Yes, I feel strongly that they're lame, and I'm far from alone in that opinion -- if you ask, you'll hear the same.
The Gateway is a dark hulking shell that doesn't fit on that corner. It's uninviting, drafty, and unused -- very far from a town square. Yes the Farmers Market is there, but it's awkward. Just compare it with other markets.
The Waterfront had a budget to work with, and the result is largely sterile and cookie-cutter. 
It's not that either is absolutely horrible or worse than before, it's that they're both fully mediocre. There are details in both that work, for example the inlaid glass on the curving paths. But we deserve more creatively people-centric structures and spaces. That's far from what we got. IMHO. 
I really hope the Waterfront Center doesn't become a cramped convention center, but instead a very people-centered inspiring and inviting space. And I hope for a very large, section-able auditorium that can fit the Symphony and bigger shows. What are the chances?