Transit oriented development in Canada
I'm surprised this subject hasn't been touched on more here given the price of gas these days:
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... and proximity to transit is only going to become more lucrative as years go on. Why own a car if you don't really need one? The savings could be the difference between a 1bdrm and a 2.
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It is becoming an obvious choice, for first time buyers especially, to choose a condo close to transit.
Anyway Vancouver has succeeded in creating many high density, transit oriented "urban villages" but the missing component has always been the lack of office space in these areas with a few exceptions. It seems that now, finally demand is growing for commercial space, and the low vancancy rates and high lease rates are proof of this. As more office space is built these area will truly become live/work, reducing commute times and increasing quality of life. Examples of skytrain oriented commercial space in metro Vancouver u/c: Metrotower 3 (Burnaby) Quote:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...g-devnight.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...-devnight2.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...img-retail.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...mg-strata2.jpg Merchant Square (NW) http://i.imgur.com/F6gCw.jpg http://i.imgur.com/tjxNu.jpg Marine Drive Gateway (south Vancouver) http://i.imgur.com/rCFiK.jpg Anyways I created this thread so anyone could contribute examples of transit oriented development, new or existing, from their cities, so please feel free to participate! |
I imagine that the towers surrounding the Longueuil metro station were among some of the earliest examples of transited oriented development in Canada. Some of the buildings near the Metro are connected via skywalk.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...il_skyline.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Longueuil_skyline.jpg http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...-longueuil.jpg http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationP...il_Quebec.html |
NOw just replace these skywalks with tunnels and the good people of longueuil won't ever have to actually gaze upon their homes!
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I doubt it would work in the GTA. Any premium would be lost to building at a higher density. I guess Vaughan will be the real test.
BTW, Metrotower 3 is ridiculously skinny. |
One could argue that the entirety of NYCC is subway related development..
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winnipeg's first TOD....decent considering that our T is only 3km long at this point.
construction to start soon. http://speakupwinnipeg.com/wp-conten...reenspace1.jpg http://speakupwinnipeg.com/wp-conten...Site-Plan2.jpg http://speakupwinnipeg.com/wp-conten...ee-Station.jpg http://speakupwinnipeg.com/ourwinnip...t-rouge-yards/ |
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I disagree. Anything under 20k is quite skinny by GTA standards particularly at that height. Well, 25 storeys is unheard of in the 905 with the standard 905 building being about 6 storeys and 150,000 square feet. Meadowvale Corporate Centre is the the tallest in recent memory at 10 storeys and 250k.
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Metrotower 3 would have looked alright if they didn't try to imitate Metrotower 1 & 2 for half of its bi-polar facade.
The skinniest office tower in the country will likely be the MNP tower, at 36 stories and 7500sf floorplates http://www.vancitybuzz.com/wp-conten...Hastings-4.jpg |
Here are some quick, bad pics of the transit orientated development at New Westminster skytrain station. With all the shops opening up now there is a lot more activity. It is still not fully complete though.
Here you can see the train guideway going into the complex. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7...bdb23c2d_b.jpg Below station level http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5195/7...0b8f75fe_b.jpg And station level http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7...6233c9ce_b.jpg While it does have some problems, I overall like this development and now often use the safeway when I am traveling through to quickly get some groceries. Pics are my own: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30634635@N03/ Cheers |
I like the design of the New West station. There's a huge difference between the convenience of having a store you need right there and having the store in a mall separated from the station by a giant parking lot. Brentwood and Lougheed are like this because the malls pre-date the station. Brentwood's getting a big development though and hopefully Lougheed will too.
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Lougheed us, I saw renders it shows 8 towers going around the mall, with some mixed use, I think they will finish off brentwood first though
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the stations are nice but the line is just a start....the next phase is to connect to the U of M and the new stadium....its supposed to already have been under construction but our mayor is an idiot. http://winnipegtransit.com/en/southw...itway/stations http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opi...144186285.html |
Surrey is trying to establish itself with TOD and touting itself as a future rival of Vancouver, but Richmond and Burnaby are in Berzerk mode right now. Burnaby is in an especially strong position with its proximity to Vancouver and a whopping 11 Skytrain stations, 4 strong town centres - even Edmonds is pretty good, with a lot of potential to create a Commercial Drive St. vibe on Edmonds St., north of Kingsway. With this huge upswing in population around the Skytrain stations should come demand for more job space, especially around Metrotown. Metrotown is positioned right in the middle of the present and future Skytrain network, making it a fast destination for most people in Metro Van.
I'm picking on Surrey here but Richmond and Burnaby are quickly pulling away. I guess that's why so many want more Skytrain in Surrey. |
Some pics of Brentwood TOD in Calgary. The two taller towers are the first phase of University city. Though I think sales have already begun on tower 3.
http://www.calgaryherald.com/6568749.bin http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KBtPkqLzDA...30.33%2BPM.png http://www.globaltvcalgary.com/uploa...?size=sw380nws |
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