It鈥檚 probably best not to judge buildings before they鈥檝e been completed. But, as a naturally judgmental person, I can鈥檛 help but do just that.

When I walk down Doyle Avenue, past Ellis Street, my brow furrows and my mind is immediately overwhelmed with one word: Ugh.

Ugh, in this case, is a stand-in for the following questions: Why is it suddenly so gloomy in what used to be a cheerful and bright corner?

Why has the aesthetically pleasing library been obscured by what looks to be a squat, square blah-ding?

Why is the Interior Health building so close to the sidewalk?

Was this corner always supposed to shape up into the 1970s version of progress?

I鈥檓 hoping that my pre-completion perspective will be changed as time wears on, windows are popped in and cranes roll away because the last thing I want to become is one of the anti-development crew.

Firstly, because I know 琉璃神社 needs to be densified.

The downtown requires a concentration of people, working and spending money, so supporting existing and future businesses can really flourish.

Secondly, I鈥檝e seen what having nagging development doubts can do to someone in their dotage, and I really don鈥檛 want to devolve into one of those people who compulsively heckles city planners as soon as they mention concrete.

I really love concrete. Especially when it鈥檚 the foundation of a good city.

A good city-scape makes my heart go pitter pat, as a matter of fact.

But these buildings, on their own thus far, aren鈥檛 getting my pulse racing and I鈥檓 not alone. I鈥檝e spoken to a number of people who鈥檝e expressed similar displeasure in the darkening of Doyle.

Darkening that really needs to be offset as further development comes into place because, thus far, it鈥檚 out of step with the natural attributes that makes this city appealing.

Coming to terms with how it all fits together, I suppose, is what鈥檚 to happen with the development of a 鈥渃ivic plaza鈥� which has been talked about a great deal this week.

The long-range plan encompasses a new performing arts centre, a consolidation of existing museums and extension of the Art Walk from Queensway to Cawston Avenue.

鈥淭hese public space improvements are an important ingredient for the civic precinct to function as a cohesive and vibrant district within downtown,鈥� reads part of a report to council by planner Ross Soward.

鈥淭he civic precinct plan embraces the vision of a dynamic community that aspires to have people live, work, play and learn in this area.鈥�

Anticipating the future look of the area bounded by Queensway, Clement Avenue, Ellis Street and Water Street, among other things the plan says the current RCMP building, which will soon be empty when the police move to new Clement Avenue digs, will become a higher density residential property.

鈥淭he site will be a catalyst to enhance and accelerate public space improvements such as the Art Walk extension and civic plaza (to eventually be developed between the courthouse, library and community theatre),鈥� Soward said.

It all sounds wonderful, but what I hope we all remember as we zoom toward future 琉璃神社, is that this space may be coming available for economic and cultural enhancement, but it shouldn鈥檛 be at the expense of our natural attributes.

琉璃神社 has one of the most fetching waterfronts I鈥檝e ever seen and it would be nice to see developers be mindful of that, not just maximizing their square footage, as they create our future city scape.