The expansion at Waterford is pretty snazzy, and old looking.
I never really understood all the resistance to the expansion of Waterford in the All Saints Neighborhood. Besides the fact that they are providing more assistant living in Sioux Falls that is needed, they were able to put many other services under one roof in stead of carting residents around to other facilities.
One of the biggest arguments against the expansion was the elimination of a grove of trees, on private property, that no one ever frequented. It wasn’t a park. It was a dark empty lot full of trees.
As Waterford promised they saved as many trees as they could and added shrubbery. But the landscaping isn’t what makes this project a gem. It is the historic nature of the new construction. Waterford went all out to match the current facility, and make what is new look old.
I wish all the development downtown took this kind of time and effort into being more historically correct. They have been doing it DT Minneapolis, and it looks fantastic. Giant, pre-poured slabs of pink colored concrete isn’t quartzite, it’s just pink concrete.
We are starting to see the slap together construction creep into downtown that we have seen in all the urban sprawl areas. The apartments on Phillips to the Falls and the condos by Sunshine come to mind.
I think moving forward, the planning department needs to set an example of Waterford and push for more historically correct construction downtown. Now if we can just convince them to get a permit before they take out any load bearing walls.
I like trees. I have lived in Soo Foo and enjoyed it, and know the All Saints neighborhood is an integral part of the city. Now I live in the Black Hills where we have more trees. I am familiar with the trees that needed to be removed at All Saints and accept their removal to accommodate expansion. Maybe it’s easier for me where trees are more plentiful. The best part is that new trees will replace the others. And of course new tree-lovers will replace us. Right?
I totally understand where the neighborhood was coming from by removing mature trees. But this wasn’t a maintained public/private park. It was just a dark lot of trees. I think Waterford did a great job with the expansion. The only criticism I think I would give is a wish there was more setback from 18th street.
I miss the trees! The average person will never be able to afford to live here. Where’s the affordable housing for the elderly? And you are right, the lack of setback on 18th Street makes that street look like an alleyway or an urban backdrop from Universal Studios as you pass the Waterford….
I agree that the Planning Department needs to get a clue. Now, SF is never going to look like a manicured master-planned community such as Sun City, AZ. But, letting highly-visible construction continue helter-skelter is just nuts. Just east of Western Ave. on 41st Street – one of our major traffic arteries – the “Wheel City” used car lot was just able to erect a new corrugated metal Morton building for their primary business office. Heck, why not just let them put in a double-wide mobile home there too! Morton buildings are appliance enclosures for farms, rural areas and maybe warehouse districts, not appropriate to crash land next to conventional construction commercial buildings along a major retail corridor. Yep, just keep resurrecting that impressive W. 12th St. white trash-look. What the h_ll are the code enforcement clowns at City Hall thinking??!!
to borrow a line from the pretenders, “corrugated tin shacks” is what those new downtown apartments look like.
Like our administration, we build’em cheap and we build them fast.