Marine Drive Gateway | 102.1m, 77.7m, 63.4m | 35flr, 26flr, 14flr | Completed

[vanciti]

Originally Posted by officedweller

True enough before Canadian Tire was approved, but with Canadian Tire's approval as a precedent - it's tougher now to deny the application.

The area is "designated" (if not zoned) for highway-oriented retail. Article from 2007 after Canadian Tire was approved:


http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=88d5015a-186e-46e6-b4d5-f65f1326fca8&sponsor=

The area, technically has no community plan, nor vision. Current Planning Staff is pretty clear that there will be no changes to that area aside from what is allowed under current zoning of an I2 District, which does not permit retail aside from gas/service stations.

While I don't disagree with the fact it should be allowed I'm the last person you could call a NIMBY, I just know for a fact in the current administration and planning regime that you will not see a rezoning application supported if applied and there would be very creative ways using the existing zoning, future land use planning etc to ensure that it does not get off the ground until the powers to be relinquish it.

I have used the word precedent many times with planning, here and in other jurisdictions and as far as they are concerned there are no precedents, each case is individual and therefore subject to completely different rationale, even if it is across the street from another precedent property.

[officedweller]

I guess that's one of the problems - staff stonewalling the process.
I would think it unlikely in Vancouver that a developer would take the City to court to overturn a zoning decision (unlike Ontario whch has the OMB).
It is very much a political process built on working relationships and developers aren't likely to rock the boat as it would just make life more difficult in future.

[GlassCity]

IMG_20140610_180521 by AMetalnikov, on Flickr

[whatnext]

Marine Gateway and the mc2 site:

[IMG][/IMG]

my photo

[GlassCity]

Really getting up there now:


IMG_20140622_123501 by AMetalnikov, on Flickr

[GlassCity]

Can't wait for the glass.


IMG_20140627_161822 by AMetalnikov, on Flickr

[Genauso]

I often hear from first time visitors to Vancouver that it seems a lot smaller than expected based on their first impression leaving the airport. This might change that for those taking the Canada Line. The towers have another 10-20 floors more, and I can already see it will be a big anchor of change to the form of the neighbourhood.

[Metro-One]

They must be pretty retarded visitors. I have actually never heard that. I think most visitors are smart enough to know that airports are usually located n more industrial / semi-rural settings of a metro area

If I judged cities by the location of their airports then Tokyo is a small farming town As is Paris, and Toronto is a suburban shopping mall. It is an 11 km (or a little longer?) train ride to downtown Vancouver. If you draw a line 11km from many downtown areas you do find yourself in rural, semi-rural, or industrial settings

[spm2013]

Well there's a reason why they don't build skyscrapers next to airports.

[Metro-One]

If anything the visible presence of Richmond's growing urban core from the Canada Line as you leave the airport and the high concentration of bridges over the river in that area give many visitors a larger impression of Vancouver knowing that they are still relatively far away from the city centre.

[red-paladin]

A very good friend who is not too up on stats was visiting from Dallas. He though Vancouver was a bigger city, based on appearances. He was surprised to learn Dallas has a much larger population. That said, Marine Gateway will show visitors that they have reached 'the city' before they go underground. In fact, if a few years from now Marine drive station area is surrounded by towers, visitors may assume they are traveling under a vast urban area when in the Canada line tunnel, having the opposite effect.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

They must be pretty retarded visitors. I have actually never heard that. I think most visitors are smart enough to know that airports are usually located n more industrial / semi-rural settings of a metro area

If I judged cities by the location of their airports then Tokyo is a small farming town As is Paris, and Toronto is a suburban shopping mall. It is an 11 km (or a little longer?) train ride to downtown Vancouver. If you draw a line 11km from many downtown areas you do find yourself in rural, semi-rural, or industrial settings

I notice that even though airports are usually far from city centres, visitors often have to pass through industrial parks, suburb town centres with larger buildings, etc before getting to the downtown core. To date, Vancouver's suburbs only have small single family homes. Also, airports are usually linked to city centres by highly urban freeways, but not in Vancouver. All these factors would give visitors the impression that Vancouver is indeed a small town, and I don't think they are retarded thinking that. Vancouver is just different. The city only feels very urban when one gets to the vicinity of Broadway street.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Vin

I notice that even though airports are usually far from city centres, visitors often have to pass through industrial parks, suburb town centres with larger buildings, etc before getting to the downtown core. To date, Vancouver's suburbs only have small single family homes. Also, airports are usually linked to city centres by highly urban freeways, but not in Vancouver. All these factors would give visitors the impression that Vancouver is indeed a small town, and I don't think they are retarded thinking that. Vancouver is just different. The city only feels very urban when one gets to the vicinity of Broadway street.

If anything I'd say Vancouver's suburbs are much more urban than most suburbs out there...plus to me big freeways make a city seem smaller rather than bigger, although I know I'm a minority with that opinion.

[red-paladin]

Originally Posted by Vin

...To date, Vancouver's suburbs only have small single family homes. ...

This is one of the most absurd statements I've read on this forum.

[Caliplanner]

Folks, if I may add my two cents to your discussion as an Angeleno (re: being from L.A.) Vancouver does feel like a small town,...especially the downtown core which isn't very (spatially) big. That said, Vancouver has a gorgeous (to die for) geographical setting between the ocean and the mountains. My urban wish for Vancouver though is that it attracts a more diverse and sophisticated night life/energetic cultural offering beyond its current (almost) "Alaskan"/isolated North West wilderness feel!

[Metro-One]

Actually that is not at all what we are talking about here. But since you brought it up I actually personally feel that downtown Vancouver feels more of a completed urban centre, with a much better pedestrian vide, than that of downtown LA, which is actually quite insane considering that metro LA has roughly 7 or 8 times the population of metro Vancouver. Downtown LA is insanely small and dead for the size of its metro area. Of course in general LA feels vastly larger than Vancouver (as it should) but I honestly feel that downtown Vancouver feels more urban than anything in LA.

Also LOL at the Vancouver suburbs comment being only single family homes, when we have among the most urbanized and multiple suburban city cores on the continent.

[libtard]

He was talking about LA city proper, not just downtown. And yes LA's nightlife makes Vancouver look like a ghost town on most nights.

[a very long weekend]

have you been to downtown l.a.? it's not so small. anyway, it's hard to call the cities peripheral to Vancouver "suburbs" given that many have pretty serious urban swathes and that Vancouver itself is at least 50% suburban neighborhoods. think of the lower mainland more like the bay area, where you have a bunch of small cities anchored by a large city (but not all that large).

[EastVanMark]

Originally Posted by Caliplanner

Folks, if I may add my two cents to your discussion as an Angeleno (re: being from L.A.) Vancouver does feel like a small town,...especially the downtown core which isn't very (spatially) big. That said, Vancouver has a gorgeous (to die for) geographical setting between the ocean and the mountains. My urban wish for Vancouver though is that it attracts a more diverse and sophisticated night life/energetic cultural offering beyond its current (almost) "Alaskan"/isolated North West wilderness feel!

Thank you for your post. It is quite refreshing to hear an honest, outsiders point of view as we have a bit of "the emperor has no clothing" situation going on here in regards to people just swallowing whatever local officials tell them. (including, but not limited to them saying we don't need any of those things you mentioned). Either that or they just pass off really lame, uninspired, or cheap alternatives for the things you suggested

[Caliplanner]

Metro-One thanks for your thoughts on L.A. which are not true. First off L.A. (which includes its vast mertro region) is very decentralized in terms of commerce and entertainment energy etc. (think Santa Monica, Pasadena, Burbank, Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley with Warner Center and Van Nuys etc. and a host of other suburban mini downtowns in complement of downtown L.A.). As per downtown L.A. being dead at night you are ignoring the massive L.A. Live complex (which includes the Staple Center and the Nokia Theater) along with the Disney Concert Hall up the street among other entertainment venues in downtown L.A.. In complement of downtown L.A.'s changing urban landscape an increasing number of apartment/loft housing has and is being introduced (though not to the extent seen in beautiful Vancouver).