Time for Vancouver to Tear Down Its Viaducts?

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by s211

And yet the Gregorinos on council are all cheerleading Concord's new proposal, yes?

Nope. The viaduct demolition proposal clusters the Concord towers over by Rogers Arena instead of along Pacific Blvd.

[trofirhen]

Whatever happened to that "Georgia Grind" project suggested for the viaduct area? Was it nixed way back, or what?

[Klazu]

24hrs: Council approves ‘windfall’ lease for arena parkade

Vancouver Canucks fans who avoid the SkyTrain and rely on their cars to get to games can now look forward to five levels of underground parking right next to Rogers Arena.

City council voted Tuesday in favour of granting a 99-year lease worth $1.27 million — or about $1,100 a month — to Pacific Coast Arena Inc. for underground land directly below the Georgia Viaduct.

Coun. Geoff Meggs described the transaction as a “windfall” for taxpayers.

“We never, ever, ever — except once in a blue moon — get a chance to take a piece of useless dirt and get $1.3 million for it.”

But Coun. George Affleck, who voted against the plan, said he was concerned city staff did not explore other options like entering into a business relationship with PCA that would guarantee Vancouver a cut of the profits.

“This seems like far from a windfall,” he said. “This $1.27 million over 99 years, at least to me, it’s a deal of the century.” PCA and the Vancouver Canucks are both co-owned by local business mogul Francesco Aquilini.City of Vancouver surveyor Al Zacharias told council “it’s very unusual that we lease these portions of streets to private owners.”

But he added the development site is very “constrained” and its value is limited since it would be difficult to build anything there other than an underground facility.

He said the city's director of real estate services also confirmed the land had negative value when it was assessed.

[Sir Conga]

I just wanted to clarify something from my last post. The Reclaim Prior group is opposed to removal of the Viaduct(s) Until traffic calming measures for Strathcona are part of the plan.

I am very pro-removal, but I absolutely agree.

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

Whatever happened to that "Georgia Grind" project suggested for the viaduct area? Was it nixed way back, or what?

as in like the Grouse Grind?

as in some sort of street level coffee grinder? or bud buster?

do you mean the GEORGIA STEPS?

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by officedweller

BTW - I was talking with a Ministry of Environment official last week, and he said that when Concord Pacific's "revised" proposal for a string of midrises along Pacific Blvd was proposed, he said that they, in effect, screamed... "noooooooo".

Apparently Parcel 6C/9 is the site of the former BC Electric (?) coal gasification plant (I think that's the massive silo you see in some historical photos). That's the most heavily contaminated part of the Expo Lands (and is planned on being remediated "in-situ" with contminants sealed in place (like under Andy Livingston Park)).

Any towers built along there would have coal tar seeping into the underground garages through the concrete walls (even after trying to remediate) - and remember - the Province is responsible for remediation on the Expo Lands - so it would become an ongoing liability for the Province.


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Source: Pacific Place Remediation Project - Remediation Plan Summary
www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/bib66916.pdf

good work OD ... but the GASOMETER aka a Gas Holder >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_holder

is what the old SILO thing was that we had talked about in historic photos before located NORTH of the "Purification Street" shown on the map. finally we have confirmation (and a new out of commission street name to ponder). thanks!

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

as in like the Grouse Grind?

as in some sort of street level coffee grinder? or bud buster?

do you mean the GEORGIA STEPS?

I saw it referred to as "The Georgia Grind," but perhaps I mean the GEORGIA STEPS. It was a snaking concrete walkway that coiled around and made for sort of an urban "hike," and was to be located pretty much where the viaducts are.


http://www.rufproject.com/projects/projects/i5/tangetialbabel_Page_25.jpg

[jlousa]

That looks like a real proposal...
Looks like someone hacked into the art class computers at Riverview to find this stuff.

I don't get it you've already been told it's not a real proposal yet you keep bringing it up. Do you acutally think it's a good idea?
Did you read the insight into the project? It's all in the link below, real convincing stuff.

http://www.rufproject.com/projects/projects/i5/

[spm2013]

....

[s211]

Originally Posted by spm2013

Urban Grouse Grind, just go find a building with an open stairwell and knock yourself out.

The one encircling the Costco elevator to the viaduct level should do just fine!

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by jlousa

I don't get it you've already been told it's not a real proposal yet you keep bringing it up. Do you acutally think it's a good idea?
Did you read the insight into the project? It's all in the link below, real convincing stuff.

http://www.rufproject.com/projects/projects/i5/

Excuse me. I DON'T keep bringing it up. I just stumbled across it a few says ago, and wondered what the freak it was all about, that's all. As for being a good idea or not, it's not my cup of tea at all, but never having heard of it until a week ago made me wonder about it, that's all. Excuse me, please. Dossier classé.

[jlousa]

You brought it up in the Science world thread of all places a few days ago and was told by another member that it wasn't a real proposal and just someone's conceptual design, and now you are bringing it up here again.
Not sure why, if you want to stoke conversataion on it because you think it's a good idea then state that, instead you ask whatever happened to the project, it was never a real project.

[theKB]

Just a thought about the aquilini parking garage. I can't seem to find anywhere that talks about the capacity, but by the addition of more parking space (such as this one) the amount of new yearly revenue to translink will be somewhat significant with their 21% parking tax, add in the eventuality of the major assessment this plot will get once the improvements are made and the city will be getting a nice piece of property tax revenue as well. With that said, that is sure a steal of a deal for that piece of land.

[jlousa]

Translink only get's a share (21%) if it's a pay parkade, some of those units will possibly be for the residential component which isn't taxed. But you are correct that the office component and the event parking will supply Translink with some additional money, the question is if there will a marked increase though. I suspect quite a large number of the existing surface spots will be dissappearing soon.

[DKaz]

How they heck are they going to build five stories of underground parking under a 15m wide strip of land between two viaduct columns? Am I reading that article correctly? And are they going underground aka below sea level?

[jlousa]

My understanding is the parkade takes up a much larger area which they own most of, they only leasing a small portion from the city.

[itinerant]

Originally Posted by jlousa

it's not a real proposal...

Where would be a good place to discuss this type of thing? While related to the viaducts, it is obviously a fantasy concept. Do we have a fantasy infrastructure thread where this would be appropriate? Its not really appropriate for Transit Fantasies. Its probably just as valid as some of the creative under-the-viaduct concepts we've seen... well, maybe not so much.

This particular concept reminds me a bit of Anish Kapoor's ArcelorMittal Orbit, built for the London Olympics mashed together with the Danish Pavilion for Shanghai 2010 Expo by Bjarke Engels (BIG) and Arup.

For a more local concept that actually had a shred of feasibility, we may look no farther than the proposed bike/ped crossing of False creek by Gregory Henriquez. Although, as I read the following page in the Downtown Vancouver Updates thread, I see you wrote it off as an 'idea sketch' at the time. Which was accurate, but it should have been a spark for something that could have become real.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

good work OD ... but the GASOMETER aka a Gas Holder >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_holder

is what the old SILO thing was that we had talked about in historic photos before located NORTH of the "Purification Street" shown on the map. finally we have confirmation (and a new out of commission street name to ponder). thanks!

Thanks.

Purification Street - that should definitely be restored to the map!

Originally Posted by jlousa

My understanding is the parkade takes up a much larger area which they own most of, they only leasing a small portion from the city.

Exactly. Aquilini would own the land abutting the leased areas on the north and south sides.
The leased areas are sterile (useless) without access from the Aquilini lands.

[jlousa]

The Vancouver Wish list thread would be a better place for unproposed projects, or perhaps creating a thread in the urban design section. If I'm not mistaken there is a fantasy thread kicking around somewhere as well.

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by spm2013

Urban Grouse Grind, just go find a building with an open stairwell and knock yourself out.

You guys just missed your annual chance few weeks ago: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=vb.139187306134480&type=2

I have taken those steps a few time during elevator outage and I raise my hat to the person who made it in 4:26 this year!