Downtown Vancouver Updates

[Delirium]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Noticed that the top of Elan was brightly lit last night - the side facing southeast (over Seymour). Could have just been interior lights inside the mech penthouse.

here's a pic i took of it yesterday. the lighting/effect looks good.


re: harbour green 3. i think it's unfortunate that it's going to be another Cheng designed building. it makes sense given his involvement in 1 & 2 but there's too much of one man's work in coal harbour. it's practially ALL his.

- Fairmont
- Shaw
- 1,2,3 Harbour Green
- Escala
- Waterfront Centre
- and those two next to the Westin.

i like his work and individually they are all decent buildings but man, there needs to be some variety. thank god for callisto & carina.

i wonder if there's anything that;ll be done to make the site of 3Hg look a little more appealing for 2010?

[officedweller]

Thanks! Hopefully there won't be alot of neighbours complaining about it. And hopefully the strata won't turn it off to save money.

Why do I think the HG3 site will end up being parking for TV trucks - with mobile antennae hoisted high into the air?

[jlousa]

I can't imagine any satelite trucks there as the location has buildings to the south (Satelites dishes would need to point south that's where the satelites are located) Local broadcasters use a relay antenna on mt Seymour to rebroadcast to their stations. I also imagine the Media Centre will have the approariate equipment to rebroadcast with satellite trucks all over the place.

Anyways this project has been on the city's website for some time now, can't remember if it's been posted here or not, I have some more details on it.

1096 West Broadway, 42,000sqft, 11 Stories with 3 levels u/g parking, CRU on main level. 49 condo units, Start Jun/08.

Just an infill project.

[officedweller]

I was wondering about that, but I figure it may end up as some form of overheight parking.

[cjohnny4]

I noticed the other day that the sign on top of the BMO Tower (Bentall 3) has been replaced with a new, more updated BMO logo. For what it's worth...

[officedweller]

Yeah, all the original logos looked better. The old Canada Trust logo was custom inset into the precast panels, as was the old Bank of Montreal "M". The new logos on each of Bentall III and IV look like bad retrofits. The TD logo has steel panels filling the gaps and the BMO one is proportioned too small, but there's no more space.

[Delirium]

looks like the pan pacific lost its AAA five-diamond status. now we only have 1. the sutton place. but..

"Four resorts in Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean ascended to five-diamond status: Four Seasons Resort Whistler in British Columbia; The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman; JW Marriott Resort & Spa, Cancun; and the 1½-year-old Fairmont Mayakoba near Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Two lodgings lost five-diamond status: The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas in Nevada and the Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel in British Columbia. The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, was reinstated to five-diamond status after completing renovations in the wake of Hurricane Wilma."

complete article and list of the 2008 five-diamond lodgings
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2007-11-08-aaa-hotels_N.htm

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

I think its the one location moving. I would be absolutely shocked if there were two ferrari dealerships in Vancouver... let alone two in Vancouver proper

Ferrari used to be on Burrard years ago - and than the building it was in I believe was demolished but nothing went up

it moved to where a KIA dealership used to be (where it is now) seemed like a temporary move

[officedweller]

Doesn't sound that bad - apart from the cost - it will be "considerably higher" that the original $11-13M estimate.

Burrard Street Bridge up for upgrade
Wider sidewalks on the menu

Cheryl Rossi, Vancouver Courier
Published: Friday, November 09, 2007

Vancouverites will have another chance next week to have their say about future changes to the Burrard Bridge.

Potential designs for wider sidewalks for cyclists and pedestrians on Burrard Bridge are near completion. The public is invited to express its views on the proposed designs at open houses Nov. 15 and 17.

The plan is to roughly double the size of the sidewalks on either side of the bridge. The sidewalks are 2.6 metres wide. If plans roll forward, cyclists and pedestrians will have 2.5 metres of space each on either side of the bridge with a line separating the pedestrian and cyclist lanes.

The city's bicycle advisory committee members recently expressed concern about the lack of hard separation between pedestrians and cyclists, but Dane Doleman, structures engineer with the city, said a barrier could easily be built in the future. City engineering staff don't believe a barrier is immediately required.

The Delcan Corporation, an engineering consultancy firm which specializes in transportation and water projects, was hired by the city in December to design two different options, one in which the sidewalks would be widened along the full length of the bridge, and another in which they narrow at the bridge's iconic main towers. Cyclists and pedestrians would have to pass through the tower porticos as they do now.

The city's bicycle advisory committee prefers the full widening option. The outer railings on the bridge will have to be replaced, and the city's Vancouver Heritage Commission advisory committee has been consulted. A steel design that mimics the silhouette, rhythm and pattern of the old concrete railing is proposed.

"The challenge on this project is we are widening the sidewalk, we're doubling the width of the sidewalks, and not wanting to increase the weight of the bridge," Doleman said. "So the sidewalks are concrete, the railing is concrete, that's a lot of weight there and we are extending the sidewalk cantilever significantly, so we needed to use a lightweight structural solution."

Lighting on the bridge will also be made over with new lighting installed between the roadway and the sidewalk. The old railings have decorative lights that haven't been restored over the years. The new rail design will allow for contemporary decorative lighting. "That will be costed out and we can make decisions later," Doleman said.

Conduits will also be added so lights that highlight the architectural features of the art deco bridge could be added in the future.

Doleman couldn't say whether a report would go to council for approval before Christmas or early in the new year. Five years ago, the cost of widening the sidewalk was estimated at between $11 million and $13 million. Doleman said the new estimates are expected to be "considerably higher."

Cycling advocates complained in June that 14 years have passed since Vancouver voters supported a plebiscite to spend money on pedestrian and cyclist improvements for Burrard Bridge. Five years have passed since consultation with 34 community groups resulted in a study with dozens of options to improve pedestrian and bicycle crossings at False Creek. If council endorses a plan, construction would not begin immediately because contracts would have to be approved, Doleman said.

He expects work on the bridge to take 15 to 18 months. Crews would widen one side at a time, and Doleman expects six lanes of motorized vehicle traffic would be reduced to four, with one-and-a-half lanes given to construction and half a lane allocated to cyclists travelling in one direction. Cyclists would continue to travel in the other direction with pedestrians crossing in both directions on the other sidewalk.

The Nov. 15 open house is at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre at 1100 Chestnut St. from 4 to 7 p.m. The Nov. 17 open house happens at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre at 181 Roundhouse Mews from 1 to 4 p.m.

© Vancouver Courier 2007

[SpongeG]

are those billboards still going to go up?

[Delirium]

i picked up JJ Barnicke's latest quaterly report yesterday (Fall 2007) at a conference and in their "Looking Ahead" section, they mention this:

"Amacon is in the prelimiary stages of a rezoning application for a triple-A office building located at 1133 Melville Street. It has been suggested the tower could be upwards of 40 storeys and provide 600,000ft of office space."

i imagine the strike put a delay in any rezoning plans but glad to see it's still out there.

it also says that Bentall is moving ahead with their new 22-storey office tower at Thurlow and Alberni. That building will provide over 400,000sq/ft of new supply downtown.

good riddance to that nasty looking parkade!

[Hed Kandi]

Originally Posted by Delirium

i picked up JJ Barnicke's latest quaterly report yesterday (Fall 2007) at a conference and in their "Looking Ahead" section, they mention this:

"Amacon is in the prelimiary stages of a rezoning application for a triple-A office building located at 1133 Melville Street. It has been suggested the tower could be upwards of 40 storeys and provide 600,000ft of office space."

i imagine the strike put a delay in any rezoning plans but glad to see it's still out there.

it also says that Bentall is moving ahead with their new 22-storey office tower at Thurlow and Alberni. That building will provide over 400,000sq/ft of new supply downtown.

good riddance to that nasty looking parkade!

Thanks for the updates.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by Delirium

looks like the pan pacific lost its AAA five-diamond status. now we only have 1. the sutton place. but..

"Four resorts in Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean ascended to five-diamond status: Four Seasons Resort Whistler in British Columbia; The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman; JW Marriott Resort & Spa, Cancun; and the 1½-year-old Fairmont Mayakoba near Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Two lodgings lost five-diamond status: The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas in Nevada and the Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel in British Columbia. The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, was reinstated to five-diamond status after completing renovations in the wake of Hurricane Wilma."

complete article and list of the 2008 five-diamond lodgings
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2007-11-08-aaa-hotels_N.htm

I bet it will be back up there soon... its about to start some decent renovations.

[hollywoodnorth]

tanley Park seawall to reopen next week
Last Updated: Thursday, November 8, 2007 | 3:54 PM ET
CBC News
Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: S M L XL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACK

Repair work along the Stanley Park seawall, badly damaged in a December 2006 storm, continues Wednesday.Repair work along the Stanley Park seawall, badly damaged in a December 2006 storm, continues Wednesday.
(Gloria Leung/CBC)

The Vancouver Park Board plans to reopen the Stanley Park seawall on Nov. 16.

It has been 11 months since a major windstorm devastated the park, knocking down more than 10,000 trees and closing the popular seaside walk.

Major cliff scaling and clearing of fallen trees and debris has been completed on the escarpment above the seawall, the park board said in a news release Wednesday, and it is expected that asphalt patching and temporary curbing will be finished by the end of next week.

Heavy equipment, not Rollerbladers and joggers, was the main traffic on some sections of the seawall in Vancouver's Stanley Park Wednesday.Heavy equipment, not Rollerbladers and joggers, was the main traffic on some sections of the seawall in Vancouver's Stanley Park Wednesday.
(Gloria Leung/CBC)

The opening is temporary, the park board said, warning users to be cautious and watch for broken asphalt and rough surfaces.

Further improvements will be made in the spring and early summer when the lower daytime tides allow better access to the seawall.

The seawall was closed when a storm with winds reaching up to 158 km/h swept through Vancouver in December 2006, toppling trees onto houses and power lines, closing roads and cutting off power to 250,000 BC Hydro customers.

Estimates of repair costs for Stanley Park have been around $9 million.

[LeftCoaster]

Hey guys, just wondering... I was dicking around at work today avoiding doing anything productive and I noticed that Fairchild has two upcoming developments that I cant seem to find any information about. One was called Fairchild Square and is an office tower (presumably small) which is the new HQ of the Fairchild group, and the other more interesting development was called English bay village which is a mall but thats all the info I could find. Anyone have any idea as to the scope of these two projects? Jlousa im looking in your direction....

[jlousa]

Haven't heard anything regarding a Fairchild development I'll keep my ears open.

Extra food on Denman just signed a sizeable renovation contract, that store could use some renos.

[jlousa]

Couple of items came up in pre-bid today,

1342 SW Marine Dr $20Million
Currently a single industrial lot is being rezoned to C2 (commercial) from industrial to facilitate an upcoming development application for a commercial development on several parcels off SW Marine Dr. Very preliminary planning. Further update in Spring 2008.
Project: proposed mixed-use condo/commercial development; scope & number of bldgs is undefined

Yale Hotel Revitalization, 1300 Granville St, $20Million Start: 2008
Presently in rezoning and design is underway. Working drawings and construction schedules are undefined. Further update in Mar/Apr 2008.
Project: construction of a condo tower with a commercial podium; heritage revitalization of the existing Yale Hotel (mid 1880's was a CPR bunkhouse); three levels u/g prkg.
Scope: 150,000 square feet; 22 storeys; 3 storeys below grade

745 Thurlow St & Alberni, $62Million
Start: July, 2008
In design and going through the rezoning/development approvals process. This has been delayed due to the City strike. Working drawings and construction schedules are undefined. Further update in early Spring 2008.
Scope: 400,000 square feet; 23 storeys; 3 storeys below grade

[deasine]

Fairchild Group has the Fairchild Square and English Bay Village on their website, but it doesn't link to anywhere.

[Hed Kandi]

Originally Posted by jlousa

Couple of items came up in pre-bid today,



Yale Hotel Revitalization, 1300 Granville St, $20Million Start: 2008
Presently in rezoning and design is underway. Working drawings and construction schedules are undefined. Further update in Mar/Apr 2008.
Project: construction of a condo tower with a commercial podium; heritage revitalization of the existing Yale Hotel (mid 1880's was a CPR bunkhouse); three levels u/g prkg.
Scope: 150,000 square feet; 22 storeys; 3 storeys below grade

745 Thurlow St & Alberni, $62Million
Start: July, 2008
In design and going through the rezoning/development approvals process. This has been delayed due to the City strike. Working drawings and construction schedules are undefined. Further update in early Spring 2008.
Scope: 400,000 square feet; 23 storeys; 3 storeys below grade

When you say "Start" are you talking about construction status?

[jlousa]

Start means start of construction, no longer in planning stage/design but the acutal physical start of the project, different developers use the term differently, it could be either start of demo, or once demo is complete and excavating work begins, others will even use it as after exavacating is over and foundation begins. Either way once a projects Starts it almost always goes ahead.