8 East Broadway | 62m | 21fl | U/C

[seamusmcduff]

I hope more projects in this area move forward soon. The retail situation is pretty rough. Seems like the outdoor store niche it had going on is getting less and less viable, so not sure what could fill the void other than services for new residents coming in. Without new residents I don't think there's much reason for many businesses to locate here

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by seamusmcduff

I hope more projects in this area move forward soon. The retail situation is pretty rough. Seems like the outdoor store niche it had going on is getting less and less viable, so not sure what could fill the void other than services for new residents coming in. Without new residents I don't think there's much reason for many businesses to locate here

That area has always been in transition - when MEC was there there were more outdoor stores (it was nicknamed 'the fleece district ' by some.) Many of the bicycle stores clustered there for a while as well. There seems to be continued temporary occupation of the old MEC, so Reliance don't seem to be in any hurry.

It's also surprising that there have been no signs of what the station sites (currently being used for construction) will be used for. It's only just over a year before everything is supposed to be wrapped up.

[logan5]

Stating the obvious here, but that stretch of Broadway (between Yukon and Quebec) has nowhere near the critical mass of residents required to have a vibrant street life. Industrial zone to the north, and subdivided houses containing 4 or 5 units to the south.

For the area to really change, there needs to be residents in the industrial zone, which is what is planned (still?), through mixed use industrial/residential projects.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by logan5

Stating the obvious here, but that stretch of Broadway (between Yukon and Quebec) has nowhere near the critical mass of residents required to have a vibrant street life. Industrial zone to the north, and subdivided houses containing 4 or 5 units to the south.

For the area to really change, there needs to be residents in the industrial zone, which is what is planned (still?), through mixed use industrial/residential projects.

I don't think it's intended to allow residential in the industrial zone close to Broadway. One project was approved on W2nd, but that was after the site was redesignated as 'general urban ', using a little used 'flexibility clause' and not industrial. In recommending the change for that proposal, Council approved amendments noting that the City cannot finalize the rezoning until the regional amendments were approved, and specifically directed City staff to not recommend the use of the clause in the future and to not advance similar industrial land flexibility requests elsewhere for now. There will be fewer residents in the industrial zone if approved Broadway Plan projects are built, as at least three apartment buildings are proposed to be replaced with office or hotels.

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by Changing City

I don't think it's intended to allow residential in the industrial zone close to Broadway. One project was approved on W2nd, but that was after the site was redesignated as 'general urban ', using a little used 'flexibility clause' and not industrial. In recommending the change for that proposal, Council approved amendments noting that the City cannot finalize the rezoning until the regional amendments were approved, and specifically directed City staff to not recommend the use of the clause in the future and to not advance similar industrial land flexibility requests elsewhere for now. There will be fewer residents in the industrial zone if approved Broadway Plan projects are built, as at least three apartment buildings are proposed to be replaced with office or hotels.

I believe that he's referring to the policy work underway, following adoption of the mayor's motion, to permit residential in 5 industrial/employment designated areas under he RGS:
1. The Molson Brewery
2. Mt Pleasant Industrial Area
3. Railtown
4. Lands near Main and Terminal
5. Marine Gateway

This work is happening at staff level.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by csbvan

I believe that he's referring to the policy work underway, following adoption of the mayor's motion, to permit residential in 5 industrial/employment designated areas under he RGS:
1. The Molson Brewery
2. Mt Pleasant Industrial Area
3. Railtown
4. Lands near Main and Terminal
5. Marine Gateway

This work is happening at staff level.

Ah, that's the ambiguity of the word 'planned'. It will be a new Council that will consider the idea of allowing residential uses in those areas, so it may not go anywhere. It would presumably also have to be approved by Metro Vancouver, which might be a stretch. Certainly the planning department strongly opposed the West 2nd proposal. Others in that list, like the brewery, are less likely to be an issue.

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Ah, that's the ambiguity of the word 'planned'. It will be a new Council that will consider the idea of allowing residential uses in those areas, so it may not go anywhere. It would presumably also have to be approved by Metro Vancouver, which might be a stretch. Certainly the planning department strongly opposed the West 2nd proposal. Others in that list, like the brewery, are less likely to be an issue.

Yes - there are certainly still hurdles. For Main and Terminal, Mt Pleasant Industrial, and maybe Marine Gateway, Metro provides an allowance for residential to be permitted on lots located within 200m of a SkyTrain station (in addition to employment uses) so they could always do a quite limited expansion of residential in these areas even within existing Metro Vancouver RGS designations.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by csbvan

Yes - there are certainly still hurdles. For Main and Terminal, Mt Pleasant Industrial, and maybe Marine Gateway, Metro provides an allowance for residential to be permitted on lots located within 200m of a SkyTrain station (in addition to employment uses) so they could always do a quite limited expansion of residential in these areas even within existing Metro Vancouver RGS designations.

I think there are already projects proceeding on the basis of that 200m potential in Marine Drive. A 200m buffer from stations applied to the Mount Pleasant Industrial area wouldn't seem to have much, if any impact on the stretch of Broadway between Main and Cambie.

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by Lexus

DJI_20260830124848_0014_D by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

Thanks for the photo. Great to see this move above grade.

[giallo]

Originally Posted by logan5

Stating the obvious here, but that stretch of Broadway (between Yukon and Quebec) has nowhere near the critical mass of residents required to have a vibrant street life. Industrial zone to the north, and subdivided houses containing 4 or 5 units to the south.

For the area to really change, there needs to be residents in the industrial zone, which is what is planned (still?), through mixed use industrial/residential projects.

I'd say it's pretty bleak from Main to Arbutus. LOTS of empty storefronts along Broadway right now compared to a few years ago. I've never seen it like this before. Obviously, the Skytrain construction has a lot to do with it, and when it's finally open, we'll hopefully see a resurgence in retail again, but for now, it's looking pretty rough out there.

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by giallo

I'd say it's pretty bleak from Main to Arbutus. LOTS of empty storefronts along Broadway right now compared to a few years ago. I've never seen it like this before. Obviously, the Skytrain construction has a lot to do with it, and when it's finally open, we'll hopefully see a resurgence in retail again, but for now, it's looking pretty rough out there.

Broadway has always been pretty bad, with poor streetscapes and many businesses that...do not exactly scream vibrancy. While the business closures are unfortunate, I do wonder if, with new density, improved station area streetscapes, and the impending SkyTrain opening, the new businesses that move in may be more interesting.

[officedweller]

Broadway isn't a shopping high street - it's too busy for that - at least before the slimming down that's planned.
Same goes for Kingsway.

Likewise, that's why the Suburban downtowns have their designated high streets off the main thoroughfare.
Brentwood - Dawson St. not Loughheed Hwy.
Richmond - Hazelbridge Way not No. 3 Rd.
Coquitlam - The High St. not Barnet Hwy or Lougheed Hwy

Even in downtown Vancouver, West Georgia and Burrard are the ceremonial streets with plazas, they are not main shopping high streets. That's Robson and Alberni Sts.

[mcj]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Broadway isn't a shopping high street - it's too busy for that - at least before the slimming down that's planned.
Same goes for Kingsway.

Likewise, that's why the Suburban downtowns have their designated high streets off the main thoroughfare.
Brentwood - Dawson St. not Loughheed Hwy.
Richmond - Hazelbridge Way not No. 3 Rd.
Coquitlam - The High St. not Barnet Hwy or Lougheed Hwy

Even in downtown Vancouver, West Georgia and Burrard are the ceremonial streets with plazas, they are not main shopping high streets. That's Robson and Alberni Sts.

Add to this Columbia in New Westminster instead of Front/Royal, as well as 6th Street instead of 8th Street.

Plenty of examples in Montreal (including the full closure of Sainte-Catherine to cars/trucks) and to a lesser extent Toronto of this too. And of course, most cities in Europe.

[GenWhy?]

Sainte Catherine is more the use and size of 7th Ave here in Vancouver while the adjacent Rene Levesque with its like 6 lanes or even Sherbrooke is the Broadway equivalent.

[csbvan]

But unfortunately in Vancouver, all of our 'High Streets' outside of downtown are on the busy roads (4th, Main, Cambie, Fraser, Granville, etc)...

[mcj]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Sainte Catherine is more the use and size of 7th Ave here in Vancouver while the adjacent Rene Levesque with its like 6 lanes or even Sherbrooke is the Broadway equivalent.

If we're going to place it in Vancouver, I'd argue it's closer to a Robson / Georgia situation. Robson being the high street, and Georgia being the 6 lane corridor through downtown.

Originally Posted by csbvan

But unfortunately in Vancouver, all of our 'High Streets' outside of downtown are on the busy roads (4th, Main, Cambie, Fraser, Granville, etc)...

It is unfortunate how car centering we still are, despite most of the world progressing beyond that. Although the suburbs aren't always better, Hastings in Burnaby is another example, St. John's street right through Port Moody another, Scott Road in Delta, 200th Street and KGB are two others that at least are getting BRT, but plenty of 'high street' stroad examples in the Lower Mainland.

[GenWhy?]

Yes these are major transit corridors

[AlessioSBT]

I mean it's a consequence of how north america works in general.
We have "downtowns" but we don't actually have specific big areas covered by only plazas, businesses and more where there are no cars.
There are no actual "meeting areas" where you just "go" and you walk around (unless you consider malls).

Everything that we have is a street, therefore the whole point is passing through it, not going to it.
We don't have a big central plaza and a bunch of streets all around, all close to traffic, and everyone just meet there and walk.
It would be impossible to do here without some serious changes, like closing an entire piece of a big artery, redirecting traffic around it, and literally paving the whole thing as sidewalk.

Basically what you see now in Granville, but without the millions dollar budget a month to "keep it closed". I would not be a road anymore, and it seems like our society is just not compatible with that idea of city.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Best we can do is pedestrianize Robson and/or Water; probably Granville Island when they finally build the elevator.

For now, the Granville busway is a critical part of the transit network... while the Granville fanzone is now more or less a bike lane with patios now that FIFA's gone.

[SFUVancouver]

I wish Canadian cities had the courage to do something like what Copenhagen did with the Strøget: a highly car-focused urban retail street in the centre of the city that was fully pedestrianized and turned into the crown jewel of the city (and its most valuable retail area).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Str%C3%B8get


Source

Strøget presented as a case study:

https://globaldesigningcities.org/public...n-streets-case-study-stroget-copenhagen/