Downtown Vancouver Updates

[officedweller]

The Sears store has undergone a number of renovations over the years.

When it was still Eaton's (not the Sears version), the store was renovated and when very high end (the central escalator core was redesigned to be more of an atrium with display balconies at that time) - remember when menswear was on the second floor? The main floor of the store was practically gutted and the backroom spaces behind the display windows along Granville & Robson were removed. The plan was to install streetfront retail boutiques along Robson - but that never materialized (i.e. financial problems).

Then Sears took over, I think it added the kitschy big boxish parts on the corners of the building and in front of the rotunda, rearranged the store (menswear returned to the mall level), tried to run Eaton's and didn't succeed and changed them all over to Sears.

[itinerant]

The boxy corners and modification to the rotunda were part of the final Eatons reno. The only thing Sears has done is fail to maintain the building, and reduce the number of floors they are occupying. Oh, and also not using any of the exterior banners or lighting that was installed, or turning on any of the older lighting that is behind the dark plexy panels on the street. From all appearances, they're slowly turning it into a suburban mall Sears.

Reno of the building to put in street level boutiques around the permiter sounds very interesting, and would work very well if they added full height windows and displays over greater amount of the street level.

[officedweller]

I think any streetfront retail would have to be mostly on the Robson side. There's an elevation change on the Granville side and the Granville side also has a lot of space taken up by emergency staircases.


From News1130:

Stop the condos message coming from some on Downtown Eastside
Development proposals being debated today and Friday at City Hall
John Ackermann Jan 19, 2010 08:27:52 AM

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Anti-poverty activists on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside are hoping to send a message to City Hall and the people behind the new Woodwards development.

The Carnegie Community Action Project is unveiling a 12-foot-tall developer named "Mister Condo King" later this morning at Pigeon Park. The group is unhappy with the City of Vancouver's plans to allow more condo towers to pop up in the neighbourhood. Development proposals are being debated today and Friday at City Hall.

[Yume-sama]

Woodwards has done more for that community, by itself, than any of those "activists" ever have or will.

There is nothing to "save" in that area, it can only get better.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

Woodwards has done more for that community, by itself, than any of those "activists" ever will.

There is nothing to "save" in that area, it can only get better.

+100!

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

Woodwards has done more for that community, by itself, than any of those "activists" ever will.

There is nothing to "save" in that area, it can only get better.

well, their definition of "better" is to either let the area stay the same as is or let it fall apart even more. No to "gentrification", right?

[LeftCoaster]

All depends on what your perspecive of "saved" is. I doubt many of us on this board would agree with the APC on an appropriate vision for the DTES.

Regarding Sears, from what I have sene the Granville frontage would be mainly taken up by the lobby for the office tower, with storefront retail primarily appearing on the Robson frontage. For the life of me I can't remember what was planned for the Howe St frontage. Sears is going to be out of that space ASAP... unfortunately the P relies heavily on the losses Sears is incurring at the site and how much longer they can continue to resist Cadillac's pressure to get them out. Once they are out look for the conversion into multi CRU space to move ahead rapidly, while the tower will be built into the renovations the tower(s) itself will of course be built when market conditions warrant.

Hopefully I will have a more concrete update some time this summer.

[hollywoodnorth]

when will Concords Cosmo start construction? did they get the height extension they were asking for?

and when will colors start sales and marketing?

[officedweller]

Cool - thanks for the info.
If the Sears is to be converted to multiple floor retail - i.e. a retail atrium - it would liven up the street a lot if the main entrance is mid-block on Granville Street (i.e. relocated emergency stairs if its' a full blown reno blasting an atrium down the centre of the building)

[vancityrox]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

All depends on what your perspecive of "saved" is. I doubt many of us on this board would agree with the APC on an appropriate vision for the DTES.

Regarding Sears, from what I have sene the Granville frontage would be mainly taken up by the lobby for the office tower, with storefront retail primarily appearing on the Robson frontage. For the life of me I can't remember what was planned for the Howe St frontage. Sears is going to be out of that space ASAP... unfortunately the P relies heavily on the losses Sears is incurring at the site and how much longer they can continue to resist Cadillac's pressure to get them out. Once they are out look for the conversion into multi CRU space to move ahead rapidly, while the tower will be built into the renovations the tower(s) itself will of course be built when market conditions warrant.

Hopefully I will have a more concrete update some time this summer.

Wow, is this for real?

Am I dreaming?

Did I have one too many beers tonight????

Haha, this is great news!!

But whats your source because Im still skeptical....

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

All depends on what your perspecive of "saved" is. I doubt many of us on this board would agree with the APC on an appropriate vision for the DTES.

Regarding Sears, from what I have sene the Granville frontage would be mainly taken up by the lobby for the office tower, with storefront retail primarily appearing on the Robson frontage. For the life of me I can't remember what was planned for the Howe St frontage. Sears is going to be out of that space ASAP... unfortunately the P relies heavily on the losses Sears is incurring at the site and how much longer they can continue to resist Cadillac's pressure to get them out. Once they are out look for the conversion into multi CRU space to move ahead rapidly, while the tower will be built into the renovations the tower(s) itself will of course be built when market conditions warrant.

Hopefully I will have a more concrete update some time this summer.

I hope this includes an expansion of Pacific Centre mall...this is probably the last opportunity for expansion, would be quite sad if it didn't happen.

[vancityrox]

Originally Posted by mr.x

I hope this includes an expansion of Pacific Centre mall...this is probably the last opportunity for expansion, would be quite sad if it didn't happen.

I was actually at PC a couple of hours ago and as i was walking towards SEARS i just imagined the hallway going more down into other retail and huge atrium with multilevels and a business tower. It would look awesome.

[jlousa]

Leftcoaster is more free to talk openly about it then most people not to mention he knows what he's talking about in this matter.
What he's mentioned is correct, there are a few options out there, the preferred choice is to take the building down to it's steel skeleton, reskin the outside and build a tower up thru the existing frame. My understanding is that the top floor or two of the current building would be removed in the process, the tower would be in the same ballpark heightwise as the black TD tower. the office artium would open up on both Howe and Granville and house retail along the outskirts. No idea if they would keep a dept store on the upper floors or convert those over to office as well. The owners are certainly ready to move asap, unfortunately I don't see this one happening within the decade. Perhaps if Sears gets into trouble in the US.

[GeeCee]

Is burning that ugly mofo to the ground on the table?

[vancityrox]

Thanks jlousa.

But what owners are you talking about that want to move asap?

[Spork]

Originally Posted by vancityrox

Thanks jlousa.

But what owners are you talking about that want to move asap?

Cadillac Fairview, presumably.

[vancityrox]

Oh... I thought CF already owned it. My bad.

[SpongeG]

the whaling walll has been restored
http://www.globaltvbc.com/video/index.html?releasePID=cnrpIIrWwRkJ3wVsxOjSYwdIsGwbBQ4i

[Yume-sama]

That was really quick. I'm happy they did it, definitely one of my favorite art pieces in the city. Cool that 2/3 of visitors will see it coming in!

Also interesting VANOC didn't sue his pants off for adding the Olympic logo.

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by jlousa

Leftcoaster is more free to talk openly about it then most people not to mention he knows what he's talking about in this matter.
What he's mentioned is correct, there are a few options out there, the preferred choice is to take the building down to it's steel skeleton, reskin the outside and build a tower up thru the existing frame. My understanding is that the top floor or two of the current building would be removed in the process, the tower would be in the same ballpark heightwise as the black TD tower. the office artium would open up on both Howe and Granville and house retail along the outskirts. No idea if they would keep a dept store on the upper floors or convert those over to office as well. The owners are certainly ready to move asap, unfortunately I don't see this one happening within the decade. Perhaps if Sears gets into trouble in the US.

Maybe Sears will get tempted with another sweet ass lease deal but this time in the newly rebuild building and with a smaller floor plate......the issue would be what to do with them during construction as I'm sure they don't want to lose their downtown location for 2-3 years.

or conversely maybe Sears could take space in the Redeveloped Bay Parkade Site...having a department store in that development would make a mall there more viable and it offers great connections to skytrain just like they have now.