Downtown Vancouver Updates

[Metro-One]

what a joke! Have I not been saying for years that Water street should be pedestrian only or have limited traffic?

Not having cobble stones will take away so much character from the area. If every other city in the world can handle sections of such features, so can Vancouver.

[Klazu]

It's not like cobblestone streets in Europe would be in perfect state everywhere, not even close. I remember seeing horribly twisted streets even in many old Italian cities (for example Rome) and surely in the more northern countries. I think it's only a matter of doing the foundation properly, which is more trickier in countries where there is a proper winter every year.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

what a joke! Have I not been saying for years that Water street should be pedestrian only or have limited traffic?

Not having cobble stones will take away so much character from the area. If every other city in the world can handle sections of such features, so can Vancouver.

Yeah, I don't think Water St. is vital to traffic movement. At least make the last block leading up to the Powell/Alexander/Carrall intersection pedestrian only. That intersection would be a beautiful spot for a plaza.

[TwoFace]

Originally Posted by logan5

Yeah, I don't think Water St. is vital to traffic movement.

It's the quickest way from HWY 1 to Downtown ... Water/Powell/Wall/McGill/TC
I use it all the time, and I hope they repave it with bricks, the current arrangement of old broken bricks with raised manholes is a car suspension killer.

[jlousa]

If the city takes down the viaducts then they are counting on Water St absorbing some of that 30% traffic that would be displaced. It's in the reports.

My thoughts are Water is already one way and only really needed during the morning rush hour into town. Have it closed from 11am until 4am Su-Th and kept closed on the weekend via electic bollards as seen in some European cities. The city still keeps road capacity when it's needed and Gastown becomes car free during it's peak times. There's no real need to have gastown car free at 9am on a work day. The road needs to be redone, I'd perfer real cobblestones even if they are historically correct but I'd settle for a fake concrete treatment if the money saved was diverted to Blood alley.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by TwoFace

It's the quickest way from HWY 1 to Downtown ... Water/Powell/Wall/McGill/TC
I use it all the time, and I hope they repave it with bricks, the current arrangement of old broken bricks with raised manholes is a car suspension killer.

Same. Poor leadership decisions have killed the Lions Gate Bridge route for me, so now I take Ironworkers and drive along the south shore through Gastown. It really seems like the downtown peninsula wants to make it impossible to enter for anyone not fortunate enough to have a skytrain near them.

[TwoFace]

Originally Posted by jlousa

My thoughts are Water is already one way and only really needed during the morning rush hour into town. Have it closed from 11am until 4am Su-Th and kept closed on the weekend via electic bollards as seen in some European cities.

I don't know about that, lots of us use it as a way to get home which is downtown.
Outside of the 3 summer months, Gastown is pretty much a Ghosttown, so making changes to accommodate Cruise-ship tourists on an afternoon excursion seems like a very limited resource for a major artery.

[jlousa]

I agree it's a useful road and I use it a lot myself living in Gastown, I still feel though outside rush hour I could just as easily use Hastings St which has spare capacity (again outside rushhour) w/o major inconvenience.

[itinerant]

I drive Water Street as a one of my preferred routes to get to either downtown or West End. I love the bricks, and always enjoyed driving through the district. However, the roadway has been in a steady decline for many years, and it seems that every time there is work under the street the bricks are not relaid. It used to be two full lanes all the way down (1 way), and the pull outs along the sides for parking or drop off were great. Last few years, parking has been added into one of the thru lanes.

I'd like to see heavy vehicle traffic restricted on this street, but not close it off to vehicles all together. In particular, I think tour buses, city buses, heavy trucks, and the like should be banned. Regular vehicles, and light trucks would be ok. If it were to be closed to vehicles altogether, I'm afraid Hastings (especially with its now reduced speed so we don't hit wandering pedestrians in the area) just doesn't cut it.

I'd also like to see the city replace bricks when they do their work, and do some regular maintenance. If roadway is sinking due to heavy traffic, then perhaps it needs a concrete base beneath the bricks to keep it from shifting.

[radacal]

Originally Posted by jlousa

I agree it's a useful road and I use it a lot myself living in Gastown, I still feel though outside rush hour I could just as easily use Hastings St which has spare capacity (again outside rushhour) w/o major inconvenience.

Wouldn't they have to raise the speed limit on Hastings then?

[TwoFace]

Originally Posted by Pinion

so now I take Ironworkers and drive along the south shore through Gastown.

For me the highlight is always the Nanaimo/McGill corner at speed.

[entheosfog]

Originally Posted by itinerant

I'd like to see heavy vehicle traffic restricted on this street, but not close it off to vehicles all together. In particular, I think tour buses, city buses, heavy trucks, and the like should be banned. Regular vehicles, and light trucks would be ok. If it were to be closed to vehicles altogether, I'm afraid Hastings (especially with its now reduced speed so we don't hit wandering pedestrians in the area) just doesn't cut it.

I don't think tour buses will disappear anytime soon, being one of Vancouver's most tourist-frequented areas and all

[hollywoodnorth]

Does Vancouver's hot investment market make building a better option?

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Doe...+option/7013964/story.html#ixzz22q9TbMdX


"Right now, we own and manage 1.5 million square feet in seven different buildings in the downtown core," says Turner. "We bought 1133 Melville in 2010 as an income property, knowing that it's something that we would redevelop in the longer term. That's how you find land in Vancouver."

"Not everybody can build," he says, reflecting on why more investors aren't looking to build given the potential returns. "Only a few developers in the country have technical ability, the where with all and the land. We're in the fortunate position of being able to build in this market."

Asked when Oxford Properties plans to move on the Melville redevelopment, Turner responds simply, "We will buy when it makes sense to buy and build when it makes sense to build."

[hollywoodnorth]

there has been yet another crane erection this time for the new Mercedes Dealership on Terminal.

aka this .. http://www.benzinsider.com/2011/02/merce...on-future-downtown-vancouver-dealership/

[Porfiry]

Good for them, but calling Terminal Ave "downtown" is a real stretch.

[SpongeG]

downtown nissan is on west 2nd near main

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by Porfiry

Good for them, but calling Terminal Ave "downtown" is a real stretch.

In all honesty with the insane development occuring along Terminal, throughout SEFC, and along W1st / W2d and Broadway, for me it seems downtown has finally jumped the Peninsula. The entire area around the Cambie street Bridge for example is becoming crazy dense looking / urban.

[hollywoodnorth]

Downtown is not just the area around the CBD.

I consider anything in the METRO CORE as Downtown. as I have stated before does anyone consider Bute @ Chilco for example more downtown than Main @ Terminal? if you do ... your crazy.

come on now people ... Main @ Temminal is busy busy busy (cars, buses, skytains, people) and is at the new heart of the growth in Vancouver. the skytain station is just about to be expanded, etc



link >> http://vancouver.ca/docs/planning/metro-core-jobs-and-economy-study.pdf

[osirisboy]

well its all relative. If im talking to someone from Halifax for example Id refer to main and terminal as downtown (hell I lump surrey/burnaby etc as "vancouver"). but if im discussing that location with a bunch of us sspers maybe not so much.

[osirisboy]

why do they plan on having job spaces as decreasing in DTES that is labeled "economic revitalization"?