DRA sponsored a CALUC meeting on October 28, which was very well attended. No one at the meeting spoke against the project, and many agreed that is would be a very positive improvement to the area.
In particular, it should revitalize the strip of Douglas Street that links the Hudson with the rest of downtown. The retail stores at street level will provide vitality and interest to the block, which is currently a large surface parking lot and the building on Douglas which formerly held the Royal Bank. The existing structure will be demolished.
The project, still in its early stages of planning, will consist of two separate buildings:
The first phase is closest to City Hall and will feature a rotunda and be six stories tall. The Jawls would like to see it completed in the next thirty months.
The second phase, which is planned as a thirteen story tower, would take at least another two years to complete. Both towers are mixed office and retail, with no residential. The Jawl company intends to keep ownership and management in house.
The developers promise a high level of design and the use of quality materials, similar to the Atrium. The LUC has not yet met on this project and will keep the membership informed of its reactions.
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