Suburban Updates - All Other Metro Vancouver Municipalities

[logan5]

The public got its first peak Monday night (Nov. 21, 7-9 p.m.) at a 118-unit project proposed for across from city hall on Royal Avenue. The project is replacing rental housing and the current buildings are vacant. Waitt said Ledingham has found new homes for the tenants, and will contribute $150,000 to the city’s affordable housing fund because of the loss of rental units. Ledingham representative Cameron Thorne said a report commissioned by his company found the previous rental buildings structurally unsound and past their intended life.

I wonder if this sets the stage for redevelopment of most of the walk-ups in downtown New West. All of those walk-ups must be around the same age and therefore past their intended life. I'm not sure what they mean by structurally unsound though. I would like to see D/T Vancouver like density in D/T New West, so I hope there is more redevelopment of some of these walk-ups.

New West is the only suburb that has a true urban vibe and yet I feel like it has flown under the radar of most people, judging by the prices of new units. There is still lots of potential to be realized and IMO things are going accelerate in New West as more people discover that they actually can get "Yaletown in the suburbs".

[webster]

Originally Posted by logan5

I wonder if this sets the stage for redevelopment of most of the walk-ups in downtown New West. All of those walk-ups must be around the same age and therefore past their intended life. I'm not sure what they mean by structurally unsound though. I would like to see D/T Vancouver like density in D/T New West, so I hope there is more redevelopment of some of these walk-ups.

New West is the only suburb that has a true urban vibe and yet I feel like it has flown under the radar of most people, judging by the prices of new units. There is still lots of potential to be realized and IMO things are going accelerate in New West as more people discover that they actually can get "Yaletown in the suburbs".

every municipality has different views and policies with respect to rental replacement, so I wouldn't expect what happens in BBY to have any affect on New West.

I wish people would stop marketing their projects as Yaletown in the suburbs...

[GeeCee]

Does anyone know what is being built at Hastings and Beta in Burnaby?

Found it via Google earlier in this thread http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=5081161&postcount=1562

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by logan5

New West is the only suburb that has a true urban vibe

Metrotown and the City of North Vancouver? I don't visit New West much but it doesn't seem that hot to me. It's where people move when they can't afford anything closer to downtown.

[Vancity]

^ I disagree that New West is the only suburb with an "urban" vibe. I think Burnaby is closer to an "urban vibe" than New West does. And I don't think Richmond is that much behind, there's a lot of development, and redevelopment happening in Richmond, IMO.

[usog]

Strictly comparing downtown core areas, New West wins hands down. That development they have around New West station just oozes urban integration, and they've got so much density packed in there. Burnaby has several clusters of density but New West's one area is more 'urban' than any of them imo.

[SpongeG]

new west feels the most like a proper downtown, burnaby and richmond don't have proper downtowns - at least ones with any significant heritage to them

[Echowinds]

It's not really reasonable to expect Richmond and Burnaby to have historic downtowns, considering both of them are relatively new urban centers. 30 years ago both cities were filled with strip malls. It's actually kind of disappointing how neglected New Westminster is in urban development for the majority of its history, after Vancouver became the focus of the Lower Mainland development. If developments actually are as active during the 1900s as it is now, New Westminster would have definitely grow beyond its current confines, and probably reduce the growth of today's Metrotown and pushing Surrey's hub east/south.

New Westminster with its tight street grids and sloped terrain would have been more impressive if it had even more historical buildings.

[officedweller]

From the Maple Ridge Times - we saw the render some time ago on the Studio One website:

http://www.studioonearchitecture.ca/

Input sought on hotel in Haney
A public meeting will be held on Wednesday about a proposed hotel
By Maria Rantanen, The Times

Developers are hoping a hotel and convention centre in downtown Maple Ridge will break ground next summer.

First reading of the 125-room hotel with retail space proposed for the Haney Bypass and 224th Street was passed by Maple Ridge council in January.

A public information meeting about the project will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 30 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 88, 12101 224th St.
...

Huang will be at the public meeting along with representatives from Studio One, the architectural company that is designing the hotel.

After the final approvals, Huang said construction won't start until after the "rainy season," most likely next summer.

Huang has been in conversation with different hotel chains and he said there is a lot of interest in the project.

The Huang family has been acquiring the property where they plan to build the hotel, lot by lot, for 15 years.

Quality is an important factor for the Huang family as they plan the hotel, and they hope it will still be standing in 100 years.

Read more: http://www.mrtimes.com/news/Input+sought+hotel+Haney/5782165/story.html#ixzz1fEX8HmgC

[bils]

DP Panel meeting in richmond dec 14 regarding proposal for large commercial/residential development adjacent to brighouse/richmond city centre station.

proposal includes two large rectangular highrises (wide in east-west direction) and retail at ground level, including a new scotiabank.

the old scotiabank building will be demolished in order to make room for a new bus loop, accessible from no.3 rd and stretching all the way to buswell. this will be developed by translink.

details here:

http://www.richmond.ca/agendafiles/Open_DPP_12-14-2011.pdf

[officedweller]

Thanks - copied it over to the Transit thread.

Nice to see a different building form take shape other than the squat point tower.

[Echowinds]

I like the transit portion of that project, as it creates the long awaited bus-loop as well as an expansion of the Brighouse station plaza. Apparently the bus loop will even have a public washroom feature. Translink does own this property already, so once the whole site is developed there will be a bus loop in place.

My biggest criticism is the lack of commercial elements aside from the bank, since this lot is right beside the most well-used transit station in Richmond. Although I suppose future developments of the mall immediately south of Brighouse station and the parking lots of Richmond centre can remedy that. I always wanted to see more 8-10 story tall office towers as opposed to office parks which sprawls all around the city.

[dleung]

What a crappy interface with Brighouse Station... 3 feet between the glass wall of the station and solid wall of a 5-storey parking garage? I rather they have 7-stories of parking at the back of the site and put more commercial at the front.

[officedweller]

The render does say "art" on that garage wall -

The facade of the parking structure will include a major art wall (west building elevation)
viewable from the Canada Line platform and No.3 Road in order to provide visual interest
for transit passengers, while the remainder of the parkade is fenestrated in a geometric
pattern utilizing painted concrete and metal/glass panels. A small green wall is proposed
along the north (solid) portion of the parkade along the lane (east building elevation).

They probably wanted to preserve the street wall on No. 3 Rd. formed by HSBC and the west wall of the station.
The north tower's lobby entrance is off No. 3 Rd. north of the station but will be gated at the sidewalk.

Public Art Comments
The applicant has submitted a preliminary Public Art Plan and agreed to provide the equivalent
of a $235,000.00 public art contribution (301,712 f1' of residential floor area x $0.75/ft2 + 23,444
ft2 of commercial/retail floor area x $0.40/ft2). See Attachment 6 for proposed public art
location information and relevant public art precedents. The majority of the public art
contribution [($190,000.00)] will be used for an art wall installation on the west facade of the
parkade structure, which will be visible from the street and both levels of the Richmond Brighouse
Station. The remaining portion of the public art commitment [$45,000.00] could be used for an
flexible and artful attachment system to a the end of the Canada Line elevated guideway to carry
the structural load of a future public art installation to be attached to the end of the elevated
guideway. Alternatively the remaining portion of the public art commitment could be
contributed to the City's Public Art Fund and used in conjunction with contributions from
surrounding redevelopment projects to create a more elaborate public art termination for the
Canada Line elevated guideway.

Here's the wall of glass (north of the elevator shaft) that will look onto the artwork - from Tafryn's Canada Line blog (still working!).
Looks like there is a structure containing utility rooms for the station that would prevent an open retail concourse to the east.
Wierd thing is - judging by the plans - that the condos' parkade will be built next to and then on top of those utility rooms (in an air space parcel) - i.e. it could have been set back farther.


http://canadalinephotos.blogspot.com/search/label/Richmond%20-%20Brighouse


http://canadalinephotos.blogspot.com/search/label/Richmond%20-%20Brighouse

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by bils

http://www.richmond.ca/agendafiles/Open_DPP_12-14-2011.pdf

if only the city of Richmond could break the bank on a color scanner .... I mean what the hell are they using an old logitech hand scanner over there?

[vanman]

Interesting proposal for Richmond. The size and scale of it reminds me of Electric Avenue in downtown Vancouver. I agree that a more creative interaction with the station would be nice.

[Echowinds]

Concorde is renovating former car repair garages into what I believe is a sales center on Capstan Way in Richmond. Are they starting to develop that plop of land that is supposed to be beside that planned Capstan Way station?

http://www.concordgateway.ca/

[wrenegade]

The quicktime vid they have says 1000 residences. That is a mega project!

Also, Gateway is definitely the most overused overhyped name for anything these days. Very sick of hearing it applied to everything.

[bils]

Originally Posted by Echowinds

Concorde is renovating former car repair garages into what I believe is a sales center on Capstan Way in Richmond. Are they starting to develop that plop of land that is supposed to be beside that planned Capstan Way station?

http://www.concordgateway.ca/

Hate to disappoint you but that website has not been updated in literally years...

[GeeCee]

Originally Posted by bils

Hate to disappoint you but that website has not been updated in literally years...

Canada line picture shows a Mk 1.5..