Vancouver Infill & Lowrise Updates Discussion

[Homeowner]

Originally Posted by Sir Conga

Today at Hastings and (I think) Templeton.

On the other corner (west north side) the restaurant was for sale several years ago. They wanted something absurd around $3 million. Eventually it was never sold.

[VanCityDeveloper]

I have it on rather good authority that The Werks at 555 W7th is in some financial and sales difficulty.

The project should have been done months ago and still has quite a bit on the interior to go, they still haven't started cladding the outside. Be a shame to see this falter completely.

[city-dweller]

Arbutus site is now completely cleared. Got a shot from the alley on W16th looking north across the site. Sun made options for a better shot impossible. (by me, today)



Woot! got the embed thing down!

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by VanCityDeveloper

I have it on rather good authority that The Werks at 555 W7th is in some financial and sales difficulty.

The project should have been done months ago and still has quite a bit on the interior to go, they still haven't started cladding the outside. Be a shame to see this falter completely.

this project seems frozen still. anyone know anything?

[Genauso]

Took advantage of the good weather and I have a few pictures to share of some lower profile projects.


The first is "La Vista" which is on Arbutus, between W 14th and W 15th. It had a crane and is a concrete structure.




I've added a couple pictures to the thread for "The Ridge". It seems to be at a stage of low intensity excavation. Once the old building was demolished, I was surprised by the good mountain views even at street level.

Over by 41st and Cambie there is one project finishing and one that appears to be starting soon. There are going to be a lot of changes coming on 41st between Oak St and Cambie.

From west to east on the southern side of Cambie there are the relatively new Jewish community center and King David high school, then Ivanhoe Cambridge's Oakridge lands. On the northern side there is an Esso gas station, a disused translink bus lot / 2 story medical building, 3 blocks of old Vancouver specials that seem to have been bought as groups by developers, a new seniors housing project, a church, and then an old office building with a TD bank. Furthermore, there are many properties that are likely to be redeveloped soon along Oak St or Cambie St at 41st but so far there is more going on along Granville/Oak/Cambie towards 45th-57th it seems.

Sign for the "Aperture Living" project. Taken at 41st and Willow.


A few of the "Leo Wertman Residence / Legacy Seniors Living" project. Between proximity to a mall, transit, and medical care this place probably will charge a fortune and be fully booked.

[Genauso]

Here's a relatively recent one on 41st in Kerrisdale. There's another construction site on the same block that will probably end up with something similar.


On Oak St between 41st and 49th, there is about one SFH left.
http://s881.photobucket.com/user/genauso...0209_124628_zps1qoye8i4.jpg.html?filters[user]=138481833&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=10


At 41st and Granville




This one on Granville, maybe near 49th, surprised me. Just a little mini-subdivision. I never noticed it before and it's recent




source: me, yesterday

[Genauso]

Shannon Mews, 57th & Granville







source: me, yesterday

[BodomReaper]

Thanks for the updates, Genauso. Always nice to check-in on the parts of Vancouver us suburbanites rarely get around to visiting.

[officedweller]

Thanks for all the updates!

[Genauso]

The old gas station at 41st&Larch is still a vacant lot (looks like there is pumping equipment for remediation behind a fence, but it's been years)

The new construction site I mentioned last time as being just up the block from the 3 story building with the RunInn on the ground floor, is at the head of 41st&Yew and there is nothing visible beyond the plywood hoarding yet.

At 40th&West Blvd there is a substantial condo development. I'm surprised I missed taking pictures, it is above ground now, but this weather is no good for photos. (source: http://kerrisdalegardens.ca/)


There is a new substantial condo development at 37th&West Blvd. Nothing visible at the site, but they opened a sales centre a few blocks away. (source: http://www.boulevardkerrisdale.com/)


The former 7-11 across the street is still a weird combination of a spa and a hobby store. I guess a lot depends on the owner of the land, and their expectations, but it seems very easy and natural for significant densification to happen in much of the city. Anywhere there are already multi-storey residential, commercial, busy roads, transit, parks/schools/hospitals -- just double what was built there 50 years ago. It seems to fit in with few complaints.

The last couple decades seem to have been dominated by condo towers in the city, and greenfield single-family homes in the suburbs. Is that because of land prices increasing much faster than building/maintenance costs? I'm somewhat surprised townhomes haven't been more popular in many places. Would it take land prices decreasing, or construction/maintenance costs increasing to switch towards an era of townhomes in the city (no elevators!) and consolidation in the suburbs (sort out schools, transit, jobs before building more.) I know you can't predict everything, just a thought. It's likely that in the next 20-30 years the Agricultural Land Reserve will be reduced and half of Richmond and all of Delta is suddenly opened for development, in which case who can predict what that will look like for the whole region.

[Sir Conga]

Some progress up Hastings Sunrise way.





Pics March 13

[SFUVancouver]

^ That's just not very good.

[LeftCoaster]

Haha, great assessment.

[osirisboy]

What is the stuff they have up on the exterior called? It looks awful and I hope this doesn't become common. It looks cheap and reminds me of portables

[jlousa]

*l* Guess I'm the only one that thinks it looks good.
Certainly different and will allow a lot more light in the most woodframe buildings.

[whatnext]

I was thrown for a minute thinking this was multifamily, as the sign out front directed passersby to register at their website. It's single family though, http://www.135east17th.com/ if you are moved to buy!

[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

[Vin]

Finally! Something different in Vancouver's low rise single family residential neighbourhood! I hope to see more pre-fab or concrete houses in the near future. I may even be inspired to buy a house one day (if I can afford it, that is.).

[logan5]

Originally Posted by Sir Conga

Some progress up Hastings Sunrise way.





Pics March 13

Originally Posted by osirisboy

What is the stuff they have up on the exterior called? It looks awful and I hope this doesn't become common. It looks cheap and reminds me of portables

That's probably fibre cement board, which I would describe as outdoor drywall, at least in this application. You can get it with a different finish, like faux wood grain for example. I agree, it does look cheap, and it is becoming more common. IMO not a good product for a residential building.

One developer on this forum said that these panels are, labour included, more expensive to install than brick. I'll take him at his word, but brick would have looked a lot better. Cheaper too apparently.

[djh]

"fibre cement board"? Does not sound like a material meant to be exposed to rain for 6+ months of the year.

How many years would you give it until it joins the ranks of buildings that catch LeakyCondo-itis?

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Vin

Finally! Something different in Vancouver's low rise single family residential neighbourhood! I hope to see more pre-fab or concrete houses in the near future. I may even be inspired to buy a house one day (if I can afford it, that is.).

Definitely a daring design, especially to build on spec.