General Vancouver Updates

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by vancouver604

This is the money from all the fundraising the Children's Hospital has done over the years to help pay for the cost of the project and new building. They will probably do more fundraising to pay for other buildings that need developing in that facility. It's funny how the public thinks the fundraising is directly for the kids when it's more for Capital Projects, like they say "Putting the smiles back where they belong"

Huh? I don't think anybody is under the impression their fundraising is for candy and crayons.

Also, this:

The total cost of the three-phase redevelopment project is estimated at $676 million. The provincial government contribution to the overall project is $532 million. BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is contributing $144 million toward Phase 2.

[vancouver604]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Huh? I don't think anybody is under the impression their fundraising is for candy and crayons.

Also, this:

Nope but the public thinks it's more for medical equipment not a new building (which they seem to think the current one is perfectly fine).
I recall Michael Buble made a big contribution from his concert proceeds here last year.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by vancouver604

Nope but the public thinks it's more for medical equipment not a new building (which they seem to think the current one is perfectly fine).
I recall Michael Buble made a big contribution from his concert proceeds here last year.

This new building will be full of new equipment. It's reasonable to assume that the $144M won't even cover the full amount of the new equipment.

...and equipment is a capital expense.

I'm really not sure what your point is.

[SFUVancouver]

Interesting bit of news on VancouverMarket.ca

Cambie Site Sells in $16.7 Million Deal
Posted on February 17, 2015

A strata townhouse complex located at the southwest corner of Cambie and West 65th Avenue has been acquired by the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation of Canada for $16,700,000.
The 34,600 SF site is currently zoned CD, but is designated for 6-storey development in the Cambie Corridor Plan. The purchase price equates to $195 per buildable SF assuming a density of 2.5 FSR.

http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2015/02/17/cambie-site-sells-in-16-7-million-deal/

Is this the same group that has a facility on the southwest corner of Cambie and Marine? I could see them redeveloping the site that they have just purchased and then selling their existing site to a developer.

[mukmuk64]

Noticed the other night that friendly "Focal on Main" http://www.focalonmain.com is now jet black and ultra cool "Paragon" http://paragonliving.ca.

I guess they have been having trouble selling units, which is disappointing, because I think the building on Main and 7th is one of the best looking ones I've seen in Mount Pleasant recently. I considered it to be a good model of future development for the whole corridor.

I guess people are scared about the noise and busyness of Main Street? Maybe marketers should be trying to emphasize that the city is interested in slowing the street, and making it a more safe, walkable space in the future.

[quobobo]

Originally Posted by mukmuk64

I guess people are scared about the noise and busyness of Main Street? Maybe marketers should be trying to emphasize that the city is interested in slowing the street, and making it a more safe, walkable space in the future.

I'm curious, where did you hear that? I really, really hope you're right - Main Street itself is really unpleasant due to the traffic.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by vancouver604

Nope but the public thinks it's more for medical equipment not a new building (which they seem to think the current one is perfectly fine).
I recall Michael Buble made a big contribution from his concert proceeds here last year.

Just like the numerous contributions to "cure for cancer" runs, charity events, etc. But where's the cure? I see more shiny new "research buildings" popping up more than hearing about a cure.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

Interesting bit of news on VancouverMarket.ca



http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2015/02/17/cambie-site-sells-in-16-7-million-deal/

Is this the same group that has a facility on the southwest corner of Cambie and Marine? I could see them redeveloping the site that they have just purchased and then selling their existing site to a developer.

Hope that is true, since the SW corner of Marine Dr. and Cambie going tall would go very well with the other three corners.

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by quobobo

I'm curious, where did you hear that? I really, really hope you're right - Main Street itself is really unpleasant due to the traffic.

Yea that's for sure!!! well that's what you get when there are no proper freeways. Turns streets like main into mini thoroughfares funnelling truck/commuter traffic down it

[mukmuk64]

Originally Posted by quobobo

I'm curious, where did you hear that? I really, really hope you're right - Main Street itself is really unpleasant due to the traffic.

I sat in on a few Mount Pleasant Community Plan meetings and the later narrower scoped 2nd through 7th implementation meetings. The general tone from the locals was that Main 2nd through 7th was a hostile, dangerous street that needed to be fixed, and the City designers and engineers appeared to be in broad agreement.

In the short term as the area transitions from light industrial to mixed use residential and commercial I would not be surprised to see wider sidewalks, curb bulges and additional crosswalks. In the mid term, if the the "Streets for Everyone" local community group advocating for bike lanes and safer streets on Commercial is successful I could see a similar sort of plan being floated for Main as well.

The problem is that this section of Main has two major traffic routes (Main and Kingsway) funnelling into one road. Unless other transportation alternatives appear (Vote Yes on the referendum everyone) it's going to be difficult for the city to justify slowing this street down and turning it into something more Commercial Drive-esque even if the locals want it and it makes sense.

There was apparently a plan on the shelf to possibly extend Kingsway through the empty block on the West side of Main at 7th through to Quebec, which is a dramatically better street for carrying traffic than Main (it's actually overbuilt, which is why the notion of tearing down the Viaducts is a reasonable option).

Though this plan may have diverted traffic away from Main, in the end it's fundamentally creating new roads for cars, which could encourage traffic, and it kind of goes against general Vancouver planning policies. The locals didn't like it and I'm pretty sure this plan is 100% dead and we're definitely going to see a building on that city owned parking lot property. Because the site is at the top of the hill and not touched by any view cone it will probably be one of the taller buildings in the neighbourhood. At least as tall as the community centre across the intersection but probably taller.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by mukmuk64

There was apparently a plan on the shelf to possibly extend Kingsway through the empty block on the West side of Main at 7th through to Quebec, which is a dramatically better street for carrying traffic than Main (it's actually overbuilt, which is why the notion of tearing down the Viaducts is a reasonable option).

Though this plan may have diverted traffic away from Main, in the end it's fundamentally creating new roads for cars, which could encourage traffic, and it kind of goes against general Vancouver planning policies. The locals didn't like it and I'm pretty sure this plan is 100% dead and we're definitely going to see a building on that city owned parking lot property. Because the site is at the top of the hill and not touched by any view cone it will probably be one of the taller buildings in the neighbourhood. At least as tall as the community centre across the intersection but probably taller.

What about the city owned parking lot north of McDonalds at Main and Terminal?

If there is a "super road", that whole area needs re-work. It doesn't solve the problem of Main from 2nd to 7th, but moving that traffic to Quebec will just piss off the new OV-area residents, as that area is about ~5 years ahead of the Mt. Pleasant area in terms of buildout.

Kingsway is a hell of a road to drive on, slow as heck any time, any day.

[mukmuk64]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

What about the city owned parking lot north of McDonalds at Main and Terminal?

If there is a "super road", that whole area needs re-work. It doesn't solve the problem of Main from 2nd to 7th, but moving that traffic to Quebec will just piss off the new OV-area residents, as that area is about ~5 years ahead of the Mt. Pleasant area in terms of buildout.

Kingsway is a hell of a road to drive on, slow as heck any time, any day.

The "solution" to Main 2nd through 7th traffic is that automobiles receive less space and priority and car drivers must deal with this or choose different options. There's zero interest from the community and the city expanding space for automobiles.

As I said before that "divert traffic to Quebec" plan is very dead. I only brought it up because I thought it was an interesting glimpse of how the city keeps a number of options on the table for probably decades long periods of time.

In terms of traffic volume Kingsway is trending toward what Main south of Broadway is now, Main is trending toward Commercial. All these roads are transitioning from being car oriented pipelines to Downtown into being complete communities where there is little interest in devoting space to automobiles.

[mukmuk64]

The only road I can see retaining it's "highwayesque" status long into the future would be Knight/Clark. There is or will be lots of similar community driven pressure on other roads.

[rsxstock]

how about making north of the kingsway and main street merge one way and making quebec go one way the opposite direction?

[vancouver604]

Originally Posted by Vin

Just like the numerous contributions to "cure for cancer" runs, charity events, etc. But where's the cure? I see more shiny new "research buildings" popping up more than hearing about a cure.

It's quite lucrative those non profits are raking in the money so they won't stop "cash cow"

[subdude]

Originally Posted by mukmuk64

The "solution" to Main 2nd through 7th traffic is that automobiles receive less space and priority and car drivers must deal with this or choose different options. There's zero interest from the community and the city expanding space for automobiles.

As I said before that "divert traffic to Quebec" plan is very dead. I only brought it up because I thought it was an interesting glimpse of how the city keeps a number of options on the table for probably decades long periods of time.

In terms of traffic volume Kingsway is trending toward what Main south of Broadway is now, Main is trending toward Commercial. All these roads are transitioning from being car oriented pipelines to Downtown into being complete communities where there is little interest in devoting space to automobiles.

Are you going to setup armed checkpoints to keep cars out?

[vancouver604]

Originally Posted by subdude

Are you going to setup armed checkpoints to keep cars out?

To many cars on the road during rush hour, I saw bumper to bumper traffic at 5pm from cambie bridge right to broadway. I walked faster from 8th and cambie to 12th and cambie that it would have been driving. Soon Vancouver will be nothing but gridlock. It's nice walking over the cambie bridge as more and more folks do and leave the cars at home and only take em out for the weekends!

[Pinion]

Cambie near Broadway is one of the worst spots for traffic jams in town, not just at rush hour. My wife wants me to drive to a store on Cambie tomorrow but it's faster to take the bus/seabus/Canada line from the north shore, and that is unbearably slow too.

[Rico]

Originally Posted by vancouver604

To many cars on the road during rush hour, I saw bumper to bumper traffic at 5pm from cambie bridge right to broadway. I walked faster from 8th and cambie to 12th and cambie that it would have been driving. Soon Vancouver will be nothing but gridlock. It's nice walking over the cambie bridge as more and more folks do and leave the cars at home and only take em out for the weekends!

You say that like it was different 25 years ago. Trust me I remember being stuck in rush hour traffic plenty back when I was in University. Rush hour is no worse than back then.....the difference is it starts earlier and lasts longer. If I have to go downtown from N. Delta I take Skytrain. Unfortunately that does not help much for Broadway...if only someone would propose something to improve that trip....oh yah, hopefully people will vote Yes.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Cambie near Broadway is one of the worst spots for traffic jams in town, not just at rush hour. My wife wants me to drive to a store on Cambie tomorrow but it's faster to take the bus/seabus/Canada line from the north shore, and that is unbearably slow too.

The lights are bad there... plenty of capacity on the bridge and further south on Cambie.

Same thing with south Granville, but you can take Fir off of the GSB to bypass it. No such option exists on Cambie.