Olympic Village & Southeast False Creek Updates Discussion

[sacrifice333]

Originally Posted by svlt

Seriously considering buying something here to move in. Any obvious warnings I should look out for?

How is the commercial building stock coming along? Does anyone know of any new retail openings in the surrounding area in the coming year aside from what's already there? If anyone does live here, can you comment upon whether the retail services meet your needs so that on a typical day you won't have to drive out of your way to get something?

In The Village alone you have Urban Fare, London Drugs, Legacy Liquor, Village [Dry] Cleaners, FC Medical Dental [soon to add Optometry], TD Bank, Terra Breads, Tap & Barrel, CRAFT, and the FC Community Centre. Add in the immediately surrounding and you have JJBean, Blenz, some Teas & Cakes place, Aqua Sushi & Juice Bar, Pure Nailspa, UPS Store, Manna Sushi, a couple of hair salons, Amato Gelato, and more. "Opening soon" include a Theatre space, BMO, The Flying Pig, Starbucks, etc.. Extend just a bit farther and...

I've heard more than one Village resident contemplate the construction of a moat...

[spm2013]

And a funeral home

[logan5]

How is the commercial building stock coming along? Does anyone know of any new retail openings in the surrounding area in the coming year aside from what's already there?

It's a bit further away, but Chinatown is being revitalized. With its large stock of heritage, Chinatown and the rest of the DTES will be a super cool area to live close to.

[Jimbo604]

Opsal



The ONE



Rooftop pool at The ONE



The ONE



Meccanica



Meccanica



Block 100 excavation at the former Burger King site



New street between Lido and Central



Lido from the north side



New street between Lido and Central looking east

Source: me

[BodomReaper]

Thanks for the thorough update. It looks like Cressey put all their effort into the Meccanica midrise block, with the tower as an afterthought.

[Kapten]

Originally Posted by BodomReaper

Thanks for the thorough update. It looks like Cressey put all their effort into the Meccanica midrise block, with the tower as an afterthought.

I wonder if residents will have to smell gas fumes from the Shell on the same block?

[Jimbo604]

Originally Posted by Kapten

I wonder if residents will have to smell gas fumes from the Shell on the same block?

Forgot to get a picture but the former Busters Tow lot office now Meccanica display office is still at the end of the block, I believe. Odd.

Google Streetview of this

[hollywoodnorth]

I oddly ran into a small fire last week at OPSAL ... see pics. seemed like some insulation that caught on fire from a welder or something to that effect.

[SFUVancouver]

Thanks for all the photos.

[nds88]

Originally Posted by svlt

Seriously considering buying something here to move in. Any obvious warnings I should look out for?

How is the commercial building stock coming along? Does anyone know of any new retail openings in the surrounding area in the coming year aside from what's already there? If anyone does live here, can you comment upon whether the retail services meet your needs so that on a typical day you won't have to drive out of your way to get something?

Everything sacrifice said...but if you are willing to walk 10 minutes, you can reach the Broadway + Cambie area (shop at No Frills and an asian produce store instead of Urban Fare...unless you enjoy being ripped off). There are some restaurants in the area (milestones and some more fast food type), as well as Winners, Best Buy, Canadian Tire. You can also go the opposite direction and walk down to Main St. I generally stop by this area once or twice a week on my way home from work. The urban fare is good if you are really into those trendy "super" foods or need some miscellaneous ingredients. I think the restaurant scene could use some diversity, the Tap and Barrel and CRAFT are pretty similar. The restaurant in Opsal is supposedly going to be similar to CRAFT and T&B.

I like being so close to the sea wall and it is situated in the middle of the canada line and expo line...about an 8 minute walk to either (or you can bus one stop to Olympic Village station). If you are active, you can easily run down to Jericho beach or up to stanley park. If you have a dog, it seems to be a pet friendly area, with a fenced off area for off leash and tons of people walking there dogs in the area. Most are also pretty good about cleaning up after their pet too

If you have little nieces/nephews or children there's a few playgrounds nearby and a duck pond my little cousin has a blast at.

There is a lot of development that is planned, so it should be getting better.

The general residents in the village seem to be decent and respectful.

The free parking is a plus

Two biggest cons:

One big con is the free social housing, not the non-market rental, in the area. This is the housing that is literally given to druggies and street bums (a waste of taxes imo). It would be one thing if it was housing for individuals on some sort of rehab program, but to my knowledge, I don't think this is the case.

The building manager said the bums have been causing some issues, but wasn't specific on what they were. I don't believe they are anything serious though. I notice all their buddies always drop by their building and constant in and out with riff raff. its not too prominent in the village itself though.

I personally have not witnessed/experienced any crimes or harassment from them, however, I do notice police/ambulance always outside their building. There have also been a couple break ins in my building, however, it cannot be confirmed if it was from the no income housing residents.

Its definitely not a deal breaker, but it is a major shame that they would put two of these housing units in the immediate area, which is prime real estate with multi million dollars units. I would advise not buying into meccanica or the building at 1st and Crowe, since it is right beside these no income units.

Also the hot water heating system is a total rip off. All buildings in the area are connected to NEU. A ridiculous method of heating with absolutely no benefit to justify the exorbitant cost.

My building is going through some issues with the proposed cost. The developer quoted 95k....now they are wanting to raise the cost to over 240k. I barely have my heat turned on...even in the winter my unit in the middle of the building is a comfortable 20-22 degrees. I can count the number of days on one hand when heat was necessary for me this winter. The only hot water I use is for a daily shower and dishes once or twice a week.

A unit I have in Yaletown is in a building that has twice as many units and just over twice the square feet, yet our total hot water comes to less than 240k. You literally pay more than double for the same thing.

The only thing green about this system is the city's pockets that are being lined with my money.

[theKB]

Originally Posted by nds88

A unit I have in Yaletown is in a building that has twice as many units and just over twice the square feet, yet our total hot water comes to less than 240k. You literally pay more than double for the same thing.

The only thing green about this system is the city's pockets that are being lined with my money.

The NEU or rather Enerpro is probably quoting so high partially because of their ridiculous administration fee (that usually was higher than the usage charges).

If you have a townhouse you will find that the heating system on the lower floor is completely useless making it an icebox in the winter. 10-12 foot ceilings with HEAT radiating from the roof. Considering heat rises you would have to have the roof basically on fire to get enough heat down to where the people are. The Enerpro "pumps" that are hidden in the wall are also using electricity so one can assume that enerpro is also billing for their hydro usage as well. The other drawback to the system is that it provides for a nice open connection between all the units which caused a rodent problem. Don't forget that Enerpro is run by one of Gregor's donors/buddy's as well. A nice little thank you gift for the support.

I will say the overall build quality of the OV is pretty poor. Crooked walls, wavy ceilings, cheap fixtures etc etc.

As a comparison, The exchange in their heritage side, the energy costs were HALF of what they were in the OV. IF you are in the OV price spectrum see if you can get a unit in one of the other developments in the area, they are much nicer IMO.

[SFUVancouver]

^ If that price differential is true then that speaks volumes to the value of high thermal mass walls (thick brick walls) and a conventional hydronic heating solution vs the more exotic 'mat'-based system in the Millennium buildings, since both the Olympic Village and The Exchange are on the exact same district energy system and paying the same Enerpro premium on top of their thermal energy usage.

[theKB]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

^ If that price differential is true then that speaks volumes to the value of high thermal mass walls (thick brick walls) and a conventional hydronic heating solution vs the more exotic 'mat'-based system in the Millennium buildings, since both the Olympic Village and The Exchange are on the exact same district energy system and paying the same Enerpro premium on top of their thermal energy usage.

the other difference was that in the heritage exchange part it used baseboard heaters (I would guess it was hot water). If the OV had some sort of heating in the lower part or frankly did radiant floors instead of ceilings it may have made a huge difference.

[rsxstock]

will the NEU admin fees come down when more buildings are connected? is it possible to just 1 or the other heating service?

[nds88]

Originally Posted by theKB

The NEU or rather Enerpro is probably quoting so high partially because of their ridiculous administration fee (that usually was higher than the usage charges).

...

I will say the overall build quality of the OV is pretty poor. Crooked walls, wavy ceilings, cheap fixtures etc etc.

As a comparison, The exchange in their heritage side, the energy costs were HALF of what they were in the OV. IF you are in the OV price spectrum see if you can get a unit in one of the other developments in the area, they are much nicer IMO.

The NEU doesn't bill me directly, its all included in the strata fees. I'm not sure what the "admin fee" would be. We had a presentation given by an NEU rep to explain the system. The presented 10% premium for this "green" system sounds good on paper (even for a cheap ass like me, if it is a significantly cleaner method I don't mind paying a max premium of 10%), but the reality is that the actual cost is more than double for my heat and hot water. This is based on me comparing the costs in my yaletown condo, so I know it is all BS. A few other owners had similar experiences in North Van with the city jerking them around.

I believe there is little we can do, since it is required to be connected to NEU. I don't know if this means we have to use NEU, or if we can install our own natural gas line and utilize whichever is more cost efficient based on the market price of gas (the NEU uses some new technology that utilizes sewage heat instead of nat gas). If we have to use NEU only, I think this is unfair, since there is no competition to keep them in line and they can jerk us around as much as they want.

We are fighting with the developer to resolve this. I don't know all the details of how heating systems work, but if we can have the developer install a nat gas line/in house heating system, I think that could be a viable. Otherwise, our council is trying to get them to cover the difference of the misquote, but that only solves the problem for 1 year.

I second not being in an original OV unit, unless you do copious amounts of due diligence first. I don't think its fair to say all the OV units are garbage unless research has been done on each building. Its not as if there are tons of owners (besides the city) listing their units trying to get rid of them because of all the headaches. My realtor rented a 2br in the OV (not sure of the building) and he had water leak issues. Also, when I went to view an OV show home, I asked them about the huge water stain in the ceiling...which they quickly brushed off saying "they would replace the panels" (that doesn't solve the issue...water will keep leaking).

I'm in a new building right at the edge of the original OV. Overall I am quite satisfied, besides the two points mentioned in my previous post.

[svlt]

Originally Posted by sacrifice333

In The Village alone you have Urban Fare, London Drugs, Legacy Liquor, Village [Dry] Cleaners, FC Medical Dental [soon to add Optometry], TD Bank, Terra Breads, Tap & Barrel, CRAFT, and the FC Community Centre. Add in the immediately surrounding and you have JJBean, Blenz, some Teas & Cakes place, Aqua Sushi & Juice Bar, Pure Nailspa, UPS Store, Manna Sushi, a couple of hair salons, Amato Gelato, and more. "Opening soon" include a Theatre space, BMO, The Flying Pig, Starbucks, etc.. Extend just a bit farther and...

I've heard more than one Village resident contemplate the construction of a moat...

Thanks for the update, looks like a pretty decent set of commercial services. Is it an actual movie theater that is being opened there or some sort of live performance/outdoor theater?

Originally Posted by nds88

Everything sacrifice said...but if you are willing to walk 10 minutes, you can reach the Broadway + Cambie area (shop at No Frills and an asian produce store instead of Urban Fare...unless you enjoy being ripped off). There are some restaurants in the area (milestones and some more fast food type), as well as Winners, Best Buy, Canadian Tire. You can also go the opposite direction and walk down to Main St. I generally stop by this area once or twice a week on my way home from work. The urban fare is good if you are really into those trendy "super" foods or need some miscellaneous ingredients. I think the restaurant scene could use some diversity, the Tap and Barrel and CRAFT are pretty similar. The restaurant in Opsal is supposedly going to be similar to CRAFT and T&B.

I like being so close to the sea wall and it is situated in the middle of the canada line and expo line...about an 8 minute walk to either (or you can bus one stop to Olympic Village station). If you are active, you can easily run down to Jericho beach or up to stanley park. If you have a dog, it seems to be a pet friendly area, with a fenced off area for off leash and tons of people walking there dogs in the area. Most are also pretty good about cleaning up after their pet too

If you have little nieces/nephews or children there's a few playgrounds nearby and a duck pond my little cousin has a blast at.

There is a lot of development that is planned, so it should be getting better.

The general residents in the village seem to be decent and respectful.

The free parking is a plus

Two biggest cons:

One big con is the free social housing, not the non-market rental, in the area. This is the housing that is literally given to druggies and street bums (a waste of taxes imo). It would be one thing if it was housing for individuals on some sort of rehab program, but to my knowledge, I don't think this is the case.

The building manager said the bums have been causing some issues, but wasn't specific on what they were. I don't believe they are anything serious though. I notice all their buddies always drop by their building and constant in and out with riff raff. its not too prominent in the village itself though.

I personally have not witnessed/experienced any crimes or harassment from them, however, I do notice police/ambulance always outside their building. There have also been a couple break ins in my building, however, it cannot be confirmed if it was from the no income housing residents.

Its definitely not a deal breaker, but it is a major shame that they would put two of these housing units in the immediate area, which is prime real estate with multi million dollars units. I would advise not buying into meccanica or the building at 1st and Crowe, since it is right beside these no income units.

Also the hot water heating system is a total rip off. All buildings in the area are connected to NEU. A ridiculous method of heating with absolutely no benefit to justify the exorbitant cost.

My building is going through some issues with the proposed cost. The developer quoted 95k....now they are wanting to raise the cost to over 240k. I barely have my heat turned on...even in the winter my unit in the middle of the building is a comfortable 20-22 degrees. I can count the number of days on one hand when heat was necessary for me this winter. The only hot water I use is for a daily shower and dishes once or twice a week.

A unit I have in Yaletown is in a building that has twice as many units and just over twice the square feet, yet our total hot water comes to less than 240k. You literally pay more than double for the same thing.

The only thing green about this system is the city's pockets that are being lined with my money.

Thanks for taking the time to do an extremely detailed write-up. I had completely forgotten that it isn't that far off from Broadway. Wasn't thinking it was really a walkable distance on a daily basis, but I suppose I could cycle there.

How are the skytrain/Canada lines in the mornings? Are they packed so that you can never get on a car? Would hopping on the Aquabus be a reasonable solution if I worked in the Yaletown area? (Never tried it before)

I had forgotten the area was slated to have social housing. I don't mind the concept from a social perspective but that severely dampens my interest into plopping half a million dollars into the area. It sounds extremely NIMBY to say but I'd have to see some signs of the social issues decreasing to invest so much money and to risk starting a young family in a few years in the area where there are risks of violent crime, prostitution, drug abuse etc.

After reading about what you wrote, I took to a quick Google search and there has been a number of unfavorable media attention towards the unsavory activities that happen there...i.e. noise at night, needles being picked up in the area, issues of completely unsolicited harassment, etc. I hear of these people being increasingly priced/pushed out, and while awful from a social justice perspective, does make me as a prospective buyer more inclined towards living in the area... is this the case? Or will they continue to be subsidized here for all eternity? And what areas have they been observed to impact apart from 1st & Crowe and meccanica (1st & Quebec) that you had mentioned, or are the problem areas generally contained within and immediately around the buildings? Or is it just a "problem" that has been blown out of proportion?

Haven't even wrapped my head around the exorbitant energy costs yet, but since I will be buying and not renting I'd like to scope out the area to ensure the social issues are not as serious as they are made out to be (or if they are, to just move on and look for another area to live in).

[spm2013]

It's in Wall Centre for the Pacific Theatre, the Arts Club Theatre Company and Bard on the Beach.

http://www.straight.com/arts/521736/bard...ld-get-new-home-vancouver-theatrical-hub

Not sure how many actual performances will be held there.

[jlousa]

Quite relevant to the topic at hand, goes on about them raising the consumption part of the costs in trying to get people to cut back on energy usage. Looks like it'll be increasing at above inflation rates again.

http://former.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20140429/documents/a1.pdf

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by jlousa

Quite relevant to the topic at hand, goes on about them raising the consumption part of the costs in trying to get people to cut back on energy usage. Looks like it'll be increasing at above inflation rates again.

http://former.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20140429/documents/a1.pdf

From what I've read the problem isn't the consumption costs, it's the bottom line fixed costs to receive the service. I thought consumption costs were along similar lines to the market rates of BC Hydro or FortisBC. That's probably what is presented as "10% more" than normal, but the base costs are crazy.

[s211]

Originally Posted by theKB

If you have a townhouse you will find that the heating system on the lower floor is completely useless making it an icebox in the winter. 10-12 foot ceilings with HEAT radiating from the roof. Considering heat rises you would have to have the roof basically on fire to get enough heat down to where the people are.

I am hearing that the exact same problem exists with Westbank's 700 West 8th's townhomes.

Ever single person who's ever seen the heating system installed on the ceiling, including all the service people, all give it a complete .