the centre of a naturally beautioful area
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