Downtown Vancouver Updates

[Hed Kandi]

Anyone know when construction will start on the GM Place Office Tower?

[jlousa]

Not for a while, it still needs to get past the Development permit board.

[officedweller]

The Vancouver Sun says a decision on the Aquilini's purchase of GM Place and the Canucks will come soon. That may also play a role if the transfer of ownership of GM Place is reversed.

[officedweller]

Pic of "Pure" (Hornby St) by Kappa 21 at SSC:



GBL Renderings:

[jlousa]

Some update on the St. Pauls hospital front. Looks like they will be going with the dual hospital route. Some new rendering below.

http://www.providencehealthcare.org/St-Pauls-document.pdf

There is also a video that shows off the renderings plus it has some more info in it. Unable to direct link to it but it's on the following page.

http://www.providencehealthcare.org/legacy_plan.html

Looks good, I imagine they won't start till after 2010 though. It's a big enough project that along with Gateway and possibly Evergreen the construction economy will be in full-swing for years to come.

[excel]

Thanks a lot for the link!

[Jacques]

very interesting video montage , like the design they came up with, it would truly add to the area in terms of embellishing the DTES
thanks for the link

[vanman]

Between the new hospital and Woodwards as well as all the infill projects and loft conversions, the DTES could be unrecognizable in 5-10 years.

[jlousa]

That's what myself and alot of other people are betting on.

[leftside]

I really hope so, but I don't share the confidence of jlousa or vanman. The social services are so dense in that area and I've yet to see any shelter/meth clinic/Salvation Army moved to another area of the city. Just along Cordova between Columbia and Main there are three Salvation Army shelters and a detox centre.

There are improvements and there will be more. But "unrecognizable"? I don't think so. Having said that... I did read the City report on the new social housing and there appeared to be some hope that some of the existing SRO's in the DTES would be sold to developers as the new social housing in other areas of the city came online...

[Powell]

Does anyone know what is happening at Pacific Towers (1212 Howe)? They have gutted the entire building and are now in the process of replacing all the outside walls and windows. Rental apartments being converted into condos maybe?

[officedweller]

I heard it was leaky.

******

I agree that Gastown/DTES will not turn into a Yaletown or the West End - it'll still be FAR edgier / dicier than those areas because of the social services and low income residents who are and will continue to be part of the neighbourhood. But people buying in know that - or they should.

[jlousa]

^^That's correct^^, I posted about it roughly 6months ago. There was another one posted the same week as that one, i beleive the 2nd one was on Barclay st.

[vanman]

Originally Posted by jlousa

That's what myself and alot of other people are betting on.

Just think of the vast influx of normal people. It will be a crackhead's living nightmare.

[LeftCoaster]

Haha, I dont think they even notice.

[SFUVancouver]

^ They will once the whole vibe of the neighbourhood begins to change, not to mention the disappearance of favourite doorways or alley nooks used for shooting up and such. It is going to be an interesting time over the next while. I think we may see a whole new round of displacement for the open air drug scene and that scares me. The DTES is increasingly being ringed by neighbours who aren't going to put up with any crap.

When Jamie Graham's abortive police crackdown started up in earnest I noticed a hell of a lot more junkies in my Commercial Drive neighbourhood. For several months I was calling the police all the time about drug deals and junkies shooting up in my alley. They were always very good about responding and they shook down more than a few crack heads, or at the very least displaced them. My hunch is that I established in the minds of the addicts and criminals that my alley as not a safe space for them to do their business. For the better part of a year now things have been quiet and life has returned to normal. However I don't for a second think that the junkies changed their ways, only their location.

The whole point of this is that a whole lot of people and businesses are investing in the western edge of the DTES and `damned if they will tolerate a continuation of the same behaviour in their midst. I feel bad for what the VPD will have to do in the coming years because if things don't miraculously improve in the vicinity of Woodwards while not getting any worse in Gastown, Chinatown, or Strathcona, then the political pressure that will come down on the police from on high will be terrifying.

[jlousa]

People are like electricity and they flow via the path of least resistance. The reason they are holed up in the DTES is, for as long as most of us can remember, they've been left alone there. Once that changes they will move. Like SFU Vancouver mentioned, they won't change what they are doing as easily as they can just change where they are doing it. Maybe a silver lining is in that by being dispursed it could give those that really do want to change a chance. Can you imagine how hard it must be to stay clean when you are surronded by sellers and users.

[jlousa]

Going to council on the 17th. We already knew most of the info below.

Proposal:
• Construct a 236 ft (23 storey) residential tower with a commercial podium (containing restaurant and pub uses) facing onto Granville Street and a residential lobby facing onto Rolston Crescent;
• restore and designate the Heritage “B” listed Yale Hotel building, containing a 260 seat pub on the ground floor and 44 Single Room Accommodation (SRA) units on the upper two floors;
• upgrade the Yale Hotel SRA units and transfer ownership to the City; and,
• demolish the Cecil Hotel building (not listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register), containing 237 liquor seats and 82 SRA units (50 qualify as designated SRA units).
• Total floor area of 175,150 sq. ft. is proposed on this 21,230 sq. ft site: 28,236 sq. ft. (FSR 1.33) in commercial use and 146,912 sq. ft. (FSR 6.92) in residential use, for a total FSR of 8.25. The maximum density in this zone is 5.0 FSR of which 3.0 FSR can be used for residential.
• LEED gold equivalent will be pursued.

Applicable Plans, Policies and Guidelines:
• Downtown District Official Development Plan
• Downtown (except Downtown South) Design Guidelines
• View Protection Guidelines
• Downtown Transportation Plan (Redesign of Granville Bridge Loops)
• Bridgehead Guidelines
• Heritage Policies and Guidelines
• Single Room Accommodation By-law
• Granville Street Liquor License Policies
• Financing Growth (Community Amenity Contribution) Policy

Issues and Questions:
• Density
• Form of development and urban design
• Loss of SRA units in the Cecil Hotel (to be addressed in upcoming SRA demolition report to Council)

Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) Implications:
• In Downtown rezonings, CACs to mitigate rezoning impacts are “non-standard” and determined through a negotiated approach (rather than flat rate).
• It is anticipated that the proposed heritage restoration of the Yale Hotel building and transfer of the upgraded Yale Hotel SRA units to the City, would constitute the
full public benefit achievable on this site. Should further CACs be available, the applicant is open to City recommendations for the balance.
Method of Public Notification:
• The pre-application process included an information meeting for SRA residents and a community open house. Additional meetings will be held if appropriate.
• A notification letter, dated November 22, 2007, was mailed to 1129 neighbouring property owners, and two on-site information signs were installed on November 27, 2007.

[djh]

^What's the address of this proposal?

[Jacques]

Originally Posted by jlousa

People are like electricity and they flow via the path of least resistance. The reason they are holed up in the DTES is, for as long as most of us can remember, they've been left alone there. Once that changes they will move. Like SFU Vancouver mentioned, they won't change what they are doing as easily as they can just change where they are doing it. Maybe a silver lining is in that by being dispursed it could give those that really do want to change a chance. Can you imagine how hard it must be to stay clean when you are surronded by sellers and users.

I remember a time during the late 80 and early 90 that the drug scene and the booze can and after hours were located in the Granville area, having lived my follies during those years, there were the prostitutes at Seymour, Richard, Helmcken and down Davie, booze can all over the place and After hours Bar galore, and you had dealer standing in your face on Granville at all hours of the day, naturally I didn't know about the DTES back then, Today its all gone, Cleaned, hotels where sold and renovated. They did a good job then and will do the same with The DTES, it is a matter of time, already in Gastown shows its new face, however my concern is still the Dilapidated block between Carrall and Abbott north Cordova, that is truly apauling and the other section of Carrall and Columbia on Hasting north, that " yes we Can " bottle depot stink and reeks of urine.
Like you mentioned
they won't change what they are doing as easily as they can just change where they are doing it.
that is a blessing in disguise.
The VPD will ensure that its done right, they did it before they will do it again