Bailed before the whining started...

I went to the Eastgate project meeting on Wednesday, but I fled the building before the Question & Answer session.

It all seemed to be going so well. The easily excitable, change-is-bad contingent was slowly getting lulled with phrases like "pedestrian friendly" and "traditional architecture". They shifted in their seats a little when things like "seven levels of housing above the parking garage" but I swear I could hear eyebrows lifting and teeth gritting when they unveiled the rendering.

11 stories of gleaming glass and steel wrapping around in a big arc that points toward Dolly Fitterman's old library slash art gallery. Hooboy!

Do I like the building design? Nah, not particularly. Do I trust them when they say things like "signature restuarant"? Hell no. Do I love it that they're shaking up the fogeys that seem to forget that we live in the CITY? Yes! If the poor schmoe from Exeter Realty wasn't being surrounded by rabid neighborhood association assholes I would have sidled up to him and said way to stick it to the geezers dude.

The bad news is that we're getting a collection of relatively ugly buidlings, a lot of construction, more housing, more retail, and no full service Lunds until fall of 2006.

I walked past the site on my way home from the presentation and tried to visualize the new building on its spot. It's going to stick out like a sore thumb, but maybe in a good way? Not in 2006 when it's completed, but in 2036 when its aged and accepted. Here's to hoping that the rest of the old buildings surrounding it are in good enough condition that they can be maintained and keep that island status. I think that would be better than a bunch of fake lofts and other junk.