Downtown Vancouver Updates

[Jimbo604]

Photo source: me

This is the 2nd building besides GM Place.. does it have its own thread? Anyways, there you go, almost at street level now.

[SpongeG]

does this belong in this thread? ...

New plaza in Vancouver’s gay village to be named after Jim Deva



The heart of the Davie Village is about to get even more fabulous with a permanent public plaza proposed beside the intersection with the rainbow crosswalks.

After two rounds of public consultation, the city tweaked its initial proposal and released detailed plans to block vehicle traffic for one block of Bute Street south of Davie to make way for public space.

On top of the revamped look – planners axed a giant disco ball set to hover above the rainbow intersection in favour of a ring-shaped lighting feature – the city will recommend naming the plaza in memory of Jim Deva, planner Kevin McNaney told Metro.

Deva, owner of Little Sister’s bookstore and a long-time leader in Vancouver’s LGBTQ community who fought for gay rights in Supreme Court (he won), passed away suddenly last fall. Council voted last October to name something to honour his legacy.

...

http://metronews.ca/news/vancouver/14174...-gay-village-to-be-named-after-jim-deva/

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

does this belong in this thread? ...

New plaza in Vancouver’s gay village to be named after Jim Deva



The heart of the Davie Village is about to get even more fabulous with a permanent public plaza proposed beside the intersection with the rainbow crosswalks.

After two rounds of public consultation, the city tweaked its initial proposal and released detailed plans to block vehicle traffic for one block of Bute Street south of Davie to make way for public space.

On top of the revamped look – planners axed a giant disco ball set to hover above the rainbow intersection in favour of a ring-shaped lighting feature – the city will recommend naming the plaza in memory of Jim Deva, planner Kevin McNaney told Metro.

Deva, owner of Little Sister’s bookstore and a long-time leader in Vancouver’s LGBTQ community who fought for gay rights in Supreme Court (he won), passed away suddenly last fall. Council voted last October to name something to honour his legacy.

...

http://metronews.ca/news/vancouver/14174...-gay-village-to-be-named-after-jim-deva/

I'm glad they're doing a lot for the public realm on Davie. The ring reminds me of that proposal for the VAG plaza.

[SpongeG]

yeah looks good that street is pretty dead anyway, a much better use

[Rico]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

yeah looks good that street is pretty dead anyway, a much better use

Doesn't Davey have a bus route?

[Graham_Yvr]

Originally Posted by Rico

Doesn't Davey have a bus route?

It's "Davie" and yes. This plaza is on Bute Street at Davie. Minor changes to bus stops are part of this, but traffic flow is not impacted on Davie proper.

[red-paladin]

Interesting article about the empty lot on Robson and Broughton.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-co...s-old-8-5m-real-estate-mystery-1.3143211

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by red-paladin

Interesting article about the empty lot on Robson and Broughton.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-co...s-old-8-5m-real-estate-mystery-1.3143211

Worth $8.5M and taxes of $134k last year. Not bad for a free park.

A wonder why the homeless don't camp there...

[Vin]

Incentive owner to develop the lot? Sure, just allow the site to go tall, then I'm sure Melford Properties would finally decide to develop that piece of land after almost 50 years.

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by csbvan

I'm glad they're doing a lot for the public realm on Davie. The ring reminds me of that proposal for the VAG plaza.

Yea now if they could start to update and repaint the garbage cans light posts and bus shelters. Get rid of the pink

[subdude]

Originally Posted by Vin

Incentive owner to develop the lot? Sure, just allow the site to go tall, then I'm sure Melford Properties would finally decide to develop that piece of land after almost 50 years.

Lower Robson from the West End Community Plan:

Building heights can generally be up to:

- Area ‘A’: 64 metres (210 feet)
- Area ‘B’: 91.4 metres (300 feet)

This lot is in Area B. Maybe they are finally thinking about it....

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by red-paladin

Interesting article about the empty lot on Robson and Broughton.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-co...s-old-8-5m-real-estate-mystery-1.3143211

I think it should be expropriated. at the very least the owner should make it a proper park with benches, veggie gardens, etc. a few years as is ... sure .... 30 years .... no! its a joke and should be taken care of.

[Klazu]

Thanks for the background. I guess this is similar case to some suites in One Wall Centre with nobody seeming to know if the owners even remember owning such property. I kid you not, there were few suites that neither the concierge or the rental agent seemed to have any idea what's the deal is and how the owner could be contacted.

Some people have so much money that it's just not worth their time to care about sums of money leaving or entering their account, be it in tens of thousands. Few years ago there was a news story of a rich French lady being hustled hundreds of thousands of Euros by his toyboy for years. Once he was finally caught, the lady told people that she couldn't notice amounts as small as 50k Euros go missing from her account!

I also hope the site gets developed as currently it's the owner losing out on it. The lot is today probably 500 times its original value, but that is only theoretical as long as you don't sell it. Currently the city is benefitting greatly from the property tax flowing in.

Strange case overall, but if there are two positives to it, it is that at least it is not a fenced-off dead zone and at least there is that nice huge tree.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by Vin

Incentive owner to develop the lot? Sure, just allow the site to go tall, then I'm sure Melford Properties would finally decide to develop that piece of land after almost 50 years.

I would wager that he has been contacted by plenty of developers about the land, willing to buy it off him at more than market rates over the years. So much so that he has a lawyer on retainer to politely tell people to screw off.

It doesn't make any sense.

Even if he was just sitting on it for the value to increase, the property taxes are eating into any kind of increase in value. As such, you could just build a simple single floor commercial building and make some money off rent until the land is worth building something bigger on.

The only conclusion I can come to is that the owner buried the body of a murder victim on the land when they were tearing down the previous building, and isn't developing until it is fully decomposed. It's only a theory, but it's the only one that makes sense. That, or he hates Vancouver so much that this is his $134K/year middle finger to city hall?

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Thanks for the background. I guess this is similar case to some suites in One Wall Centre with nobody seeming to know if the owners even remember owning such property. I kid you not, there were few suites that neither the concierge or the rental agent seemed to have any idea what's the deal is and how the owner could be contacted.

Some people have so much money that it's just not worth their time to care about sums of money leaving or entering their account, be it in tens of thousands. Few years ago there was a news story of a rich French lady being hustled hundreds of thousands of Euros by his toyboy for years. Once he was finally caught, the lady told people that she couldn't notice amounts as small as 50k Euros go missing from her account!

I also hope the site gets developed as currently it's the owner losing out on it. The lot is today probably 500 times its original value, but that is only theoretical as long as you don't sell it. Currently the city is benefitting greatly from the property tax flowing in.

Strange case overall, but if there are two positives to it, it is that at least it is not a fenced-off dead zone and at least there is that nice huge tree.

Everytime I walked past there I always remarked how that is the luckiest tree in any urban lot. Seriously, it has been living on decades of borrowed time.

[vanciti]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

I would wager that he has been contacted by plenty of developers about the land, willing to buy it off him at more than market rates over the years. So much so that he has a lawyer on retainer to politely tell people to screw off.

It doesn't make any sense.

Even if he was just sitting on it for the value to increase, the property taxes are eating into any kind of increase in value. As such, you could just build a simple single floor commercial building and make some money off rent until the land is worth building something bigger on.

The only conclusion I can come to is that the owner buried the body of a murder victim on the land when they were tearing down the previous building, and isn't developing until it is fully decomposed. It's only a theory, but it's the only one that makes sense. That, or he hates Vancouver so much that this is his $134K/year middle finger to city hall?

everyone and their dog has offered to buy this property multiple times. I have tried, including having offers submitted in HK 3 times in the last 4 years.

It was a father's purchase and now owned by feuding family who refuses to sell and refuses to develop.

[Klazu]

Are you being sarcastic or you really know more about this, vanciti? What is the reason give for not selling?

[EdinVan]

Originally Posted by vanciti

everyone and their dog has offered to buy this property multiple times. I have tried, including having offers submitted in HK 3 times in the last 4 years.

#boasting

[EdinVan]

Cities are hard to see through skyscrapers
by John Gapper
Financial Times

Architectural expressions of individuality make global metropolises look more like each other

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/de91a5c8-23df-11e5-bd83-71cb60e8f08c.html

[s211]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

The only conclusion I can come to is that the owner buried the body of a murder victim on the land when they were tearing down the previous building, and isn't developing until it is fully decomposed. It's only a theory, but it's the only one that makes sense. That, or he hates Vancouver so much that this is his $134K/year middle finger to city hall?

You have just given me a new idea for what to do if I won the Lotto Max jackpot.