Windemere | Announcement

[simlink 1,098]

WELCOME TO WINDEMERE2.0!

  Edited July 31, 2013 by sim_link  

[simlink 1,098]

ORIGINAL UPDATE 1:

Welcome to Windemere!

Welcome to Windemere, my first attempt at a City Journal. The journal will follow the various cities in my region called, you guessed it, Windemere!

We will be looking at various cities and towns as they grow and mature.

There will be small towns, large(er) towns, urban city centres and more! So sit back, relax and enjoy, and welcome to Windemere!

UPDATE 1

Introduction to Eastburg

Up first for our first journey into Eastburg is the small downtown area. Currently, this is the commercial hub of the town, with 90% of retail and office being located here. However, the percentage of commerce located in the downtown core is expected to shrink as new commercial areas set up elsewhere in town.

And next is a view of (for now) the only school in Eastburg, Eastburg Elementary. The Windemere schoolboard is proposing the construction of another school in the town, though size and type (elementary/secondary) has yet to be determined.

(Also visible is the end to downtown and one of the many residential neighbourhoods.)

And that does it for the first view of Eastburg and the first installment of Windemere. Hope you've enjoyed it.

  Edited December 28, 2011 by sim_link  

[The Avatar 1,089]

Very good for a first CJ! Me Likey.

[steelersfanforlife 43]

I like your CJ so far. I will check on it whenever there is an update.

[nathanthemayor 1,262]

Whoa!Those suburbs look amazing!

[simlink 1,098]

REPLIES:

MamaLuigi945:

Thanks, glad you like it! I've been looking at starting a CJ for a while, and now here we are.

Steelersfanforlife:

Nice to hear, hope to see you around here.

Nathanthemayor:

Why thank-you! I like to work on suburbs alot, so we'll be looking at more of them, like todays update.

UPDATE 2

A look at residential in Eastburg

Welcome back to Eastburg! Last entry, we looked at the downtown area of Eastburg and the town's only school. Today we are going to glimpse into 2 residential areas in Eastburg.

In this first picture, we find the Eastern end of Eastburg's main residential area. When the town developed, it developed as (mostly) one residential area, with "sections" added in over time. This section was one of the first parts of the development to begin.

Next up is one of Eastburg's newest developments. The roads have been paved, and phase 1 is now under construction. Phase 2, which is to the right of this picture, is expected to also begin shortly. In the bottom left of the picture, you can see the new office building that was recently completed, as well as a fast-food joint and a gas station. (And if you look at the bottom of the picture, you will see part of the highway which runs through town.)

And so we come to the end of this update. As always, hope you've enjoyed. Next update, we may be somewhere new...

  Edited August 31, 2011 by sim_link  

[emperordaniel 1,281]

Very nice! I especially like the last pic, where'd you get those brown field lots?

[Eʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ 273]

Nicely done SimLink.

I love these suburbs, you did an incredible job with them.

[steelersfanforlife 43]

The suburbs look very good. Looking forward to your next update.

  Edited August 31, 2011 by steelersfanforlife  

[Schulmanator 5,793]

Nice start. I like your work.

[The Avatar 1,089]

Nice 'burbs!

[simlink 1,098]

REPLIES:

emperordaniel:

Thanks! Those brown field lots come from the SFBT construction set, which I was unable to locate on the STEX or LEX. Sorry 'bout that. :/

Eʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ

Thanks for the comment! I'm glad you like them. As I've said, I really like working with suburbs.

steelersfanforlife

Thanks for stoping by again! Hope you like these suburbs as well.

Schulmanator

Thanks, I hope to keep this good start going.

MamaLuigi945

Thanks, glad you like 'em!

UPDATE 3

A new town. Welcome to Cranborough!

Welcome to Cranborough! This town is largely a bedroom community, with the majority of residences travelling outside town limits to work.

The town also has some retail, which we will se shortly.

In this first picture, we find the main throughfare in Cranborough’s main residential area. In the centre of this picture is Cranborough District High School.

In this next picture, we find a large regional shopping centre, Cranborough Towne Centre. It has more recently expanded, via the 3 "outparcels." (of which you can see only 2...

) Also visible in the top left is a newer residential development, and down towards the bottom (in the middle) is a hospital.

And we end here for today. Hope you enjoyed the tour of Cranborough, look for more suburbs next update!

[emperordaniel 1,281]

I liked the tour, especially the last pic

[packersfan 666]

Nice start, I like those football fields for the school.

[The Avatar 1,089]

Seems like a very nice place to live! Cranborough...Cranberries! Now I'm thirsty.

[simlink 1,098]

REPLIES:

emperordaniel:

Thanks, I think you may really like today's update.

packersfa:

Thanks, that's my attempt to make schools look more realistic.

MamaLuigi945:

It is! Oddly enough, I was thinking about cranberries when I named Cranborough...

UPDATE 4

Macoe - Home to the "Retail Megaplex"

We're on the move again today, taking a look at the Town of Macoe. Macoe is one of the newer towns in Windemere. Despite this, its residential neighbourhoods continue to develop like other towns in region; that is as one, large neighbourhood build up over time. No one knows how long this will last though...

For today, though, we are going to look at what residents have dubbed the "RETAIL MEGAPLEX." It is currently the largest concentration of retail in the region of Windemere.

Here is the first photo of the retail centre. As you can see, there are number of stores for sims to do almost all their shopping at. On this side of the road, a warehouse club, big-box hardware/home improvement store and large mass-retailer are visible.

On the other side of the avenue is a small retail plaza for everyday needs featuring a grocery store, pharmacy and various little shops. A large plaza consisting of big-box stores is also brimming with stores for most needs of residents. A new office development is also visible on the left of the image. The Macoe train station is also nearby, one of the reasons the retail plaza was built here.

There is alot of talk about what could possibly be going in on the construction site. No resident currently knows, though rumours have been swirling from more retail to a large office complex. All that is known for sure is it is owned by a company called Macoe Land Holdings, Inc. Only time will tell...

We have reached the end of today's update. As always, hope you have enjoyed it!

[emperordaniel 1,281]

Really nice update! I'm looking forward to when the building will be revealed!

[simlink 1,098]

REPLIES:

emperordaniel:

Thanks! You'll have to wait a bit longer until the building is revealed...

UPDATE 5

Progress & Recreation in Eastburg

Today we return for a quick look at Eastburg and progress in residential development that has been made, as well as a large recreation area.

In the first picture we have here, you may recognize this area. This the area that was under development in Update 2. Phases 1 & 2 now completed, phase 3 is in planning. A hospital was built to serve the growing population, and the area under construction is the future Eastburg Secondary School. It will be built to the same specifications as Cranborough District High School.

In this next picture, we have Eastburg's large recreational complex. It features football, soccer and other fields, as well as an indoor sports complex and the town's library branch.

Next is the newest housing development in Eastburg. This development started as 2 seperate developments by 2 different developers, however town council said it would not pass either development unless they were fused together to create 1 development. This was done to keep the sense of community alive in newer residential developments.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Eastburg...

That's all for today. Stay tuned for more...

[emperordaniel 1,281]

Looks fantastic!

[kakado_to_save 514]

are you trying to make me crazy with having to wait for the next update?

[simlink 1,098]

REPLIES:

emperordaniel:

Thanks! Glad you think so!

kakado_to_save:

Crazy, nah. Of course not! Excited for the next update... yes.

UPDATE 6

Eastburg "Connection" Revealed!

At the end of the last update, I left a nice teaser of construction. Today, what that construction was for is revealed: The Eastburg "Connection." This will connect Eastburg to an eventually-to-be-revealed city. So let's go and see... shall we?

In the first picture we continue from where we left off, with the new roadways now paved.

In this next picture, we find the road interchange (roundabout) now complete, with the horizontal road no re-alligned. The residential street also no longer has access to this road, now instead coming off the vertical road. The connection, at this point is now complete. You will also see a parking lot; this is for the new Eastburg subway station that travels into the city. This was also part of the Eastburg "connection."

This picture shows the Eastburg Connection area with development that has popped up as well as sound walls, lights and landscaping throughout the project.

And that brings us to the end of the Eastburg Connection. However, here's a random picture of downtown Eastburg at night. Hope you like it!

And we conclude today's update. Hope you enjoyed transit improvements in Eastburg to the eventually-to-be-shown city.

[The Avatar 1,089]

Wow, that roundabout with the surrounding area looks great! May I make asuggestion regarding your suburbs? I think downloading Mattb325's suburban houses will add color and charm to your suburbs. I know you're going for that "cookie-cutter suburb" look, but I think the Mattb325 houses will be a nice addition to your city. Anywho, great job sim_link!

[emperordaniel 1,281]

Looks great! I love the nite pic

[simlink 1,098]

REPLIES:

MamaLuigi945:

I'm glad you like the area! I have considered using Mattb325's houses, however I generally prefer lots that are 1x1, 1x2 and 1x3 for housing. However they may appear in later updates. Thanks for the tip.

emperordaniel:

Thanks! There are a few more in this update.

UPDATE 7

Macoe - MYSTERY BUILDING revealed + more development!

We have returned to Macoe, today. Last time we visited there was a construction site in the heart of the retail maga-plex, which nothing was known about. Today, we see what now occupies the site. We are also going to take a look at ongoing developments in Macoe. So let's go have a look!

Here it is. The construction site that held many secrets. Even as construction progressed, and the buildings took shape, no sim knew what was going in. That is, until the construction was completed. Now a large corporate tower and Super-Target retail store sit on the site.

In this next picture we see a recent condo development. This is Phase 1A.

Here is the area zoomed out. Phase 1B, the beige-ish, yellow-ish buildings, are visible. Also to be seen is another large corporate office building. It is the headquarters to Windemere Development Corporation, a large developer in Windemere and beyond.

In this next photo we see phase 2 of the condo development, a much larger concentration of condos. This part of the development is just down the road from Phase 1 A&B.

And here are a few night shots for your viewing enjoyment.

That's all for today's update, hope you enjoyed it!

[emperordaniel 1,281]

Looks great! I love the second pic, looks so quiet and peaceful and the fourth reminds me so much of places around here

[The Avatar 1,089]

The mystery is finally revealed! That's a nice-looking office tower and Target. Those are some neat apartment complexes, as well! Great job!

[packersfan 666]

Nice. How did you get all those identical apartment buildings?

[simlink 1,098]

REPLIES:

emperordaniel:

Thanks! I usually strive for realism (with mixed results ) so I'm glad you think that development looks like real-world ones.

MamaLuigi945:

Why thanks you.

packersfan

I use a building plop mod. That happens to be one of the areas I used it for.

UPDATE 8

"THE HEIGHTS" in Cranborough.

Meanwhile, back in Cranborough... development continues. Today we are going to look at "THE HEIGHTS"; a new development that will, by the end, feature a baseball field/stadium, commercial shopping/office district as well as condos and single family homes.

And here are the photos of the beginning of the development of the retail area and the baseball field/stadium.

And here is the first residential development in "THE HEIGHTS." Many more homes and condos will follow...

And as part of NAM day (NAM 30 was released today...

) the Region of Windemere announced the widening of several existing highways, expanding rail lines, widening congested arterial roads and much more. Here is the reconstruction of the highway interchange in Cranborough, part of the announcement.

That's all for Cranborough today! Stay tuned as "THE HEIGHTS" sprawls through Windemere and the construction projects all over the region begin!

  Edited September 16, 2011 by sim_link  

[The Avatar 1,089]

Wonderful job with that interchange! I'm really enjoying this CJ; Great job!

[emperordaniel 1,281]

The first use of the latest RHW in a CJ! WOOT WOOT!!!