Downtown Vancouver Updates - Page 477

trofirhen · #**9521** Posted **Feb 14, 2013, 11:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by officedweller

Other BIV articles:

Developers Push for Demolition of West End walkups
http://www.biv.com/article/20130205/BIV0...push-for-demolition-of-west-end-walk-ups

Businesses push for West End overhaul
http://www.biv.com/article/20130122/BIV0109/301229983/businesses-push-for-west-end-overhaul

I think the features requested in te West End Overhaul are, in general, great: a frequent, fast, cheap, West End transit loop service, gateways at Denman & Georgia, and at Davie & Burrard, wider sidewalks, consolidated parking to free up street space for that, plus mid-block plazas .... it all sounds rather good, IMO.

officedweller · #**9522** Posted **Feb 14, 2013, 7:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlousa

The first new downtown proposal in a while, probably won't have that much company this year.

36 storeys @ 508 Helmcken (Jubilee House @ Richards)?

I thought that area lies under a number of view cones, accounting for the lowrise building neighbouring the site - H+H, Richards, Donovan, Freesia...

Looks to be under the Laurel Bridge and Charleson Seawall view cones here (although the adjacent Heather Bay view cone could be the lowest in the area). After the City website overhaul, I can't find the helpful view cone photo montages anymore.

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spm2013 · #**9523** Posted **Feb 14, 2013, 7:59 PM**

....

jlousa · #**9524** Posted **Feb 14, 2013, 9:36 PM**

A sliver of the site looks like is allowed to go for additional height as per page 6 of the below document.

http://vancouver.ca/docs/planning/final-council-report.pdf

I'm sure that providing 110 rental units is in part to replace the existing units and to try and convince the city to allow it to encroach into the viewcone. Anyone know off hand how much height is allowed under those viewcones there?

officedweller · #**9525** Posted **Feb 14, 2013, 10:06 PM**

Even the F1.1 Choklit Park view cone cuts across the site - but looking at the view cone pic in that report, 36 storeys may fall below the view cone (I think the tower would be alligned with Park Place).

The adjacent Heather Bay to Lions view cone is probably the shortest one.

Found the "former" website pages:

B1 View Cone:

http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/views/viewcones/b1.htm

B2 View Cone:

http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/views/viewcones/b2.htm

C1 View Cone:

http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/views/viewcones/c1.htm

C2 View Cone:

http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/views/viewcones/c2.htm

D View Cone:

http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/views/viewcones/d.htm

F1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 View Cones: (I think the site may line up with Park Place)

http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/views/viewcones/f1.htm

phesto · #**9526** Posted **Feb 14, 2013, 10:17 PM**

The Freesia building at 1082 Seymour (NE corner of Seymour and Helmcken) was limited to 165 feet. http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/dpboard/2004/reports/1082seymour.htm

It mentions this: ...a partial 19th floor (upper penthouse level) [is] positioned outside the view corridor at the Helmcken/Seymour Streets corner.

So maybe a tower in the back corner (ie. next to the park) could be outside the view cone?

Either way the FSR is ridiculous for that location.

jlousa · #**9527** Posted **Feb 14, 2013, 10:18 PM**

Playing with Vanmaps it looks like the only ones affected seem to be

B2 -- just misses
C2.1 -- grazes just a corner easily avoided
D -- grazes just a corner easily avoided

F1.1 (Choklit Park) covers over 90% of the site
3.2.1 (QE Park) city has shown ability to relax this one.

So really we are talking about F1.1 only.

phesto · #**9528** Posted **Feb 14, 2013, 10:30 PM**

The site is owned by the City anyway, so maybe getting a height and density relaxation wouldn't be so tough (much like 1400 Howe)

.

officedweller · #**9529** Posted **Feb 14, 2013, 10:33 PM**

So looking at the F1.1 view cone pic, Metropolis is I think about 30-32 storeys (?) and 1188 Richards (just below Park Place) is 24 storeys - so if the 508 Helmcken site is farther back, then 36 storeys may fit under that view cone.

East Van · #**9530** Posted **Feb 15, 2013, 6:55 AM**

View cone pictures with cloud cover...

leftside · #**9531** Posted **Feb 15, 2013, 5:53 PM**

Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but it looks like the bottle depot at 41 East Hastings could be on the way out:
http://changingcitybook.com/2012/11/12/41-east-hastings-street/
http://cfapp.vancouver.ca/planning_wa/index.cfm

Might bring some interesting changes....

On a related note, some people are freaking out about a nice restaurant being built opposite pigeon park:
http://scoutmagazine.ca/2013/02/03/diner...idgin-on-the-downtown-eastside/#comments

Going to be an interesting few years in the hood.

SFUVancouver · #**9532** Posted **Feb 15, 2013, 7:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by leftside

On a related note, some people are freaking out about a nice restaurant being built opposite pigeon park:
http://scoutmagazine.ca/2013/02/03/diner...idgin-on-the-downtown-eastside/#comments

Going to be an interesting few years in the hood.

This is one of the most interesting comments threads I've read in a very long time. Paulo fights the good fight against gentrification and calls out 'Theodor' for posting such hateful things in defence of the new restaurant and gentrification. The twist: nothing from Theodor was present in the comments thread. Then the moderator from Scout chimes in asking if Paulo was also Theodor, because the comments for both were coming from the same computer and they hadn't released any 'Theodor' comments for public viewing. Paulo sputters out an excuse that he was sharing a computer and the guy before him, who (incredibly!) also just happened to be reading and posting comments to the exact same Scout Magazine story, was responsible for the unseen hateful comments and Paulo promised to cut off ties with him...

Sir Conga · #**9533** Posted **Feb 15, 2013, 8:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

This is one of the most interesting comments threads I've read in a very long time...

It is madness over there... I could only get about half-way through the comments. So much hate.

I'm sure a lot of the anti-"gentrifuckation" peeps that seem to have flooded scout would call me a naive racist colonialist asshole, but I'm happy when new businesses open in the DTES. I honestly don't understand the desire to fight gentrification in such a wasted area.

mezzanine · #**9534** Posted **Feb 15, 2013, 8:43 PM**

wow, that's a %^*$('ed up comment thread, but good on the editors at scout for the call-out.

Well, i guess i gotta go to pidgin now...

SFUVancouver · #**9535** Posted **Feb 15, 2013, 8:55 PM**

Noticed this on the Vancouver Market blog: http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2013/02/15/36-storey-tower-proposed-for-richards-and-helmcken/

GBL Architects are proposing a hefty 36-storey condo and market rental apartment building on the site of Jubilee House (508 Helmcken), a non-profit social housing building. The site is City-owned. Does anyone have any insight into this project? Is the CoV developing the building? Is it partnering with a developer-operator to build and operate the project in exchange for the City receiving an equity position? Concert Properties (in a previous iteration) built the market rental tower at Seymour and Drake on CoV-owned land (if I'm not mistaken).

Quote:

The proposal is for a 36 storey mixed use building with 344 market residential strata units (including 5, 2-level townhouses at grade), 110 market rental units and a private school. The proposed building is 320 ft high with a floor area of 365,334 sq ft and a density of 17.4 FSR. (emphasis added)

Source

jlousa · #**9536** Posted **Feb 15, 2013, 9:23 PM**

Posted about it on the previous page, not much infos out in the public though. Be able to share more in about a week.

officedweller · #**9537** Posted **Feb 16, 2013, 12:06 AM**

Pic by me today:

Robson & Granville - Note the steel bars for the angled window framing
- 2 floors to go.

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Reference render from Changing City Updates:

http://changingcitybook.com/2013/02/09/720-robson/

Delirium · #**9538** Posted **Feb 17, 2013, 2:15 PM**

^ thanks. doesn't look so bad. at least there's no green spandrel to be seen.

i noticed yesterday that fencing went up around the site of 980 howe. looks like they're going to demolish the RBC branch. The building is called Manulife Financial Tower.

Architype · #**9539** Posted **Feb 18, 2013, 8:09 AM**

Robson & Granville seems very appropriate for that site, it has a feel of familiarity without seeming too banal. The Manulife proposal seems a bit underwhelming for its size, the very essence of being "just another office building". Anyway those are just my impressions from the renderings.

trofirhen · #**9540** Posted **Feb 18, 2013, 2:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Architype

Robson & Granville seems very appropriate for that site, it has a feel of familiarity without seeming too banal. The Manulife proposal seems a bit underwhelming for its size, the very essence of being "just another office building". Anyway those are just my impressions from the renderings.

I know what you mean, but I think it lends a certain continuity to that side of Howe St.