Vancouver House (1400 Howe St) | 151.5m | 52Fl | Completed - Page 26

LeftCoaster · #**501** Posted **Oct 9, 2014, 11:45 PM**

Was walking by yesterday and demo has started.

Word is this one is over 90% sold and is going ahead full steam.

SFUVancouver · #**502** Posted **Oct 10, 2014, 12:12 AM**

^ Good for them. Happy to hear that this foray into international residential architecture is running smoothly, unlike Lord Foster's Jameson House, which got dinged by the recession.

Vin · #**503** Posted **Oct 10, 2014, 12:27 AM**

I'm really glad that the dump is being cleaned up as we speak.

Vin · #**504** Posted **Oct 10, 2014, 12:28 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

^ Good for them. Happy to hear that this foray into international residential architecture is running smoothly, unlike Lord Foster's Jameson House, which got dinged by the recession.

Like it or not, the international marketing/sales foray into Asia certainly helped. That's where the money is.

Porfiry · #**505** Posted **Oct 10, 2014, 12:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vin

Like it or not, the international marketing/sales foray into Asia certainly helped. That's where the money is.

They've been pushing it in Calgary also.

dleung · #**506** Posted **Oct 10, 2014, 2:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cornholio

...Great looking project, I don't want to take away from more relevant discussions...I just could not let this pass without comment, people are thinking the developer proved that Canadians were offered these units first, when they clearly tiptoed around that subject and did not say anything like that, and usually there are good reasons to tiptoe (to hide/muddy/avoid the truth).

Yeah, but because of your "dey took er jerbs" reputation I can't help but take the above with a grain of salt

Jebby · #**507** Posted **Oct 10, 2014, 12:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cornholio

Great looking project, I don't want to take away from more relevant discussions...I just could not let this pass without comment, people are thinking the developer proved that Canadians were offered these units first, when they clearly tiptoed around that subject and did not say anything like that, and usually there are good reasons to tiptoe (to hide/muddy/avoid the truth).

Seriously, who gives a sh*t where they offered it first?

Jimbo604 · #**508** Posted **Oct 10, 2014, 3:29 PM**

So the former service station at northeast corner beach and Howe isn't going to be included in this dev?

phesto · #**509** Posted **Oct 10, 2014, 3:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbo604

So the former service station at northeast corner beach and Howe isn't going to be included in this dev?

No. Apparently Westbank tried to buy it, but the previous owners (Black Top Cabs) held out for more money and eventually sold it to a Chinese buyer who bought it on spec.

Normally the City wouldn't have allowed such a small lot to become orphaned...but the City was already well down the road with Ian Gillespie on the sale of the City land on the Northern part of the block and didn't want to piss Gillespie off by requiring that he overpay for the south corner.

Jimbo604 · #**510** Posted **Oct 10, 2014, 8:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by phesto

No. Apparently Westbank tried to buy it, but the previous owners (Black Top Cabs) held out for more money and eventually sold it to a Chinese buyer who bought it on spec.

Normally the City wouldn't have allowed such a small lot to become orphaned...but the City was already well down the road with Ian Gillespie on the sale of the City land on the Northern part of the block and didn't want to piss Gillespie off by requiring that he overpay for the south corner.

Dangit.. another orphaned lot.

osirisboy · #**511** Posted **Oct 10, 2014, 8:51 PM**

Good! Something can eventually be built there so who cares? When you see those 9 floor buildings in Chinatown going up on what? 30 foot wide lots I'm pretty certain something can go up here

Vin · #**512** Posted **Oct 11, 2014, 5:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by osirisboy

Good! Something can eventually be built there so who cares? When you see those 9 floor buildings in Chinatown going up on what? 30 foot wide lots I'm pretty certain something can go up here

Like a Kwik-E Mart, minus the parking lot.

Jimbo604 · #**513** Posted **Oct 11, 2014, 9:09 PM**

It'll never have the density it would if the property was incorporated into the larger development.

Klazu · #**514** Posted **Oct 13, 2014, 8:25 PM**

And so it begins...

giallo · #**515** Posted **Oct 14, 2014, 4:15 AM**

^ Here we go!

Coldrsx · #**516** Posted **Oct 14, 2014, 4:19 AM**

Oddly enough, memories.

excel · #**517** Posted **Oct 14, 2014, 6:32 AM**

I used Unity Auto about 2 months ago for the first time. It's only a block away.

SFUVancouver · #**518** Posted **Oct 14, 2014, 8:39 PM**

Awesome to see this proceed. I once helped some people move some stuff out of that mini storage. Always kind of neat to know you've been in a building that's about to be no more.

vanciti · #**519** Posted **Oct 16, 2014, 3:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Was walking by yesterday and demo has started.

Word is this one is over 90% sold and is going ahead full steam.

95% sold and I believe the remaining units will be held back. The S&M team is wrapping up and closing things out.

vanciti · #**520** Posted **Oct 16, 2014, 3:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by phesto

No. Apparently Westbank tried to buy it, but the previous owners (Black Top Cabs) held out for more money and eventually sold it to a Chinese buyer who bought it on spec.

Normally the City wouldn't have allowed such a small lot to become orphaned...but the City was already well down the road with Ian Gillespie on the sale of the City land on the Northern part of the block and didn't want to piss Gillespie off by requiring that he overpay for the south corner.

The property has been sold 2 times since 2011.

Beach Place Ventures owned it from 1991 to 2011 (Black Top Cabs)

A numbered company bought it in 2011

Vantage Pacific Developments bought it in 2013

The fact that the city didn't force Gillespie to buy it is actually quite sickening, there are almost no other developers in the City that could have gotten away with this. The site is massively contaminated from the former gas station which SHOULD have been a factor in the City forcing Westbank to purchase it and remediate it and the adjacent City lands as part of the Development Approval.