Olympic Village & Southeast False Creek Updates Discussion

[easy as pie]

if you're going to insist on generic architecture like vancouver seems intent on, i think it's great to get away from the podium point tower and shift toward good massing at the street level. the problem with the olympic village imo is that there isn't enough retail space. the square on the water should have had retail on all three sides. you keep the commercial space restricted, you force people to leave the hood, you don't make it a destination, you keep the price of retail space high, etc. baaaaadddd planning unless you want a through hood like grandview steps.

[Jebby]

West



IMG_4580 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr


IMG_4583 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/52692029@N04/10603397464/][/url]
IMG_4584 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr


IMG_4588 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr


IMG_4589 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr


IMG_4591 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

[SFUVancouver]

Bard, Arts Club suggested as tenants for $20.4 million Southeast False Creek arts complex

By Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun November 1, 2013 2:23 PM

VANCOUVER -- Two of Western Canada’s largest theatre companies, Bard on the Beach and the Arts Club Theatre Company, are being recommended as the tenants for a new $20.4 million city-owned arts complex in Southeast False Creek.

In a report going to council next week, city staff say the two companies would be a good fit for the 44,000 square foot complex, which was built into two stories of Wall Financial Corporation’s condo development at 162 West 1st Avenue.

The complex is but a concrete shell at this point, built as part of the developer’s $7.6 million in-kind community amenity contribution. City staff suggest property taxpayers underwrite $7 million of the cost of the $12.8 million fit-out through next year’s capital plan, including construction of a 250-seat stage. The theatre companies would have to come up with the remaining $5.8 million, mostly through federal government grants and private donations, the report says.

Howard Jang, the Arts Club’s executive director, said the company has been in severe need of new space for rehearsals and programming. It will relocate its Revue Stage theatre to the new building but is retaining its presence at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage and the Granville Island Stage.

“This is really a wonderful opportunity for us,” Jang said. “We have been in need of space for rehearsals and programming. We had been looking at the possibility of leasing or buying wherever we could when this opportunity arose.”

Jang said the Canada Housing and Mortgage Commission, which operates Granville Island, has been wanting to expand its popular public market into the area now occupied by the 196-seat Revue Stage.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainmen...complex/9113988/story.html#ixzz2jR41ZVUX

I am happy to see this head closer to fruition. That theatre space is a key part of the neighbourhood and making it operational will bring a good bump in day-time non-retail employment numbers for the area and theatre patrons will bring street level activity and patronage to local restaurants. I bet Craft and Tap and Barrel will be pleased to see this come together, the eventual Opsal heritage building restaurateur too.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by jlousa

I think OV will turn into a very desirable neighbourhood as time passes, you might not like the massing but I feel it will prove very well received. My only hope is that we see it's massings copied elsewhere over that of the d/t formula.

What different does massing make if they are following the same tired old architectural formula that the DT displays. The Olympic Village has some variation in colour/materials and should have been a template for the rest of the area, instead we're getting a shorter, fatter version of Yaletown. At least Yaletown has a good stock of heritage buildings it can lean on for character. Unfortunately there's not a lot of heritage in SEFC, so the pedestrian experience that will be focused on 2nd Ave will be pretty sterile.

Putting more effort into the retail facades would make a real difference imo. Long stretches of colourless glass retail frontage are not very enticing to retailers or consumers.

[osirisboy]

Great another short point tower! Ugh. Is it going to be taller than 2 floors between the towers for west. I was hoping that it would cover the hideousness painted concrete of the wall buildings

[djh]

Originally Posted by easy as pie

if you're going to insist on generic architecture like vancouver seems intent on, i think it's great to get away from the podium point tower and shift toward good massing at the street level. the problem with the olympic village imo is that there isn't enough retail space. the square on the water should have had retail on all three sides. you keep the commercial space restricted, you force people to leave the hood, you don't make it a destination, you keep the price of retail space high, etc. baaaaadddd planning unless you want a through hood like grandview steps.

Unless we're thinking about two different places...the square does have retail on all three sides. London Drugs/Urban Fair on the east side, bank/dry cleaners/wine store/Terra Breads on the west side, and the new beer market on the south side.

But agreed, there could definitely be a few more retail options available to help keep and attract consumers to the area.

[Vin]

Delete double post

[Vin]

Originally Posted by rsxstock

because it is not downtown?

It is only getting attention for being new but nothing else.
It is resembling Richmond, and way more claustrophobic, with uninspiring buildings everywhere, and lack of nice retail centres. The Centre and Opsal are the nicer developments that stand out. Overall it will just be a new neighbourhood, but not one to be noticed much down the road, unless something unconventional is planned for the future.

[quobobo]

^ There are also some new storefronts in the OV buildings fronting 2nd Avenue.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by logan5

...
Unfortunately there's not a lot of heritage in SEFC, so the pedestrian experience that will be focused on 2nd Ave will be pretty sterile.

Putting more effort into the retail facades would make a real difference imo. Long stretches of colourless glass retail frontage are not very enticing to retailers or consumers.

The retail strip should have been West 1st Ave - the future streetcar route - with the Olympic Plaza area simply being an offshoot of it.
Unfortunately, the zoning did not provide for that - starting with the OV itself.

The main reason West 2nd should not be the retail focus, is because the south side is remaining industrially zoned - so the south side will always be patchy for retail - plus it's too busy for a retail strolling street.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The retail strip should have been West 1st Ave - the future streetcar route - with the Olympic Plaza area simply being an offshoot of it.
Unfortunately, the zoning did not provide for that - starting with the OV itself.

The main reason West 2nd should not be the retail focus, is because the south side is remaining industrially zoned - so the south side will always be patchy for retail - plus it's too busy for a retail strolling street.

Exactly!!!!

[spm2013]

It feels sort of like it should belong as a university village in UBC or SFU with a bunch of dorm buildings. At this point it's a lost cause.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The main reason West 2nd should not be the retail focus, is because the south side is remaining industrially zoned - so the south side will always be patchy for retail - plus it's too busy for a retail strolling street.

If I read the Mt. Pleasant OCP correctly, the future of the industrial zone is still to be determined. I would imagine that the city would be very much open to rezoning along the south side of 2nd Ave.

Some traffic calming measures such as pedestrian controlled traffic signals would make things more hospitable, but I agree that 1st Ave would make a far better retail street.

[memememe76]

Well, it's called Olympic VILLAGE for a reason. It was originally developed as a dormitory for athletes.

[spm2013]

I thought they thought the opposite and wanted to keep it light industrial with some office/services.

"Strengthen and enhance the Mount Pleasant Industrial area’s role of providing centrally located, affordable production, distribution and repair space by providing opportunities to increase job intensity through modest amounts of office and service uses, without displacing light industrial functions."

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

[logan5]

Well who knows what I read or if read anything at all. There's so many documents floating around on the internet I find it a little confusing. If the city had a land use map for Mt. Pleasant, with colour codes and maybe a link for each sub area, it would probly be easier to figure things out. At least for me anyways.

[spm2013]

You can sort of do that with Vanmapp under the Districts and Areas. It just gives the label for each area but if you double click you can look it up.

http://vanmapp.vancouver.ca/pubvanmap_net/default.aspx

[logan5]

Thanx for the link. Handy tool.

[spm2013]

Cknw:

vancouver city councillors have unanimously approved a new civic theatre at false creek that will cost taxpayers about 7 million dollars.

The new 20-million dollar venue –which includes four rehearsal spaces– will be operated by the arts club theatre and bard on the beach.

Councillor heather deal says the city’s contribution will come from existing capital funds.

She says, “money that we had, that we were waiting to find the right organizations and then, partnerships to invest in. We found the right partnerships. They’ll be raising 5.8-million dollars themselves.”

deal says the remaining 7.6-million dollars needed will come from the developer of the property.

[sacrifice333]

Originally Posted by memememe76

Well, it's called Olympic VILLAGE for a reason. It was originally developed as a dormitory for athletes.

It was developed because they needed a dormitory for athletes but certainly not as a dormitory for athletes.