Do you mean ALL properties, since Devimco owns NOTHING in the Griff…not one square inch.

As for the design, you would have something to worry about were the developer the impatient ÉTS or Edmonton-based cheapos True North, which slapped up Cours Windsor. Luckily enough it’s in the hands of Canada Lands. They don’t go in for starchitecture and have a good track record of nicely executed stuff that works well on a pedestrian level. The architects are Cardinal Hardy and l’OEUF, who are some of the most environmentally, historically, aesthetically, socially, and urbanistically sensitive and skilled firms in the country. It’s in very, very good hands.

Most of what you’re worried about, like the plaza on Guy and the street frontage, depends on details and execution, and right now we’re looking at a design that’s still in the site planning stage. I don’t see anything with this plan that gives me significant pause about the safety of the street or exterior spaces, but I don’t have an allergy to modernism or big buildings. Again, a project of this scale succeeds or fails on the details, and the organizations designing and developing this project are known for getting the details right.

All that being said, I agree a light industrial use may be the best thing here. You’re not going to see commercial shipping on the Lachine Canal anytime in the next decade, due to the narrowness of the locks, insufficient depth for heavy loads, and the hellbroth of sediment that would be stirred up if you tried to dredge it. You’re not going to see a business shipping by rail there either, as much as you or I would like it. But an industrial use would minimize cleanup costs, and it’s in a good location for workers and truck access.