[U/C] 88 O'Connell Street | 63m | 13, 13 and 15 Levels | Mixed Use

[crawf]

Joel Pesaturo, of Adelaide, writes that he supports the ``character'' and ``charm'' of the Makris proposal: ``Eeeeewww (Cr Wilkinson's plan is) revolting! How exactly is it respectful to the `village' and `heritage' style of North Adelalaide (sic) by building an ugly concrete box!?''

I can't believe they put a comment like that in there

[Bulldozer]

I think the proposed plan is alright, but maybe a floor too high relative to the surroundings. Note that the illustration doesn't really indicate the heights of the surrounding existing buildings so it appears to be less imposing than it will be if built. I hope that the façade isn't just going to be painted/rendered concrete either and that they use some sort of stone - otherwise I believe it will look cheap and tacky after ten years like Westfield Marion does.

I agree with stumpjumper though regarding the Major Project status. This most certainly doesn't need to be deemed a major project - City Central is bigger than this, as is the building that appears in the header of this site's pages - and they certainly don't have Major Project status. Hell, the previously approved plans for this site didn't need it either! Questions need to be raised about why this needs to be classified as such and why the same developer also has the same happening to a development at Victor Harbor that is also completely outside the development planning for the area. Does this tie into the Rann government's continual insistence that SA doesn't need an independent corruption commission? (If you've done nothing wrong then you've got nothing to hide, right? The government is always quick to use that one when they want to invade our privacy or remove civil liberties so why can't it apply both ways?)

For this reason, I am against the development because of the precedent it sets. It should go through the normal ACC planning process. If it doesn't meet the planning guidelines for the area then the developer is free to attempt to have them changed. I'm sure that after 20 years, waiting another 6 or 12 months for the PAR process won't hurt. Regardless of what people in Adelaide or interstate think, the rejection of this plan, like the Victoria Park plan, is not a sign of Adelaide being a backwater. As others have said, I used to think nothing was happening in Adelaide until I found this site. Even for those who don't read this site, you only have to look at the number of cranes on the city skyline to see that things are going gangbusters. Over a billion dollars worth of projects underway. The ACC approves virtually all (over 90%) development applications that are submitted to it. The ACC rejecting this plan wouldn't change the fact that more development is going on in Adelaide today than since... well... can anyone remember?

Bypassing the laws and regulations that have been put in place and work very well 99% of the time because you can't get your way and make loads of money isn't the right thing to do, because of the precedent it then sets that will fairly quickly result in those laws and regulations being useless. What's to say that after this if a developer buys up the other side of your suburban street and wants to put up a ten storey building with shops, apartments, offices, restaurants and 400 car parking spaces that it won't get Major Project status granted for it? I mean, the developer could be spending just as much as or more than Makris is proposing (an incomprehensible number of dollars to mere mortal wage slaves) and it would surely flagrantly violate all planning rules for its location - no different at all to this proposal. But what's that? You wouldn't want the amenity of your home and neighbourhood destroyed by having your home in the shadow of the development all day and your street filled with traffic all hours? I guess that means you're anti-development and just want Adelaide to remain a sleepy backwater!

[Wayno]

From the Messenger:

Sandy's rocky reception

Louise Russell

19Feb08
<snip>
Wayne, of Adelaide: ``How dreadful - Cr Wilkinson needs to put his crayons back in his toybox!''

yay! i'm famous!

[Brando]

I agree with stumpjumper though regarding the Major Project status. This most certainly doesn't need to be deemed a major project -

Debatable, neither right or wrong i guess.
I think the state government echoed the voices of the majority and decided enough indecision and inaction warranted the grant. I mean how long has it been 15 years..?

[Wayno]

I agree with stumpjumper though regarding the Major Project status. This most certainly doesn't need to be deemed a major project -

Debatable, neither right or wrong i guess.
I think the state government echoed the voices of the majority and decided enough indecision and inaction warranted the grant. I mean how long has it been 15 years..?

Would it help south australias long-term interests if the Makris building ends up being an ugly monstrocity? maybe it will stand as an example of what occurs when council/developer stand-offs go on too long...

[urban]

I agree with stumpjumper though regarding the Major Project status. This most certainly doesn't need to be deemed a major project -

Debatable, neither right or wrong i guess.
I think the state government echoed the voices of the majority and decided enough indecision and inaction warranted the grant. I mean how long has it been 15 years..?

Would it help south australias long-term interests if the Makris building ends up being an ugly monstrocity? maybe it will stand as an example of what occurs when council/developer stand-offs go on too long...

If this building ends up as a monstrosity it will give greater ammunition for future NIMBY's. If the project turns out to be the best building on O'Connell St then future developers will find large scale urban infill development easier. All pro-development people should be encouraging the developer to build the best building possible. Unfortunately the current design is of poor quality which is unlikely to be any better than their recent appalling effort across the road.

[Professor]

Just build it!

[skyliner]

Just build it!!

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

[Plasmatron]

Just build it!!!

[Norman]

We need to put op pro-development posters I say!

Just build it! F*** the NIMBYs

[stumpjumper]

Want to see the finished product? The boys at Ignite have been busy photocopying their plans for an Auckland, NZ retail development called Chancery.

See it at http://www.ignitearchitects.com

Hit PORTFOLIO then RETAIL & ENTERTAINMENT and click on the building that looks like the one on the Makris billboard.

Isn't it a bummer that if Makris does get his way in the face of community and council opposition, then instead of getting a high quality design that is a considered response to the site and the needs of the community, all we'll get is a copy of Ignite's last generic project. As a matter of interest, Ignite's last design was itself just a pale pastiche of run of the mill 'international style' McDesign anyway.

The last thing Makris would do is to spend money on design, so everyone who has not done so already should lower their expectations.

[Pants]

Reminds me of a little side-strip of shops off Rodeo Dr in LA. I can't believe I'm thinking this and perhaps it's just the fact that I haven't slept in about a week, but if the right materials are used, I actually think it might suit the area and turn out OK.

I will no doubt come to my senses very soon though.

[Will]

I have come across a street level render of Cr Wilkinson's own plan for the Le-Cornu site in the City Messenger.




Thankfully in the article that accompanies the picture, Cr Wilkinson states that this render is solely designed to give an impression of the scale of his idea. Thank God! because from ground level his design looks absolutely awful. It reminds me of a wool store or power station from the 1920s.

[Will]

Further information from the City Messenger:

The Makris proposal took a further small step to fruition, as it is reported that Cafe Paesano will soon vacate the tenancy (visible on the corner of the above image) to make way for the proposed Makris proposal. Cafe Paesano will soon move to its new home in the refreshed North Adelaide Village shopping centre.

[Edgar]

Thankfully in the article that accompanies the picture, Cr Wilkinson states that this render is solely designed to give an impression of the scale of his idea. Thank God! because from ground level his design looks absolutely awful. It reminds me of a wool store or power station from the 1920s.

More like a red bricks factory in the late 1800s :wank: