There's definitely a lack of vision. The proposed townhouses are hideous and suburban as well - faux stone accents, garage doors, etc. And they'll of course be set back, and there's probably some sort of cul-de-sac behind around which the seniors apartments are placed.
Our development seems to be going the opposite of the way it should. Clearly rural or suburban features are creeping ever-closer to downtown, rather than urbanity spreading outwards. Even here in Rabbittown, there are now enough rebuilt houses with set-backs to make it weird and hideous:
You'll be able to land a jumbo jet on one of our near-downtown streets if the city keeps allowing shit like this.
In 100 years, St. John's won't seem any larger - it'll just all look like Cowan Heights and feel like it was founded in the 1980s.