Downtown Vancouver Updates II

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by Vin

After so many inept municipal governments running this city for decades, ABC is finally doing work on the rejuvenation of Gastown in 2024, starting with repavement of the heavily damaged road.

You do know why they're finally doing it, right?

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

You do know why they're finally doing it, right?

Why?

[gaviscon]

Originally Posted by Vin

After so many inept municipal governments running this city for decades, ABC is finally doing work on the rejuvenation of Gastown in 2024, starting with repavement of the heavily damaged road.

They are the best government Vancouver had for many decades.

Unfortunately, their time in the office will mostly run through a period of high-interest rates... Imagine the things we would have got done if they were running the city in the pre-covid years....

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by gaviscon

They are the best government Vancouver had for many decades.

Unfortunately, their time in the office will mostly run through a period of high-interest rates... Imagine the things we would have got done if they were running the city in the pre-covid years....

Can you explain why you think interest rates have anything to do with what the City of Vancouver builds?

They don't borrow the money. (They are explicitly not allowed to - when the City had to bail out the Olympic Village by buying the debt and taking over ownership there had to be Provincilal legislation to allow it).

There's a vote at every election to approve the Capital Plan, which lists the things that the City would like to do. So the Water Street repair and renewal was designed by the Engineers under the Kennedy Stewart era Council, and then voted on by the electorate. Now the ABC controlled Council has approved the allocated expenditure that's being paid for from city taxes.

[GenWhy?]

Just not looking forward to the bill to re-design and rip out the stuff they repair either in a few years.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Just not looking forward to the bill to re-design and rip out the stuff they repair either in a few years.

It'll be a while. The Capital Plan had $4.5m for street works in Gastown, and they're only spending $1m to $1.2m on this 3-month patch job, and the two-month closure of two blocks of Water Street, but they're supposed to be re-laying Trounce Alley and linking to Maple Tree Square in spring 2025, and that'll take the rest of the money, so any long-term changes will need another Capital Plan item.

In the meantime it looks like almost all the businesses in the 1970s 'Gaslight Square' have moved out, so presumably the replacement project that was rejected by the UDP (or a revised version) is actually going ahead, seven years after submission.

[gaviscon]

Originally Posted by Changing City

It'll be a while. The Capital Plan had $4.5m for street works in Gastown, and they're only spending $1m to $1.2m on this 3-month patch job, and the two-month closure of two blocks of Water Street, but they're supposed to be re-laying Trounce Alley and linking to Maple Tree Square in spring 2025, and that'll take the rest of the money, so any long-term changes will need another Capital Plan item.

In the meantime it looks like almost all the businesses in the 1970s 'Gaslight Square' have moved out, so presumably the replacement project that was rejected by the UDP (or a revised version) is actually going ahead, seven years after submission.

Will they bury those last-remaining power lines and remove H-frames when they upgrade Trounce Alley?

[officedweller]

Downtown Eastside's largest social housing project to open this spring


December 2023 construction progress on Bob & Michael’s Place at 58 West Hastings, Vancouver. (Vancouver Chinatown Foundation)
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bob-mich...gs-street-vancouver-chinatown-foundation


December 2023 construction progress on Bob & Michael’s Place at 58 West Hastings, Vancouver. (Vancouver Chinatown Foundation)
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bob-mich...gs-street-vancouver-chinatown-foundation


December 2023 construction progress on Bob & Michael’s Place at 58 West Hastings, Vancouver. (Vancouver Chinatown Foundation)
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bob-mich...gs-street-vancouver-chinatown-foundation

[osirisboy]

horrible place for social housing.

[giallo]

It's probably one of the only place in the city where you can build social housing of that size without local residents getting out their pitchforks and torches during the proposal period.

[Spr0ckets]

It's great that they can get this much social housing built - and without the usual Nimby backlash that usually accompanies these kinds of projecs - but as was discussed and noted in another thread earlier (.....or was it in this thread farther back?), it's probably not a good idea for Vancouver to designate and use DTES as the default "dumping ground" for all the homeless and social housing projects.

That being said, it's never a bad thing replacing all those run-down fire-harzard SRO hotels and older buildings with newer code-updated housing.
The city just has to make use to follow-up and ensure the rest of the surrounding neighbourhood also gets an uplift too so the people living there don't feel they're getting abandoned and lumped with the worst of the worst.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

You do know why they're finally doing it, right?

To make Gastown more attractive as it used to be a tourist magnet so as to help improve the business climate there. Also, they are trying to fulfill an election promise.

Originally Posted by gaviscon

They are the best government Vancouver had for many decades.

Unfortunately, their time in the office will mostly run through a period of high-interest rates... Imagine the things we would have got done if they were running the city in the pre-covid years....

Yes, previous governments have mostly ruined Vancouver, so it would be a difficult task ahead for sure.

Originally Posted by Changing City

Can you explain why you think interest rates have anything to do with what the City of Vancouver builds?

They don't borrow the money. (They are explicitly not allowed to - when the City had to bail out the Olympic Village by buying the debt and taking over ownership there had to be Provincilal legislation to allow it).

There's a vote at every election to approve the Capital Plan, which lists the things that the City would like to do. So the Water Street repair and renewal was designed by the Engineers under the Kennedy Stewart era Council, and then voted on by the electorate. Now the ABC controlled Council has approved the allocated expenditure that's being paid for from city taxes.

If you expand your thought a bit more, you'd be able to arrive at the conclusion. Hint: Housing purchase, business load borrowing for those wanting to be in Vancouver = more municipal taxes. Get it yet?

[madog222]

I didn’t realize the COV charges sales tax, learn something new every day. Thanks Vin!

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Vin

To make Gastown more attractive as it used to be a tourist magnet so as to help improve the business climate there. Also, they are trying to fulfill an election promise.

What election promise?

As for "used to", go down there on a random Sunday during cruise season. It's packed with tourists.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Vin

If you expand your thought a bit more, you'd be able to arrive at the conclusion. Hint: Housing purchase, business load borrowing for those wanting to be in Vancouver = more municipal taxes. Get it yet?

That's not how municipal taxes work.

The City decides how much they want/need to spend, then they divide it between the businesses and home owners who pay tax. Interest rates don't affect that at all. That's why ABC put taxes up 7.5% this year - the Mayor had to get the $180K boost to his $1.3M office budget somehow.

[Migrant_Coconut]

People with memory spans that last longer than twelve months will recall how the Gastown revival plan began under Stewart's council; after a few years, City staff have finished the homework, just in time to be approved by Sim's council. All ABC's been doing so far is just rubber-stamping things other people came up with and stealing the credit for them.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

People with memory spans that last longer than twelve months will recall how the Gastown revival plan began under Stewart's council; after a few years, City staff have finished the homework, just in time to be approved by Sim's council. All ABC's been doing so far is just rubber-stamping things other people came up with and stealing the credit for them.

Speaking of short memory spans.

Between 2017 and 2018, we engaged the Gastown community on how they use Gastown’s streets and public spaces. Our upcoming work and engagement to develop a Gastown public space plan will build on these previous conversations.

https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/gastown-public-spaces-plan.aspx

In 2012, Water Street was identified in Transportation 2040 as a potential pedestrian-priority area. Through the City’s Complete Streets initiative in 2017, staff further explored this with the community.

https://syc.vancouver.ca/projects/gastow...town-public-spaces-plan-backgrounder.pdf

Gregor Robinson 2008-2018
Kennedy Stewart 2018-2022
Ken Sims 2022-

[Migrant_Coconut]

Touche. Overall point stands - this has been a long time in the making.

[Jimbo604]

Originally Posted by Zepfancouver

Src: https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/904-920-davie-street-vancouver-condo-tower-reliance-properties

Oh no, not 7-Eleven and one storey cinderblock building to the south of it!

[Jimbo604]

"Busy and dilapidated sidewalk at Canada Place to finally be rebuilt" : Daily Hive Feb 29 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/howe-street-canada-place-sidewalk-repairs

"This is a stretch of sidewalk frequented by tourists, and it is one of the areas where such visitors, including many cruise ship passengers, get some of their first impressions of Vancouver. ...

The City of Vancouver told Daily Hive Urbanized today the entire east sidewalk of Howe Street between the Canada Place vehicle ramp and West Cordova Street will be fully removed for a complete reconstruction with a new design. When complete, there will be a new concrete sidewalk with sandblasted decorative banding. ...

This work also includes repairs to the underlying viaduct, as this section of Howe Street and Canada Place Way is supported by elevated bridge structures.

The removal, repair, and reconstruction work will begin in March and reach completion in June of this year. Site preparation in advance of the start of this work has already begun, including the removal of the Mobi bike share station."

Not a moment too soon, I'm sure you recognize this one. More pictures of the sad state of this prominently located sidewalk in the article.