Olympic Village & Southeast False Creek Updates Discussion

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

First Avenue and SEFC from the Cambie Street Bridge

Taken by SFUVancouver, May 5th, 2010.

Why can't they just put the street car on there already. Everything is ready to go.

P.S. I went down there on the weekend around sunset, and tow trucks were towing cars that had parked on the median on 1st.

[officedweller]

I noticed that there were snazzy new streetlights on West 2nd near the Maynards area - same style as the ones pictured above along West 1st Ave. and within the Olympic Village (painted gray) with the anchor cable on the back end.
The lampheads on West 2nd are painted black (you can see them in the Pinnacle Living photo above) - the same ones are also used to light the bike path along Great Northern Way (painted green)

[wrenegade]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

P.S. I went down there on the weekend around sunset, and tow trucks were towing cars that had parked on the median on 1st.

I'd be pretty pissed if that were my car being towed from the median. I've been down there a number of times, most recently last Thursday, and I've never seen any signs stipulating no parking on the median.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by awvan

I'd be pretty pissed if that were my car being towed from the median. I've been down there a number of times, most recently last Thursday, and I've never seen any signs stipulating no parking on the median.

I noticed there were signs on the lamp posts that had printed on them something like: "Notice, new parking regulations in effect" but didn't say what, at least not big enough to read from my car. There are "no stopping" signs along the shoulders of the road, so I guess that applies to the median as well? But they should really make it more clear. I'm not sure the towtruck driver felt like he was right though, he seemed to be moving really fast, running around the cars securing them, like running faster than a thief would.

[officedweller]

Hmmm.
Well there aren't sgns on other medians saying you can't park there either - Cambie Boulevard median, 16th Ave., 1st Ave, King Edward Ave....

[Locked In]

I don't think any photos of the park to the west of the village have been posted since it opened - these are my photos, from May 12:


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Some new marketing posters - there is no competition!


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Plus the City's invite to the May 15 open house:


Source: City of Vancouver

[Prometheus]

What is that strange, orangish-coloured field?

[nova9]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

What is that strange, orangish-coloured field?

I dunno exactly but I was walking there at night and accidentally stepped in it - it's super soft but dry. my foot sank a good 2 inches into it. it was kinda fun.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

What is that strange, orangish-coloured field?

summer volleyball courts?

[vancityrox]

That patch used to be green and now looks like dead grass.

[Locked In]

^ I don't think so. As far as I can recall, it used to be gravel, and this is probably some sort of underfill, put down before it's seeded with grass. (Unless that is the grass seed - any landscapers out there?)

[SpongeG]

it looks like it will become grass

[s211]

I've seen stunting mountain bikers taking advantage of the new terrain. Place will get trashed in no time.

[Lexie]

Is anyone from here going to the opening this weekend?
It sound like it will be exciting!

[sacrifice333]

^I'm going to check out the "avenues of the world" in a week or so... though opening day should be fun...

[SFUVancouver]

Thanks Locked In for all the great recent photos, both in this thread and elsewhere.

That orange field is where the elementary school will eventually be built, so I suspect that they are not going to go through the effort of installing proper drainage and seeding turf in the mean time. The orange stuff is probably being used in lieu of gravel.

I really quite like the emerging character of SEFC that is being built out from Cambie Street. The Exchange/Foundry block face, in my opinion, is a very handsome paring of new and old and exactly what I had hoped SEFC would be like. And now that both The Maynards Block and Pinnacle Living False Creek are in various stages of construction we will have even more juxtoposition of new and old (made new again). It is tricky to articulate but I think that it is very positive for our city to have two versions of SEFC on display, of which I am referring to the Olympic Village and the Cambie Bridgehead I just described. It offers, on one hand, a large architecturally cohesive neighbourhood centre full of public amenities and brimming with super-green bonefides. On the other hand at the Cambie Bridgehead you have a messier mixing of building ages, more cubic built forms, and less visible green building features. It will be fasincating to see how it all plays out.

[officedweller]

Well, the complaint about the Concord Lands and Downtown South is that it all seems too "planned" or "the same". So a bit of inconsistency or haphazardness is probably a good thing.

[b5baxter]

I wish they would stop calling it the "Greenest Neighbourhood on the Planet" when it clearly is not.

[paradigm4]

Originally Posted by b5baxter

I wish they would stop calling it the "Greenest Neighbourhood on the Planet" when it clearly is not.

It was certified as a LEED Platinum Neighbourhood...

[Locked In]

I went by SEFC again today - I also really like how the neighborhood is taking shape. Anyways, there were some workers watering the orange field, and a few little grass shoots were sprouting - so I guess we'll get a temporary field there.