General Vancouver Updates - Page 71

Delirium · #**1401** Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 9:22 PM**

HSBC signs new office deal in Vancouver

HSBC Bank Canada's national headquarters will remain in downtown Vancouver, but the financial institution has put its banner on a new office development at the city's periphery for about 1,000 employees who carry out administrative functions.

HSBC said Thursday it reached an agreement to lease 170,000 square feet of new office space in Bentall LP's Broadway Tech Centre development at Renfrew and Broadway in Vancouver, a development owned by British Columbia Investment Management, the province's public-sector pension fund manager.

HSBC CEO Lindsay Gordon said the new centre will consolidate the operations of several bank locations across Vancouver and Burnaby and centralize much of the administrative and support work for its Canadian operations in one location.

Lindsay called signing the lease "a significant step in supporting our strategy of continuing to grow our business across the country."

The new centre, with an environmentally friendly LEED Gold design, is scheduled for completion and occupancy in 2012.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/HSBC+signs+office+deal+Vancouver/2136183/story.html

mr.x · #**1402** Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 9:24 PM**

God forbid Telus and HSBC from ever leaving Vancouver.

Too bad they didn't locate the new office in Downtown. 1,000 office workers would have really added to the vibrancy of the CBD.

Metro-One · #**1403** Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 9:55 PM**

Why not locate in the new Metro-Tower 3? It would be nice to add another logo on top of a 20+ story tower. Also, to bad they are not going to be downtown.

EdinVan · #**1404** Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 10:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Anybody relying on taxpayer resources (homeless, mentally ill, etc) should be located wherever the taxpayers decide they want to pay for it. We live in a democracy.

If I were to require an expensive medical operation, and the health system told me I needed to go to Kelowna to get it (for free of course), I would.

And the government, representing the taxpayers, has decided that these people will live in the locations it has chosen because it feels they are appropriate.

EdinVan · #**1405** Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 10:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by osirisboy

people who can afford it who else?

Yes, including drug dealers, rich exchange students, the privileged, and people who make their living off the backs of the poor. They are more deserving than the stupid, lazy homeless people and the mentally ill. After all, society had no role to play whatsover in the circumstances that got them where they are today. We owe them little and they should be relegated to the suburbs like all the other people who couldn't make it in life.

officedweller · #**1406** Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 10:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Why not locate in the new Metro-Tower 3? It would be nice to add another logo on top of a 20+ story tower. Also, to bad they are not going to be downtown.

The space is for employees doing "administrative functions" - no need to pony up for higher rents.

I think Bell has some office at Broadway Tech Park too.

Metro-One · #**1407** Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 10:59 PM**

I can not picture Broadway Tech Park, is it that area just west of the Vancouver film studios?

Hed Kandi · #**1408** Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 11:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Why not locate in the new Metro-Tower 3?

Brilliant idea, lets just move all our offices to the suburbs.

ckkelley · #**1409** Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 11:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by osirisboy

people who can afford it who else?

Yup.

Downtown has more than pulled it's weight on social housing.

Metro-One · #**1410** Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 11:52 PM**

Quote:

Brilliant idea, lets just move all our offices to the suburbs.

Well Metrotown is actually constructing a new office tower, unlike downtown, and this location IMO would be far better then the low rise Broadway Tech business park.

Hate to burst your bubble, but this Broadway Tech park is essentially in the suburbs.

SpongeG · #**1411** Posted **Oct 24, 2009, 12:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Well Metrotown is actually constructing a new office tower, unlike downtown, and this location IMO would be far better then the low rise Broadway Tech business park.

Hate to burst your bubble, but this Broadway Tech park is essentially in the suburbs.

that tower might be on hold - due to lack of leases

the place where it is is near renfrew station - where the old Eatons warehouse was - just north of the mcdonalds...

gillty · #**1412** Posted **Oct 24, 2009, 1:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro-One

I can not picture Broadway Tech Park, is it that area just west of the Vancouver film studios?

negative.
-buildings 4 & 6 are currently the old eatons warehouses still in use i believe by a chinese food distributor and a office furniture company.
-buildings 5 & 7 are being completed
-the existing call centre is a bell office

source: pdf from broadwaytechcentre.com

a pretty detailed construction update as of oct 14th http://broadwaytechcentre.com/construction_update.html

Metro-One · #**1413** Posted **Oct 24, 2009, 1:58 AM**

Thanks! It is a shame such an office project is being built as multiple low rise buildings instead of as one office tower in the downtown core...

officedweller · #**1414** Posted **Oct 24, 2009, 2:19 AM**

On the flip side - at least Vancouver didn't allow the conversion of these industrial properties to residential.
The areas around Renfrew and Rupert Stations are some of the only "up-zoning" that the CoV did in response to SkyTrain (together with Joyce and Main St.)

SFUVancouver · #**1415** Posted **Oct 24, 2009, 8:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by officedweller

On the flip side - at least Vancouver didn't allow the conversion of these industrial properties to residential.
The areas around Renfrew and Rupert Stations are some of the only "up-zoning" that the CoV did in response to SkyTrain (together with Joyce and Main St.)

Plus a fair amount of SkyTrain-supported development in the downtown core:

Stadium: BC Place, GM Place, Spectrum, International Village, plus the 6.8million sqft envisioned in the NEFC high level review.

Granville: BCIT Downtown campus and The Hudson are immediately adjacent. Arguably the continued expansion of Pacific Centre has been strongly influenced by SkyTrain too.

Burrard: The CBD has definately benefitted and there has been limited office growth, namely Bentall 5, a couple government office buildings, plus Triangle West and Coal Harbour nearby.

Waterfront Station: PriceWaterhouseCoopers/EA, Waterfront Centre, and Shaw Tower are all office developments that certainly benefit.

Anyway, just a few thoughts. Good news on Broadway Tech Centre leasing.

LeftCoaster · #**1416** Posted **Oct 24, 2009, 7:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Thanks! It is a shame such an office project is being built as multiple low rise buildings instead of as one office tower in the downtown core...

Its actually a great development. The types of business functions locating in these offices typically don't lease out downtown office space (especially at the rates charged in Vancouver) so rather than thinking of this 1 million square foot office development as removing a tower from downtown think of it as removing 7 office parks from Langley.

Metro-One · #**1417** Posted **Oct 24, 2009, 8:23 PM**

I guess that is true as well. And it makes our city look larger, haha.

junius · #**1418** Posted **Oct 25, 2009, 2:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by flight_from_kamakura

granville island's market is brilliant. there's no way whatever that it can be considered a failure. a market at main and terminal would be great too, esp considering everything set to go up in the vicinity. you have to wonder though whether the chinatown people won't complain and try to jam up the works like they did with the woodwards market (won a partial victory there too, getting the city to move from a fresh produce/various markets idea to a nestor's).

I don't know the statistics but I would think the Granville Island Market has picked up over the past few years. I believe it has been the beneficiary of the rapid increase in population on the North side of False Creek stretching from Burrard to Yaletown. The passengers leaving Granville Island with bags filled at the market seems to be a pretty significant number. As this area will continue to grow - particularily when the Granville loops are removed - I would think GI has a healthy future even from this side. Add in the developments just west of the Island and it remains healty.

Alternatively I would see a Market at Main and Terminal serving the new olympic village area, a growing Main Street and the North Side of False Creek east of the stadiums.

junius · #**1419** Posted **Oct 25, 2009, 2:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Thanks! It is a shame such an office project is being built as multiple low rise buildings instead of as one office tower in the downtown core...

Why? Many of these businesses are call centers. Do you think they would locate downtown or alternatively head to the burbs?

LotusLand · #**1420** Posted **Oct 25, 2009, 8:06 PM**

The Broadway tech centre are an awesome development. It gives company's the option to remain in Vancouver for it's secondary and tertiary employees. It also lured Nintendo of Canada away from Richmond as it now has it's office I believe on Virtual Way? Which is awesome news for Vancouver.