Year end update Citichat 30 November 2001

CITICHAT 47/2001 - 30 November 2001


Year-End Update

This is the last Citichat for 2001 as I'm off on leave today, a week in the bush to unwind and then a couple of weeks at home, unwound!

But what a year for the city it has been, the best in ten years - so exciting to see plans (yes, and some hopes and dreams) turning into reality. The beginnings of real investment, an increase in lettings, stirrings in positive perceptions and a year of real on the ground change.

Using my project update of 12 April 2001 (Citichat 14/2001) with appropriate additions, let's have a look at what has now been completed ('done that, so shake off the dust and buy the tee-shirt'), what is in progress ('raising dust'), the next in line ('watch for dust'), those that have shown little movement ('the dust has settled') and those that are a big disappointment ('dust to dust').

CATEGORY 1 - COMPLETED:

"Done that, so shake off the dust and buy the tee-shirt!"

Park City Taxi Rank

De Villiers Street Upgrade

Jewel City (which is still expaaaaaanding)

AAC's Main Street Pedestrianised Precinct

Gandhi Square

Fox Street Pedestrianisation - phase one, west of the Carlton

Hollard Street - public space upgrade

Landdrost Hotel - conversion to residential (JHC)

Carr Gardens - new residential (JHC)

Bertrams - new residential (Cope)

Newtown Housing Co-operative (Cope)

Troyeville Housing Co-operative (Cope)

Tswelopele Housing Co-operative (Cope)

Yeoville Informal trading Market

Carlton Centre Offices

ABSA Campus

The Business Centre (58 Marshall)

90 Market Street (new home of the CJP and JDA)

Cida City Campus (55 Fox) - now looking for residential accommodation for 1000 students

Wolmarans Street Synagogue (from ‘food for the soul’ to ‘soulfood’)

Major investment by JD Group in their new Head Office in Braamfontein

Metamorphoses of the Civic Theatre to the city’s Entertainment Centre (and watch this space for much, much more!)

Westgate Inter-Modal Facility.

Old Mutual Properties – 60 lettings this year! From a low of 300 sq metres a month in 1999/2000, this past year has seen a sharp rise to 1 500 square metres minimum sometimes rising to 2 500 square metres. The 5 year African Bank letting of 273 sq m was at R110.00/sq m.

CATEGORY 2 – IN PROGRESS:

“Raising Dust!”

MetroMarket

In my April report, work had just started on site. Now the western edge of the CBD contiguous with Newtown is a hive of construction activity as the massive R300 million MetroMarket project takes shape. This is a multi-functional development which is structured around a multi-nodal transport facility. About 600 residential units will cater for a broad range of income groups from subsidised to upper middle-income. Taxi and bus centre and informal trading facilities make it a necessary and welcome addition to the city.

Faraday Precinct (previously called South-East Sector Development)

My April report was that a proposal-call for the development was going to be advertised and this did in fact take place resulting in the appointment of a consortium of design, transport, social/community, project management and financial specialists. Their recommendations were approved at the November Inner City Committee meeting and the project moves next year into its implementation stage. It is a complex project which centres around Faraday Station's conversion into a multi-nodal transportation node but includes for facilities for commuters, taxi operators and drivers; a market for traditional medicines and consulting and treatment rooms for traditional healers, an informal trading market; a neighbourhood centre; retail; a motor industry service and retail centre and residential accommodation.

Nelson Mandela Bridge and on-off ramps to M1 elevated motorway.

The contract was awarded some months ago and if you drive south down Jan Smuts/Bertha, where the road dog-legs over the Queen Elizabeth Bridge you will see workmen busy removing the Queen Elizabeth commemorative obelisk (wonder where that will end up!) and generally preparing the site for construction.

Drop down to Newtown and drive east down Carr Street and you will see the columns for the on-off ramps to the M1 motorway now well out of the ground .

Joubert Park

What has been really buzzing in Joubert Park has been the Public Art Project Walkabouts which showcases artwork that deals with issues in the Park. A number of artists have led the Walkabouts over weekends and tours of the project exhibition take place every Saturday at 12 noon. Safe parking in the Art Gallery. Exciting photographic project to be launched shortly.

Constitution Hill

Demolitions of the old Awaiting Trial block have been completed, apart from those sections which will be incorporated in the new building. The tender for the first phase of construction has been awarded (approximately R80 million - Rainbow/WBHO Joint Venture - the first sod has been turned and construction activity will move into full swing in the New Year.

Newtown and Mary Fitzgerald Square

Talk about construction activity and then visit Mary Fitzgerald Square to view hyper activity! The Square must be ready for the State President opening on 17 December and the virtually continuous rain of the past month hasn't helped. But the area is already starting to exude the feel of a great public space. The design of the first of the commemorative Landmark 'towers' has not yet been accepted but the massive 55 square metre LED screen will be installed albeit temporarily by the 17th December. Ultimately it will be attached to the Landmark Tower. LED screen? Light Emitting Diode for the uninitiated similar to those you see at sports stadiums but much bigger. On the 17th the screen will be used to highlight proceedings, later for advertising and numerous other uses are planned. Lighting by internationally acclaimed French lighting expert, Patrick Rimoux, will be unique and will also carry through to the double-decker portion of the M1 Motorway and the Nelson Mandela Bridge as well as permanently recording three important ‘night skies’ of our history.

The Bus Factory Craft Centre in Newtown is also progressing well but some of the other proposed projects look as though they should be in another category as little progress is evident.

The Fashion District

The past year has been one of research and planning and, although there is some more research to be done before the Business Plan for the area can be finalised, the first private sector initiative, Rees Mann’s SEWAFRICA, has been opened and is well underway. Next year will see a major increase in activity as this initiative comes on stream.

Johannesburg CCTV Project

BAC’s John Penberthy and team have done a great job in expanding the original pilot programme over an ever-increasing geographic area as they move towards their target of 350 cameras over the entire city core by the latter part of next year. They have recorded some spectacular successes and are a major contributor to the reduction of inner city crime.

Quartz Street Linear Market

This linear market in Hillbrow should be opened in the next week or two.

‘Elangeni’, Albert Street Housing

JHC’s 168 unit residential development is progressing steadily. It is something of a milestone project as it is being financed by a commercial loan through ABSA, one of the first major residential loans in the inner city for many years by a financial institution.

Tribunal Gardens

Another JHC project, 148 residential units in Fordsburg.

Better Buidings Programme

A number of projects are underway, all upgrading existing residential stock. Connaught Properties 250 unit ‘The Sentinel” in van der Merwe Street, Hillbrow will be officially opened in February 2002

.CATEGORY 3 –NEXT IN LINE:

“Watch for dust!

Braamfontein. A Business Plan for the upgrading of Braamfontein and the establishment of a CID has been completed and there is some really large scale and exciting private sector commitment to the area which will see major physical works underway early in 2002.

Park Central Precinct

This is a 'gritty' area between Noord and Bree, King George and Quartz Streets. Whilst the Park Central Taxi rank was completed in 1999 and the Landrost Hotel conversion to residential earlier this year, the surrounding area is something of a shambles - shacks, informal trading and taxis still parking all over the streets and of course the Drill Hall just to the east of the precinct. I previously reported on the lack of progress in regard to the retail component but a major feasibility study has now been approved and will be undertaken next year as a comprehensive project development plan for the area.

Johannesburg West City Initiative

The developers tell me that this mixed use development is well advanced in planning and design and the first spade in the ground should happen in the first half of 2002.

Greater Ellis Park Precinct

There have been a number of reasons for the delay in this precinct project which aims to redevelop, reinstate and promote the mixed use precinct (predominantly sport and education) as an important and sustainable node. These include issues around the Athletics Stadium and the change in management at Ellis Park and, of course, the soccer tragedy that occurred in April. However an updated feasibility study is being undertaken and the project should be in full flight by mid 2002.

Main Street

A second phase of pedestrianisation of Main Street from McLaren to Rissik Streets is in the final planning stages and should be started early in 2002.

Major retail project

A multi-million rand private sector retail project in the CBD will be announced early in the New Year.

Carlton Hotel

I understand that the re-opening of a portion of the ‘grand dame’ of Johannesburg hotels is more than a dream for 2002.

Provincial Legislature and Precinct

The sale of the old City Hall and the Harry Hofmeyr Parking Garage under Library Gardens to the Provincial Legislature can only be good news and we can look forward at last to an upgrading of this important building and space.

‘The Shilowa Express’

Preliminary planning and feasibility studies for Gauteng Premier, Mbhazima Shilowa’s ‘Gautrain’ - a state of the art rail connection linking Johannesburg and Pretoria and the Johannesburg International Airport consisting of 80 km of railway lines - has steadily advanced during 2001 with construction planned to commence in 2003.

Brickfields Residential Project

Massive Johannesburg Housing Company project in Newtown which is likely to be the forerunner of some new ideas in inner city residential accommodation should see a start in late 2002 maybe 2003.

CATEGORY 4 – LITTLE MOVEMENT:

“The dust has settled”

Rissik Street Post Office

The only outward progress is that a new corrugated iron hoarding now borders this beautiful building which, sadly, continues to deteriorate apace.

Ernest Oppenheimer Park

The ‘leaping sprinboks’ have gone to better pastures but the space deteriorates as rapidly as its neighbour, the Rissik Street Post Office.

Drill Hall

Lots of behind the scenes negotiations but little evidence of on-the-ground advancement.

High Court Precinct

Keeping it in this category rather than the next in the hope that something might still emerge in the New Year.

CATEGORY 5 – BIG DISAPPOINTMENT:

“Dust to Dust”

The first big disappointment for the year is the lack of progress in getting Informal Trading under control. Yes, Quartz Street is practically complete and MetroMarket under construction but the city has new traders on the streets every day and the enforcement of informal trading by-laws appears non existent. One would have thought that the negative contribution that this sector makes to the urban environment through waste and mess and the untold damage it has done to the formal retail trade would have made the authorities determined to deal with it as a priority issue. But no, it is a ‘lip-service’ item (like managing the gatherings and marches on Library Gardens!). Managed, it could be a major positive for the city. The result is that I can see no future at the moment for three projects I have referred to through the year, Eloff Street; Kerk and Joubert Street Linear Markets and the conversion of the CNA Building on Commissioner Street.

The second major disappointment is the new Metropolitan Police Department and the who;e issue of enforcement. I recorded my excitement some months ago at seeing a distinct visible presence of officers in the city, roadblocks, etc., but over the past few months this has again faded away. I see a lot of white ‘Metro Police’ cars driving all over the place, but that is not the way to police the city, as New York found out many years ago. I have heard some good reports of specific initiatives, Yeoville the most recent, but what we need is a sustainable effort over the city.

The third major disappointment is the lack of progress in what is admittedly very difficult and sensitive territory, illegally squatted buildings, street children, etc. The nettle does appear to be in the progress of rather gingerly being grasped but there is a huge amount of work to be done in this area.


2001/2002

SO MUCH FOR 2001, next year is going to see an acceleration in the positives achieved this year and hopefully a massive reduction in the negatives. The City is on the move and there are some truly exciting projects that I am not at liberty to share at the moment, but watch this space in 2002! In the meantime to all readers of Citichat my warm wishes for a very blessed and safe time over the Festive Season. Citichat 1/2002 will be out on 5 January – talk to you then!