Downtown Vancouver Updates

[Metro-One]

And Vancouver can easily be both, while 95% or more of Vancouver should remain and improve upon garden features and its established life style, 5% should cater to the entire region. Again people here seem to forget that Vancouver is the center of the metro area, and if you want to live in the center then you should expect some negatives such as noise and light. This is what i find so funny every time. I seem to keep repeating myself but the idea is only two select streets become entertainment hubs, not the entire downtown area. And the two streets (Robson and Granville) have long been established as the two entertainment hubs, and with a city and metro area growing in population does it not make sense that the two main commercial streets also grow in intensity? If a huge commercial development is built out in the suburbs where there are few residents nearby everyone here complains that it is sprawl and bad transit decisions etc... yet they are against these developments taking place downtown where transit is at its best!

[AlexYVR]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

And Vancouver can easily be both, while 95% or more of Vancouver should remain and improve upon garden features and its established life style, 5% should cater to the entire region. Again people here seem to forget that Vancouver is the center of the metro area, and if you want to live in the center then you should expect some negatives such as noise and light. This is what i find so funny every time. I seem to keep repeating myself but the idea is only two select streets become entertainment hubs, not the entire downtown area. And the two streets (Robson and Granville) have long been established as the two entertainment hubs, and with a city and metro area growing in population does it not make sense that the two main commercial streets also grow in intensity? If a huge commercial development is built out in the suburbs where there are few residents nearby everyone here complains that it is sprawl and bad transit decisions etc... yet they are against these developments taking place downtown where transit is at its best!

And I think Vancouver can easily be both, while I think 95% or more of Vancouver should remain and improve upon garden features and its established life style, 5% should cater to the entire region. Again people here seem to forget that Vancouver is the center of the metro area, and my opinion is that if you want to live in the center then you should expect some negatives such as noise and light. This is what i find so funny every time. I seem to keep repeating myself but my idea is only two select streets become entertainment hubs, not the entire downtown area.

[TwoFace]

Originally Posted by Login650

There's also that mr.x2. Though it would have been pretty neat to tie the seaplanes into the transit hub.

Your right, it had a lot of legs there for a while, but the Harbourmaster shot it down for reasons based on their proximity to Cruiseships and possible fire/safety issues that may arise, plus a bunch of other stuff. All valid issues.
______________

mr.x2 should run for office on a pledge of reverting False Creek back to a working Industrial waterfront.
(they were there 1st platform)

[flight_from_kamakura]

personally, i've lived in very very noisy places in various cities larger than vancouver, damned annoying, but i'm not one to complain because if if the positives didn't outweight the negatives, i'd have lived elsewhere (there's generally a premium on these places). that said, i agree with jlo that it's weird and even somewhat violent to get all pissed at people who speak up about their vancouver neighborhoods, especially if you're from maple ridge and you live in burnaby. disagree with them, but really, the city is actually run specifically to balance the views of these folks against the broader development plan for this or that area. community consultation is really one of the fundamental aspects here, and though we all complain about this or that, most people tend to think vanada's turning out pretty well.

[SpongeG]

whay not make over downtown surrey into the times square for the area?

[SpongeG]

dr phil complained about the seaplane noise when he was doing something at Canada Place

apparently they get very loud under that tent thing

[Metro-One]

I personally am intrigued by the renaissance of the 'great white way'/the creation of Times Square Vancouver. I am equally intrigued by the idea that our city could become the first top-tier Garden City; perhaps, rather than acquiesce to others' notions of 'world-class city' we redefine the entire idea. . .?

I personally am intrigued by the renaissance of the 'great white way'/the creation of Times Square Vancouver. I am equally intrigued by the idea that our city could become the first top-tier Garden City; perhaps, rather than acquiesce to others' notions of 'world-class city' we redefine the entire idea. . .?

Most of the posts on here are opinions

Fair enough if people who are not downtown can not have a say in downtown developments, then people downtown should not complain about sprawl developments or highway developments elsewhere. Also someone downtown has no valid argument against those in kelowna who are against towers. The mentality should go both ways then. I remember some of the downtown residents just recently harping about developments in Surrey. None of their business though, so why can they harp their ideas of development in that issue but the reverse is taboo?

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by TwoFace

mr.x2 should run for office on a pledge of reverting False Creek back to a working Industrial waterfront.
(they were there 1st platform)

Apples and oranges.

[AlexYVR]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

I personally am intrigued by the renaissance of the 'great white way'/the creation of Times Square Vancouver. I am equally intrigued by the idea that our city could become the first top-tier Garden City; perhaps, rather than acquiesce to others' notions of 'world-class city' we redefine the entire idea. . .?

Most of the posts on here are opinions

Fair enough if people who are not downtown can not have a say in downtown developments, then people downtown should not complain about sprawl developments or highway developments elsewhere. Also someone downtown has no valid argument against those in kelowna who are against towers. The mentality should go both ways then. I remember some of the downtown residents just recently harping about developments in Surrey. None of their business though, so why can they harp their ideas of development in that issue but the reverse is taboo?

Like I said, my point (maybe unfairly made highlighting your posts) is not that most posts are opinions. No arguments there. It's just that while some people's are more of the nature of 'this is intriguing because. . .' some people's are 'i give the middle finger to you because you are wrong'.

Rather than, 'I give the middle finger to you because in my opinion you are wrong.'

Back to the point, how do we all feel about St. Paul's this year?? Is it me, or is the financial crisis hitting the christmas lights?

[natelox]

Two things:

First, for all those who love flashing lights, Canada Place has recently installed new lights (I have not seen any mention of this on the boards). I take the Seabus once a week, and for the past two weeks, they have had a very lively light show projected onto the sails. It changes colour, speed, texture and pattern. It's very attractive. Interesting, however, that one of the lights projects onto the hotel room windows. I wonder how the hotel feels about that. Apparently is has something to do with Christmas: http://www.canadaplace.ca/christmas/Attractions/

Second, I don't understand why Shangri-La's 'dots' would respond any differently to the exquinox. First, the dots are on the east and north elevations which aren't optimal for sunlight-induced effects. The dots align with the Vancouver street grid which has no relevance to the cosmos.

[raggedy13]

Interesting news about the Canada Place lighting. I was walking around Canada Place last week to take some pictures and I noticed people doing some work on the lighting but I figured it was just some sort of maintenance. If anybody can manage a picture of the new lighting it would be greatly appreciated.

That's too bad about the panels on the Shangri-La. I was really hoping such a prominent building would have some sort of night lighting effects. At least I have the Hotel Georgia to look forward to.

[jlousa]

The equinox thing was a joke. I'm sorry I really didn't think anyone would believe it though.

[SpongeG]

i thought Canada place did that every christmas?

i've seen fancy lighting stuff go on in previous years at christmas

[cornholio]

I think most peoples arguments against a entertainment district were that people live downtown to be close to all the amenities. Unfortunately they forget that a entertainment district infact is amenity and deserves a place downtown just like parks, schools, stores, restaurants, courthouses and offices, etc. I dont think anyone wants downtown to be one large entertainment district they just want a actual entertainment street where people can go for a evening and have a good time drinking, dancing, partying, eating, etc. Personally I think 95% of the people who move close to areas like Granville, or the Harbour etc and complain about noise and light that was already there to begin with are pretty pathetic, though there defenitly are some complaints that are valid and can be addressed without a problem, but their the minority.
Having said that I think the city is also at fault for these problems ocuring, the city should of had developers officially warn buyers about these issues and have them sign waivers so they cant have unreasonable complaints(buying a unit above a bar for example and then complaining about the noise is unreasonable, eidt...or buying a unit above robson and then getting a bar bellow you and complaining about it is also unreasonable).

What the city should also do is get some data regarding noise, light - planed or existing in areas where new residential developments are built. This way they determine what is a reasonable complaint and what isnt from the future residents of the neighborhood(obviously part of the waiver they sign would involve seeing this data).

[raggedy13]

Originally Posted by jlousa

The equinox thing was a joke. I'm sorry I really didn't think anyone would believe it though.

So does that mean the panels can light up?

[punkster1982]

Wasn't the point of the entertainment district to help solve noise issues by moving random scattered bars away from new condo developments in Yaletown and concentrating them in one location?

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Do you mean just suppliers or glazing companies in general? Some Companies, such as AGS or Phoenix glazing will both supply and install the glazing systems, but companies like Garabaldi are just suppliers and do not do any of the install themselves.

Originally Posted by jlousa

There are quite a few, another of the big player in glass is IGA, Inland Glass and Aluminum.

I was thinking of suppliers and not installers.
also i was specifically thinking of suppliers based or with distribution facilities in the lower mainland...does inland glass for example have a actual facility in the region or do they just ship their stuff out of kamloops directly to the clients?
thanks though.

[fever]

The reflectors on shangri-la are just dichroic mirrors, right?



I don't think there's as much conflict between the two positions (loud/bright/busy vs nice/quiet/sleepy) as it seems, at least not necessarily. Both types can exist, even a couple block from eachother. The office buildings ringing Robson square and the courthouse, on Nelson, Howe, Hornby, and Georgia, shield the surrounding residential areas from any potential noise and light within this three block area. It is sort of a happy accident that these buildings are squat and form a consistent street wall, a product of planning that predates the the podium tower and its shadow restrictions. Light (and sound) penetrates through podium towers both from the sun and from below. This is one place where more activity can and should be concentrated.

Similarly, Granville street north from Smithe is wide and lined continuously with tall buildings. It plays a similar role, but very poorly, while having a minimal effect on surrounding residential. Without getting the measuring tape out, Granville feels wider than squares I've been to in other cities.


[off-topic]
Most of the west side, west of Oak and south of 16th, is a Garden city that was built to be Vancouver's executive suburb. I see no good reason to change this. It will remain an auto-dependent suburb regardless of how much density is added, so while coach houses will be or are permitted there, ostensibly for environmental reasons, the additional (eco-)density there will only serve to increase auto-dependence. I'd prefer policies there that enhance its bucolic character to eco-density.

The east side on the other hand, in particular areas with good access to skytrain, presents an opportunity to change an existing suburban development pattern to an urban pattern that is centred around skytrain stations, kingsway, and main.
[/off-topic]

Anyway, the point is that decisions relating to land-use planning and activity centres don't have to be a presented as a dichotomy. There are places for both, and outside downtown Vancouver there are many areas that could use just a little life.

[ckkelley]

Edit.

Nevermind. Wouldn't have helped.

[Metro-One]

That's been my point from the beginning, most of downtown can and should remain as is, a garden city, it is just the immediate areas surrounding the Granville / Robson streets where entertainment venues and commercial aspects should be intensified and given priority, especially where the two streets intersect (metro Vancouver's population is growing rapidly). That's it, everywhere else stays quiet at night and sleepy. No one here can tell me that they did not know Robson and Granville are the heart of Metro-Vancouver's entertainment district. So when new pubs and facilities are proposed on those streets it should come as no surprise, the precedence has been there for decades. And it makes sense because this is also the heart of the metro-areas transit services, so it is also environmentally the right region as well. Clubs are now opening up in suburban areas with poor transit (along with many other entertainment facilities, which should be opening downtown instead) which actually make the streets more dangerous with increased drinking and driving (instead of someone taking the night bus from downtown or the skytrains). So for those who are against more commercial and entertainment developments on Robson and Granville streets, then don't get angry when you see sprawl entertainment/commercial developments in rural areas. Of course all developments are not linked to this cause and affect, but i do believe it is part of the cause.

I also agree though that the city should put in policies that demands realtors to explain that units built along Granville and Robson street will be subject to noise and increased commercialism as the region grows.