The Yorkton skyline is about to dramatically change according to a local developer.
Ronald Crump plans to build a downtown condominium he is touting as the city鈥檚 first skyscraper. Plans for the building, dubbed Crump Tower, indicate it will be four-and-a-half stories tall, and occupy a vacant lot on Myrtle Avenue.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a huge building, huge,鈥� Crump said. 鈥淎 terrific building, terrific. I build the best buildings.鈥�
Responding to criticism by Fox FM news director Doug Falconer that the new building will barely be taller than their building, Crump tweeted: 鈥淭he media is very unfair to me, very unfair. Fox FM is fake news and Doug is just mad that my great building is going to dwarf his stupid building.鈥�
Falconer doesn鈥檛 think the project will get off the ground.
鈥淗ave you seen the concept drawing,鈥� he asked. 鈥淚t looks like it was drawn on the back of a dirty napkin by a five-year-old.鈥�
The developer did admit that the new condo will technically only be five feet taller than the Fox building.
鈥淥kay, if you put them right next to each other, it might not seem that much taller, but downtown it鈥檚 going to look very impressive, very impressive,鈥� he said. 鈥淎lso, it鈥檚 going to be skinny, only one apartment wide, so that will make it look even taller.鈥�
Yorkton Mayor Bob Maloney was positive if underwhelmed by the announcement.
鈥淎ny new development in Yorkton is a good thing,鈥� Maloney said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if I would call it a skyscraper, though.鈥�
In fact, the current definition of a skyscraper is at least 40 or 50 stories, but that did not dampen Crump鈥檚 enthusiasm for the project.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a wonderful building, just terrific,鈥� he insisted. 鈥淎nd I am going to make Melville pay for it.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to pay for it,鈥� said Melville Mayor Walter Streelasky.
