ECoB shows the people of Burlington what the space around city hall will look like. What do you think?

News 100 yellowBy Staff

March 10th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Trust the ECoB people to come up with a solution – they have managed to keep at least a half a step ahead of the Planning department.

ECoB – Engaged Citizens of Burlington is a community grassroots organization that has been fighting city hall to give the public more and better information.

Many people wanted to get some idea as to just what the downtown core would look like when there are two towers across Brant street from city hall.

Ecob model #2

The view is from Locust street looking east. The white part is city hall, the tall light grey is the approved 23 storey structure on the NE corner of James and Brant, the dark grey is a proposed application on the SE corner of the intersection. The small grey building on the right is the Queen’s Head

City Manager James Ridge told city council that he couldn’t provide what people were asking for: Rubbish said the ECoB people and they looked to their youth for an answer.

Two young people came up with a really simple idea – use Lego to make a model. One hopes that the city manager will pose with the builders of the model and set it up in city hall – better still set it up inb the lobby of the Performing Arts Centre.

In a media release ECoB said: “The LEGO model is the idea of Remi and Dezi, the kids from the lemonade and flower stands at the Sunday Centro Farm Market in the downtown.

“They’ve been worried about the proposed builds downtown and what it will do to the place they love to live as well as the disruption of the lives of their shop friends.

ECoB from south on Brant look north

Looking north on Brant with city hall in white on the left and the two towers on the right. Queen’s Head is in the forefront.

“Hearing through many dinner table chats that a lot of people still don’t know the size and scope of the builds and what areas will be destroyed – such as the farm market itself – they wondered if it would help to make a model out of LEGO.

“LEGO being these kids obsession, their parents suggested they should work together as a family to build a scale model and include the approved and proposed builds against the backdrop of the existing downtown that we all love.

“Realizing that the model would potentially be too much to complete on their own, they decided to reach out for other kids and families around the area to assist in completing the model. The activity is called “LEGO my Downtown”.

 

Return to the Front page
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

14 comments to ECoB shows the people of Burlington what the space around city hall will look like. What do you think?

  • Sharon

    Looks great! Can’t wait to see the real thing!!!

  • Ben Simmons

    This is a great example of citizen involvement. The City Planning Department ought to be able to at least match the Lego model. Is there any chance we could get the rest of the planned/proposed buildings in the model as well?

  • Penny

    It’s amazing to see what Kelly’s Bakeshop does for the downtown. This weekend when I was handing out flyers, I spoke to so many people that come from Toronto for the day. I asked what the draw to Burlington was, they told me the lake and Kelly’s. Once they were in town they walked up and down Brant Street for the ambiance, and shops.

    Why is it that everyone understands the draw to the feel of Brant Street except Staff and Council.

  • Nicola

    I was concerned before – but now I’m really upset. That farm market (and Centro) has been one of the best things for revitalizing the downtown. While city plannners and politicians likely favour an expanded tax base – what is this city we’re building ourselves to live in? A wind tunnel?

  • EOB

    Hooray for the kids. Great communication skills. Future city planners, maybe ?

  • gordon

    Wait…”our Brant Street iconic City hall”….Hoookay!

  • Penny

    Remi and Dezi, thank you so much for doing ‘Lego my Downtown”. So many people stopped by to look at your project and were more than impressed with what you did.

    Your project allows the residents of Burlington to know just what our downtown core will look like if these towers go ahead.

    GREAT JOB

  • Stephen White

    On multiple occasions at Mobility Hub and OP meetings participants repeatedly asked for a scale model of the proposals so they could visualize the impact upon the downtown and the GO Train sites. It takes ECoB and two kids to design a model that serves the purpose.

    It begs the question: why couldn’t the Planning Department do this with 3-D software?

  • Susie

    Still don’t know what City Hall’s problem is??? Two Monster Buildings dwarfing our Brant Street iconic City Hall – is outrageous to say the least!!!!!!!!

  • Wayne Brown

    All looks good to me.
    The pedestrian space appears to be inviting and functional.
    Hope the parking is adequate

    • Joseph Gaetan

      Wayne:Adequate parking starts with adequate parking ratios, not hope. Hope will not get us there, 374 Martha St will have zero visitor spots as will other buildings and a 1 spot per unit ratio is what developers seem to want. When citizens and visitors have to hope they will get a parking spot downtown they will STOP coming downtown.

  • Tom Muir

    Great job ECoB and the kids of the Lego Build. “Out of the mouths (and minds) of babes.”

    Regarding the Gazette story opening line – it’s apparently not hard to keep at least a half step ahead of the Planning department – they were already dragging their feet, and when their boss said it couldn’t be done, they pulled up lame.

    Shame!

  • Paul

    So cool…these kids should be congratulated on cleverly depicting a scale model of the twin towers proposed for Brant St across from city hall. Those towers are so out of scale with the neighbourhood as well as Brant Street. Suggest folks visit the ECOB website (Engaged Burlington.ca) to find out out when and how to express your displeasure with
    hyper intensification development in downtown Burlington.

    Indeed, LEGO my downtown!

  • craig gardner

    Looks great can’t wait to see them built. Appears to be lots of room around both buildings. Lego great idea looks even better than i expected it would see no issues wu=ith sun light or wind with amount of space between buildings.