Downtown Vancouver Updates

[CBeats]

Thanks for that interesting article officedweller. I agree with it entirely! It just makes me frustrated that so little has been done in developing transit centres.

[SpongeG]

http://twitpic.com/vr33s

thats a rendering of the lights in case you haven't seen em...

[cornholio]

The increased height at the foot of Georgia street sounds like the city is throwing Pavco a bone. Plus isnt there a federal tower planed for the Beaty/Georgia corner? That would be the most likely one to go ahead first I would think, and probably have the most potential for some eye catching architecture. At 152m it would stand out. The bay parkade site can also be developed in the not to distant future, though I would think the city would want a office tower, something that at 213m might not be feasible for anyone to do unless its phased.

[SpongeG]

will the tower be tied into the seymour skytrain station?

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

will the tower be tied into the seymour skytrain station?

it would be a no brainer to do that. that parkade spans the alley and is a very large site. the landowner also has the building to the south of the parade on Seymour so we will get some Georgia interaction.

speaking of skytrain station connection I think the Government project aka Larwell Park Site will be connected to Stadium Station so that would be great.

[SpongeG]

cool - they closed that tunnel down which probably be easy to reopen - why did they ever close it?

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

it would be a no brainer to do that. that parkade spans the alley and is a very large site. the landowner also has the building to the south of the parade on Seymour so we will get some Georgia interaction.

speaking of skytrain station connection I think the Government project aka Larwell Park Site will be connected to Stadium Station so that would be great.

I'll bet that there's all of 5 feet of soil (sidewalk width) separating the basement of the existing parkade (Dollarama store) from the Granville Station ticket concourse.

Connecting Stadium up would be cool - apparently it is just filled with sand right now.
I think they closed it because it was unused and therefore unsafe at night, etc.
The Amec building (HA Simons at the time) not linking to it was the deathnail (and Beatty St. isn't such a busy street that it's hard to cross - so the need realy isn't there).
A safer solution may be to connect it through to the new complex but reconfigure it to permanently close off the public stairs next to the Amec Building and install doors at the passage entrance (on the station concourse) that are locked in the off hours (like the links to Bentall Centre, Royal Centre, Pacific Centre, etc.) (i.e. create a dedicated passage to the new complex)

[cornholio]

I was thinking maybe the federal government can do a land swap with the bay parkade owner. This is assuming the bay parkade owner could build condo units with maybe only a small office component on the Larwell park site. On the other hand the Federal government could probably make full use of the office space they would need to build at the Bay parkade site. Obviously some money would exchange hands to make it work but it would see that if the two parties got together then they both would benefit.

Plus the city would need to be fine with less office space and more condo units at the Lawrell park site but I could see the city allowing it with a few concessions and only a small office component. The area is somewhat suited for condos anyways being next to spectrum and a future park.

[officedweller]

I'd rather see government-built office space on the Larwill Park site - otherwise that area will be too dead. I think office space would need an incentive to build there otherwise - and government can build without concerns that the site is unmarketable (which may have killed/delayed the GM Place tower)

Condos don't generate a lot of pedestrian traffic during the day and office workers (coupled with the entertainment patrons in the evening) would help the foot of Georgia area thrive a bit more (i.e. they may even walk down to International Village for lunch).

The Bay Parkade site, to me, seems like an easily marketed office site - half a block from ScotiaTower and directly connected to SkyTrain and shopping (through The Bay to Pacific Centre). It would be like the Bentall Centre or Royal Centre equivalent at Granville Station.

Of course, there' the issue of tenant demand, but making the "quick buck" shouldn't guide planning.

[Metro-One]

We have built wonderful parks and waterfront open space while failing elsewhere to improve our built environment. Creating pedestrian zones (Granville and Robson are my first choices) would greatly broaden urban enjoyment (if New York can close Times Square, and Frankfurt, Lyon and Buenos Aires their major thoroughfares permanently, we can). More ceremonial and public gathering spaces are needed as city council did in Northeast False Creek. Fostering shopping arcades and mid-block walks in our long downtown blocks would add to livability, use and enjoyment as occurs in hundreds of cities around the world. We can borrow the best ideas, while expanding our highly valued program of street closures and street festivals and make it vastly easier to enjoy outdoor dining, and socializing. Other valued pedestrian-friendly infrastructure would include underground system connections analogous to Toronto's PATH system. Poor transit integration hampers this, but opportunities still exist to link the Bentall and Pacific Centres and tie Robson Square to Pacific Centre.

Totally agree with this. While our waterfront parks and green spaces are great, we do not need more of the same, time to focus on more variety and entertainment geared aspects. (this goes back to my dislike of some peoples wishes to turn all of Hasting's Park into one big green space, I am happy to see that with the new plans Playland will actually expand, hopefully with a new roller coaster...). Also notice how this author also believes in layers (the use of underground connections and true transit hubs).

Again, layers and variety make a great city, and with Vancouver's density, layers are inevitable.

Also I agree that only 1 of the 4 tower sites proposed is actually tall. (and indeed only relatively tall to our city). The 152 meter tower is a nice height as well, but the other two heights are nothing special.

I like the look of the lights in Yaletown! I must say, this city actually has improved its lighting a lot over the last year and coming year. All we need now is just a couple more video billboards along Granville (especially near the Robson intersection) and hopefully some updated video billboards with the renovated BC Place.

[entheosfog]

So what's up with the Olympic wrap going up on the RBC tower? They've only had like 5 strips done for the longest time...

[GeeCee]

It is slowly progressing again, I believe. I saw a picture a few days ago with further strips attached. I read either here or on GamesBids that they may be having difficulties due to the building's fascia (or lack thereof).

[trofirhen]

On reading about those four "supertalls," I had thought they'd all be 200m+
Only one of them is, the one near the Bay at Georgia and Seymour.

The next one down is about the height of the Wall Centre, and the other two are mid-high, but just allowed in a different position closer away from the core.

This is not the excitement I expected. Just hope they're architecturally interesting, and not "high-level mundane blaaaa" that Vancouver is so good at.

OOOOOOOPS! wrong thread. (sorry)

[SpongeG]

according to the news its the largest building wrap in the world right now - 42,000 sq feet or something?

the same company is also wrapping several GM dealerships around the city and apparently are working arouind the clock to get everything done in time

and yes the 3M women said they were having some problems with the royal bank wrap...

[Vancity]

I wasn't sure where an article like this would fit in. But nobody has posted this article from the Vancouversun anywhere. So, here it is:

New Highrises won't spoil views of North Shore Mountains.

[Yume-sama]

Oh, phew. Here I thought they were going to build a solid wall of 1500' towers.

[red-paladin]

I totally agree that Skytrain stations should have as many underground / above ground links as possible. I know the city hates Montreal / Calgary style pedways and thinks they kill the street life, but come on.

[Metro-One]

They kill street life in mega sprawl, western American style cities, but Vancouver is actually a very dense city (and given geographical constraints will only become denser. Vancouver has to realize it is not a sun belt city. Its density (and even the density of many of our suburban cores) demands layers. We should indeed plan on building more underground and above ground connections. (the same way Vancouver's density will actually designates the use of viaducts (elevated trains and roads) and tunnels, unlike American cities where they built them in the middle of nowhere for no reason).

As our population continues to grow, if we really want to conserve our ALR land and forests, layers is the only true op0tion we have.

[delboy]

Originally Posted by CBeats

Thanks for that interesting article officedweller. I agree with it entirely! It just makes me frustrated that so little has been done in developing transit centres.

Me too!

[ozonemania]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

They kill street life in mega sprawl, western American style cities, but Vancouver is actually a very dense city (and given geographical constraints will only become denser. Vancouver has to realize it is not a sun belt city. Its density (and even the density of many of our suburban cores) demands layers. We should indeed plan on building more underground and above ground connections. (the same way Vancouver's density will actually designates the use of viaducts (elevated trains and roads) and tunnels, unlike American cities where they built them in the middle of nowhere for no reason).

As our population continues to grow, if we really want to conserve our ALR land and forests, layers is the only true op0tion we have.

+++

Very much agree; Vancouver has very little experience of urban layers. I don't believe that the downtown could have supported layering without killing streetlife until very recently. Now I can start to see layering being a real benefit.

Especially during the wet months, underground transit-oriented corridors would be very good. Future projects such as the new supertalls should have underground transit-oriented connections as part of their development specs.