Olympic Village & Southeast False Creek Updates Discussion

[osirisboy]

I would love a pool and hotub on the roof! I wouldn't be too concerned with the cost of up keep. The key is to have a council that would budget appropriately for upkeep.

It's buildings that don't use their roofs at all that I find such a waste. I mean at least put a garden/common area for residents to enjoy

[rsxstock]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

I would love a pool and hotub on the roof! I wouldn't be too concerned with the cost of up keep. The key is to have a council that would budget appropriately for upkeep.

It's buildings that don't use their roofs at all that I find such a waste. I mean at least put a garden/common area for residents to enjoy

but it's something everyone has to pay for but not everyone will use... regardless of how it's budgeted

[osirisboy]

Lol then don't buy in the building!! Or don't buy in any strata. There's always going to be things that you'll be paying for but not using

[vancouver604]

Originally Posted by wrenegade

My building (James) has a rooftop garden, play area and amenity room/BBQ. The garden and amenity room are extremely well used, and the play area? Well, I've never seen that used. Great amenities overall though, and very happy there is no pool.

Perhaps instead of play areas for condos there could be a dog run for the owners similar to the building on Smythe and Hornby (I think it's the Beasley). They turned their kids play area into a doggy park which is highly used - good call!

[Vanelevatorman]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

Lol then don't buy in the building!! Or don't buy in any strata. There's always going to be things that you'll be paying for but not using

This I agree with. I hear of my friends all the time who have bought condos for either rental or residential purposes who complain "my strata fees are so high, I wish we didn't have a pool/hot tub/etc". I always tell them, why did you buy into a building that has amenities that you don't want to pay for? The building that I live in personally has a hot tub, massive indoor pool, playground, big professionally maintained garden/fountain area, and I'm happy to have these things, but in the 3 years I've owned there I've never used the pool, hot tub once, and walked through the gardens maybe a dozen times with my guests. No kids (hopefully!) on the future radar, so the playground isn't important to me. I understand that I have to pay a bit extra every month to upkeep these things, but that makes my place better, for when I do need them, they are there. And I for one am happy to pay a little bit extra for that.

[Homeowner]

Originally Posted by Vanelevatorman

This I agree with. I hear of my friends all the time who have bought condos for either rental or residential purposes who complain "my strata fees are so high, I wish we didn't have a pool/hot tub/etc". I always tell them, why did you buy into a building that has amenities that you don't want to pay for? The building that I live in personally has a hot tub, massive indoor pool, playground, big professionally maintained garden/fountain area, and I'm happy to have these things, but in the 3 years I've owned there I've never used the pool, hot tub once, and walked through the gardens maybe a dozen times with my guests. No kids (hopefully!) on the future radar, so the playground isn't important to me. I understand that I have to pay a bit extra every month to upkeep these things, but that makes my place better, for when I do need them, they are there. And I for one am happy to pay a little bit extra for that.

Even if you don't use the ammenities, it will help in resale and attract the buyers with these features when you do decide to sell or even rent out.

[osirisboy]

Yes absolutely. If the amenity can be seen as something that would add to resale it can be worth having. And as I had mentioned earlier, if the strata properly budgets for maintenance then it should help avoid any unexpected large levies in the future

[rsxstock]

well that's the reason why i bought my unit, because there wasn't a pool and i didn't want one.

[sacrifice333]

Originally Posted by vancouver604

Perhaps instead of play areas for condos there could be a dog run for the owners similar to the building on Smythe and Hornby (I think it's the Beasley). They turned their kids play area into a doggy park which is highly used - good call!

Two comments: 1) "The Beasley" was marketed with the podium-level dog run from day 1. 2) I believe the playgrounds that most new buildings now have are mandated from the city... all part of making urban living more kid/family friendly.

[memememe76]

Not everyone at The Beasley loves the dog-friendly amenity:

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Vancouver+developers+dogs/10199112/story.html

Not everyone is happy with the pet-friendly trend.

The property manager for the Beasley condo, at Homer and Smythe, believes dogs shouldn’t be allowed in multi-family housing projects.

Paul Kraul said he manages eight condo projects and just two of them have no-pet bylaws.

“I wish all of them had this bylaw,” he said. “It’s been nothing but problems. Dogs barking all day, being left by people who have no sense and think that just taking them out for a few minutes in the morning is enough. The non-pet owners are upset. Can you imagine an owner with two big dogs just taking them out for 10 minutes a day?”

Kraul said that while the Beasley’s dog patio sounds like a good idea, the reality is far different. He said he gets complaints every day from non-pet owners in the project and one of the main complaints is owners not picking up after their dogs.

Personally speaking, I love my condo's swimming pool (granted, not a roof top).

[Coldrsx]

Don't blame the dog, blame the owner. Peter Kagayama has a great take on dogs, people an cities.

[Vin]

Dogs having to suffer by holding their pee and poo indoors for at least 9 hours on each working day is itself animal cruelty, IMO. That's why they always look like they are set free from prison everytime they get to taste a few minutes of 'freedom' outdoors.

Anyway, I wouldn't consider keeping a mammal at home unless I have at least a little ranch for them to run around. Condo living with dogs is just cruelty.

On another note, I do miss having a swimming pool in my previous condo. I guess it all boils down to whether you can or like to swim or not.

[VivaPhysicality]

Originally Posted by Vin

Dogs having to suffer by holding their pee and poo indoors for at least 9 hours on each working day is itself animal cruelty, IMO. That's why they always look like they are set free from prison everytime they get to taste a few minutes of 'freedom' outdoors.

Anyway, I wouldn't consider keeping a mammal at home unless I have at least a little ranch for them to run around. Condo living with dogs is just cruelty.

That's a blanket statement that I disagree with. I work from home and walk my dog for 45 minutes every day. I don't think it would be cruel if we lived in a condo.

I agree with the rest.

[vancouver604]

Originally Posted by VivaPhysicality

That's a blanket statement that I disagree with. I work from home and walk my dog for 45 minutes every day. I don't think it would be cruel if we lived in a condo.

I agree with the rest.

I work 7.5 hours a day so my dog is alone for 8 hours but I take it out in the morning and when I'm back (as do a few other owners in my building) so it's really on how you train them to hold it. A dog run in condo buildings like vancouver would be beneficial to the owners as long as there's strict rules that owners clean up after themselves. I'd rather have dogs in the building than kids running up and down the halls. With a lot of couples choosing pets as their kids, Vancouver needs more and more dog friendly buildings.

[Porfiry]

Originally Posted by VivaPhysicality

That's a blanket statement that I disagree with. I work from home and walk my dog for 45 minutes every day. I don't think it would be cruel if we lived in a condo.

I had a neighbour whose dog howled non-stop whenever they left him alone in the house. Of course they were completely oblivious to this. Oh, and they did take him for hour long walks - it didn't matter.

[Homeowner]

Originally Posted by memememe76

Not everyone at The Beasley loves the dog-friendly amenity:

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Vancouver+developers+dogs/10199112/story.html

My guess is he's not a dog owner. Many smaller breeds are fit for for condo living. They do not need a lot of space and if you are a responsible dog owner then this would not be a problem. I bet out of 100 dog owners living in condos,probably less than 5 are problems and because of those 5 they create a bad rep for everyone else.

The only thing I am against is having a large dog (Lab, Golden retriever etc, ) living in a small 1 bedroom condo. They need the space to roam around.

[Homeowner]

Originally Posted by Vin

Dogs having to suffer by holding their pee and poo indoors for at least 9 hours on each working day is itself animal cruelty, IMO. That's why they always look like they are set free from prison everytime they get to taste a few minutes of 'freedom' outdoors.

Anyway, I wouldn't consider keeping a mammal at home unless I have at least a little ranch for them to run around. Condo living with dogs is just cruelty.

If that's an issue, the dogs can be trained to go on pee pads in the unit.

[Genauso]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Do they? Meccanica has a huge setback, and the sidewalks for Lido and Central are already there and much closer to Quebec. Unless the whole street will be re-aligned? And room for a streetcar ROW too right?

Maybe it will all be more clear once The Creek starts happening.

For now I'm happy since our place is on that corner of Block 100 and I'll have a view down Quebec instead of directly into Meccanica.

* I could be wrong, I am probably wrong *

I believe, from a post made near when Meccanica was completed, that the display center was torn down and the original garage or something like it was to be reconstructed for some quasi-commercial purpose.

[Genauso]

Originally Posted by Jimbo604

"We first saw Meccanica three years ago when it was heading to the Urban Design Panel.
...
Originally the project had a townhouse base, but that was revised to introduce a showroom and light industrial uses for the vehicle manufacturer recently located on the site. Intermeccanica have manufactured a replica Porsche classic sports car for over 50 years, and supposedly return (once the final sales have been completed)."

Source: Changing City Updates, Oct 1 2014

(emphasis mine)

[officedweller]

Intermeccanica will be within the podium on the corner, not on the grassy patch.