YVR Airport & Sea Island Developments Discussion

[Zassk]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Looks like they're clearing land now between Templeton Station and the Arthur Laing. Is that the hotel project?

Pretty sure that is the business park project.

[Millennium2002]

Where are the renders for that thing again... didn't they envision redoing some of the road network with that? Or has that changed?

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Valley_Refugee

Philippine Airlines is shuffling its Vancouver services. The YVR-LAS tail is being cut off. It'll be 4 weekly MNL-YVR return + 3 weekly YVR-MNL flights originating from Toronto.

http://airlineroute.net/2012/09/23/pr-las-jan13cxld/

http://airlineroute.net/2012/09/23/pr-yyz-w12/

I wonder if the lost capacity to LAS will be taken up by another airline (West Jet comes to mind, of course), or will that route be left as it will be - without the Philippine Airlines connection?

[Valley_Refugee]

^Probably WS will add a flight or two, depending on their load factors. PR had 5th freedom on the route, so there's at least some pax slack to pick up, presumably.

[Valley_Refugee]

Air Canada is moving YVR-San Diego service down to summer seasonal.

http://airlineroute.net/2012/09/26/ac-yvrsan-w12cxld/

Opening for WestJet?

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Valley_Refugee

Air Canada is moving YVR-San Diego service down to summer seasonal.

http://airlineroute.net/2012/09/26/ac-yvrsan-w12cxld/

Opening for WestJet?

Strange. I would have thought there's enough snowbirds to keep them busy in winter.

[sacrifice333]

Originally Posted by Valley_Refugee

Air Canada is moving YVR-San Diego service down to summer seasonal.

http://airlineroute.net/2012/09/26/ac-yvrsan-w12cxld/

Opening for WestJet?

Hard to believe it failed... maybe something to do with the $1000 ticket price!

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by sacrifice333

Hard to believe it failed... maybe something to do with the $1000 ticket price!

Wow!! I used to go there on and off a few years back, and the ticket price was reasonable; not a whole lot (but proportionally, of course)more than going to SF. (Hope that hasn't shot up, too)! Au fait ... isn't Westjet supposed to be sort of a "low cost" airline? cand could they not step in? Surely there's a market. WJ operates regular service from Calgary. Alors?

[Valley_Refugee]

WestJet only operates non-stop service from YYC-SAN in the summer season. In the off season, they codeshare with American from LAX.

[SpongeG]

maybe we can blame bellingham for the drop - they offer much cheaper service offered by Alaska and Allegient airlines

[spaceprobe]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

maybe we can blame bellingham for the drop - they offer much cheaper service offered by Alaska and Allegient airlines

perhaps YVR should convince Alaska and Allegient to offer similarly priced (or marginally more expensive) flights from Vancouver

[craneSpotter]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

maybe we can blame bellingham for the drop - they offer much cheaper service offered by Alaska and Allegient airlines

Many people we know in our area (YYJ) have used BLI or SEA to go to California, Mexico and Hawaii (for leisure) the past few years. Thats people from YYJ that used to fly via YYJ/YVR not too long ago.

We have saved big bucks when buying multiple tix ($3000 on 2 trips) flying out of Washington state this past year compared to the high fares charged by West Jet and AC out of YYJ/YVR. Those savings were net after ferry/Hotel/Gas costs. We actually enjoy the trip to BLI or SEA and have 4 ferry services to choose from for convenience (BC, Washington State, Black Ball and Victoria Clipper). As an added bonus, we can also load up our car with US goods before we cross the border and not have to worry about baggage weight

We know quite a few who do so in the LM too. So it has to have an affect on YVR PAX numbers.

[craneSpotter]

Megaprojects set to create thriving mini-city at YVR
Emerging “aerotropolis” likely to attract manufacturer tenants seeking closer links with airport

BIV - Glen Korstrom
Tue Oct 2, 2012

Sea Island is evolving into a bustling mini-city thanks to several mega-developments and the global trend of companies promising speedier deliveries to customers and requiring the same from suppliers.

Vancouver International Airport Authority (YVR) executives are mulling four bids from architects to provide a vision for a business park with one million square feet of space on the northeast edge of Sea Island. They plan to announce the winning architectural firm this fall. YVR would then work with architects to develop a master plan for the park and determine whether to develop it alone or to take on a partner.

To the west of the business park will be the 700,000-square-foot mail-processing plant that Canada Post plans to occupy starting in 2014.

The business park will also be north of a 340,000-square-foot outlet mall that YVR and partner McArthurGlen Group are building on a 30-acre site, now being cleared, in the island's southeast corner.

"Vancouver's Sea Island is an emerging aerotropolis," said John Kasarda, who is a business professor at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flager Business School.

I like this term - Aerotropolis

[Valley_Refugee]

Air New Zealand is increasing service to Vancouver, up from 2 to 3 weekly over last year, in the first half of Northern Summer season (March-June 2013):

http://airlineroute.net/2012/10/03/nz-americas-s13update1/

[whatnext]

This article from today's Globe & Mail confuses me. Are they seriously contemplating moving the outlet mall site from Russ Baker Way to beside Templeton Station? Is that why they're clearing the land beside Templeton?

..<Richmond Mayor> Brodie said the mall, then proposed for a corner of the airport’s 1,340-hectare lands that was the closest to Richmond’s rapidly developing downtown, went against his city’s concept of trying to concentrate local retail into a town centre that was easily accessible by transit.

Since then, the airport and McArthurGlen have looked at shifting the mall location to a site next to a stop on the rapid-transit line that runs from the airport through Vancouver to downtown. Authority spokeswoman Rebecca Catley said that a significant proportion of the public wanted a mall that people could get to on the Canada Line. The first mall site would have required them either to drive or take a shuttle from a Canada Line stop...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on...-vancouver-international/article4613852/

[dreambrother808]

It seems like the all-around smarter option. Why not increase accessibility?

[ACT7]

I was confused by the millions of Asian visitors comment. Not according to Tourism Vancouver.

http://www.tourismvancouver.com/includes/content/images/media/docs/ytd_visitor_volume_2011.pdf

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

It seems like the all-around smarter option. Why not increase accessibility?

It just struck me as odd they would go through all the design process for the original site, and then switch. Of course Templeton makes much more sense if they're trying to lure people in between flights, as they can just ride the C-line from the terminal and back for free.

[officedweller]

That would be awesome (and a lot more competitive) if they moved it over to Templeton Station.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by whatnext

This article from today's Globe & Mail confuses me. Are they seriously contemplating moving the outlet mall site from Russ Baker Way to beside Templeton Station? Is that why they're clearing the land beside Templeton?

Offices and maybe a hotel are also planned for near Templeton - the retail would complement those uses.

Posted July 2011 - links now dead:

YVR is moving ahead with its office park at Templeton Station:

See also:

Originally Posted by CLC

By Matthew Hoekstra - Richmond Review
Published: June 24, 2011 1:00 PM
Updated: June 24, 2011 1:26 PM
A six-building business park and hotel is being planned by Vancouver International Airport Authority on Sea Island.

The airport authority issued a request for expressions of interest this week for a design team to plan what it dubs the Sea Island Business Park, which would be located on a 13-hectare (32-acre) airport-controlled site next to Canada Line’s Templeton Station.

The site is next to a newly-built 2,500-space park-and-ride facility for airport employees and near a planned 700,000-square-foot Canada Post mail processing plant that’s expected to open in 2014.

According to Raymond Segat, director cargo and business development for the airport authority, the Sea Island Business Park could bring 800,000 square feet of office space and 250 hotel rooms within two transit stops of the airport terminal.

“We see this as being a real change agent to bring the airport closer to the downtown business community, using the Canada Line as a connector to that,” said Segat.

Segat said any revenue from the project would go back into the airport and keep fees low for its carriers.

Aircraft noise won’t be an issue for the business park’s new tenants, according to Segat, adding the buildings will be constructed with a minimum gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standard.

“The offices will be soundproof,” he said. “The site has unbelievable attractive views and positioning. You’re going to be able to see outside your window planes landing.”

The office towers would range from approximately four to eight storeys, cost $200 million to build and be phased in “over the next several years as dictated by market conditions and demand,” according to the proposal document.

Construction on the first buildings and hotel is expected to begin in 2012.

Although the site doesn’t offer a central employment base, being located next to an airport and rapid transit line would be an advantage to international companies, said Ron Bagan, managing director for the Colliers International in Vancouver.

“There is definite evidence in the suburban market that being right on or close to a station, that those projects have a much lower vacancy rate than projects that are not on rapid transit,” said Bagan, adding projects pending along Vancouver’s Cambie corridor could compete with the Sea Island site.

City hall’s role in the development is “quite limited,” said city spokesperson Ted Townsend, as the land is owned by the federal government and controlled by the airport authority through a long-term lease.

Coun. Harold Steves said it makes sense to locate businesses on Sea Island that require the airport’s services, adding new taxes from the new development would be welcomed by the city.