General Vancouver Updates

[Klazu]

Nimbys be nimbys. The debacle over the 12 floor "tower" nearby Commercial Drive is nothing short of ridiculous. I wonder if the real reason for all the protesting is not the height after all, but the supportive housing component it will have. Height is just a more socially acceptable reason to protest somethig...

‘That's too tall’: Opponents to Commercial Drive tower protest project scale

Residents opposed to a 12-storey tower on Commercial Drive with condos and a drop-in centre and supportive housing for the Kettle Friendship Society don’t think people realize just how big the development might be.

In an effort to demonstrate the scale, a group called the No Tower Coalition raised a five-foot-wide, red helium balloon into the sky at a small protest at Woodland Park on Sunday to show people just how high the building could tower over the predominantly lower rise neighbourhood.

“That's too tall,” resident Nigel Peck said to a crowd of about 50 as he raised the balloon with a kite-like contraption he fashioned in his kitchen at 4:30 a.m. “This is going to dwarf the entire community.”

He believes the city, Boffo Properties and the Kettle aren’t being transparent about the scale of the building that he said could hurt the neighbourhood’s unique flavour. When the group displayed a model it made estimating the scale at Car Free Day in June (both the Kettle and Boffo dispute its accuracy), Peck said it convinced 500 people to sign a petition against the project.

Peck acknowledges it’s a difficult issue since the Kettle, which has provided services for people with mental illness at its location on Venables for nearly 40 years, says it cannot expand without partnering with the developer. But opponents like Peck think the Kettle should look for government, not private, funding.

“You don't do public health projects that involve sacrificing a neighbourhood,” he said. “It pits the neighbourhood against the neighbourhood.”

Around the corner at the Kettle, executive director Nancy Keough and Daniel Boffo were ready to defend the project. They called the protesters’ model “misinformation,” noting there is already a 14-storey building across the street.

“I want to talk to the community and give them the accurate information,” Keough said. She knows there will always be opposition to increasing density, but Keough called for respectful dialogue.

“We’re not that busy today because people were worried about the protest and didn’t want to come,” she said.

The Kettle has tried for years to get government funding, but there is no cash available for the drop-in centre, Keough said.

“It’s not like there’s millions of dollars out there that someone is handing out. If there is, give me their number and I’ll give them a call,” she said.

The project will have 30 supportive housing units made possible by the 150 to 200 condos, Boffo said. He pointed out that it isn’t precedent setting to take money from developers to pay for supportive housing or services.

“Why not have the private side be able to help out and do its share as well in community good,” Boffo said. “We need to be progressive and think of solutions outside the box.”

Boffo would love to put in a rezoning application as soon as possible, but is waiting for the end of the Grandview-Woodland community planning process.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/vancouver/2...-tower-protest-attracts-small-crowd.html

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Nimbys be nimbys. The debacle over the 12 floor "tower" nearby Commercial Drive is nothing short of ridiculous. I wonder if the real reason for all the protesting is not the height after all, but the supportive housing component it will have. Height is just a more socially acceptable reason to protest somethig...

there is already a 14-storey building across the street.

so 12 is too tall ... but 14 is OK ...... LOL

these are NIMBYs for the sake of being NIMBYs

[s211]

If it's any help, as I rode past a couple with arms full of "no tower" signs on the weekend, I felt compelled to wish them a happy "yes tower". They didn't seem to convey any joy in their disposition, unfortunately.

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Slightly revised as again reported by Changing City Updates - and it still looks good.
There's only one 4-storey skewed upper section, rather than two 2-storey ones.
Not sure about the stuff on the roof, but no one will see that (?)
- and it now has a name "Spot" (although the loft project on Seymour has the name "The Spot").


http://changingcitybook.com/2015/01/29/spot-2800-cambie-street/

Spot - 2800 Cambie Street (just south of Vancouver City Hall) seems to be happening now.



Aug.18 '15, my pics

[osirisboy]

So what's the deal with those? Is it being moved completely off the site or repositioned somewhere with the project?

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

So what's the deal with those? Is it being moved completely off the site or repositioned somewhere with the project?

Don't know for sure. There is one heritage house sitting on the site right now. I think it used to sit at the other end of the site facing City Hall. See this old Googlestreetview image:

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Cambie+...!1s0x5486738a0d3dd221:0xeba980555c530bc6

I saw one pic of a model in the sales centre that seemed to have a house of that shape incorporated into the project on the southeast corner, where it's positioned now. We'll see if they continue to dig around it.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Nimbys be nimbys. The debacle over the 12 floor "tower" nearby Commercial Drive is nothing short of ridiculous. I wonder if the real reason for all the protesting is not the height after all, but the supportive housing component it will have. Height is just a more socially acceptable reason to protest somethig...

Well, they already called themselves the "No Tower Coalition". So I guess anything taller than 3 stories is considered a "tower" to these backward hicks.
I wonder what they mean when they said this 12-storey building would "hurt the neighbourhood’s unique flavour"? I wonder what unique flavour they mean. What flavour? That is a plain boring backward area, and no wonder it is always so sleazy and lacks character.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by Vin

Well, they already called themselves the "No Tower Coalition". So I guess anything taller than 3 stories is considered a "tower" to these backward hicks.
I wonder what they mean when they said this 12-storey building would "hurt the neighbourhood’s unique flavour"? I wonder what unique flavour they mean. What flavour? That is a plain boring backward area, and no wonder it is always so sleazy and lacks character.

I have to agree, vancouverites are spoiled in terms of how they can control development in their neighborhoods. Vancouver is odd in that it doesnt have more older pre zoning era taller buildings throughout the city compared to other north American cities. Plus that north section of commercial has some super low density apartment blocks nearing hastings, huge grassy lawns with few trees and very uninspired buildings. Whats there to lose. With hastings rapiding becoming popular with developers; that intersection will only become more popular and that northern stretch of commercial will definitely be seeing more high density proposals. Frankly speaking, that area can really use more eyes on the street from some taller buildings. From a public safely standpoint.


From jaksview3's wordpress page

And they must turn a blind eye to that 14 floor tower thats prominently placed on commercial. Its at least 40 years old too.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

I have to agree, vancouverites are spoiled in terms of how they can control development in their neighborhoods. Vancouver is odd in that it doesnt have more older pre zoning era taller buildings throughout the city compared to other north American cities. Plus that north section of commercial has some super low density apartment blocks nearing hastings, huge grassy lawns with few trees and very uninspired buildings. Whats there to lose. With hastings rapiding becoming popular with developers; that intersection will only become more popular and that northern stretch of commercial will definitely be seeing more high density proposals. Frankly speaking, that area can really use more eyes on the street from some taller buildings. From a public safely standpoint.

Pic from SqueakyMarmot's photostream on Flickr
And they must turn a blind eye to that 14 floor tower thats prominently placed on commercial. Its at least 40 years old too.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there was a time when erecting a taller building was much easier in Vancouver. The 60s must've produced a bunch of "flower children" who are getting rather old now but still in a hippy state of mind. First they brainwashed/pushed the city council in the 80s to create the Viewcone policies, and now being rather advanced in age, they are still pretty vocal and bitter about developments. Anything that reminds them of a big city must be vehemently denied.

[officedweller]

http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2015/08/20/rental-aparment-project-planned-for-49th-main-street/

Mixed use / Rental apartment planned for site of All India Sweets - Main & 49th:


http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2015/08/20/rental-aparment-project-planned-for-49th-main-street/


http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2015/08/20/rental-aparment-project-planned-for-49th-main-street/

[webster]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

there is already a 14-storey building across the street.

so 12 is too tall ... but 14 is OK ...... LOL

these are NIMBYs for the sake of being NIMBYs

the 'no tower' argument doesn't make much sense given it's 12 stories and across from a 14 storey tower in an amenity rich neighbourhood.

if anything, i'd be arguing against the density rather than the height. The building is fat and huge. not a big fan of the massing at all.

[retro_orange]

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2014/02/major-redevelopment-pearson-dogwood/



Pics and quote from vancitybuzz

"The massive redevelopment will also potentially incorporate the construction of an additional underground Canada Line station at 57th Avenue and Cambie Street.

The Pearson Dogwood site currently houses aging health care facilities that date back as old as the 1950s, including a building that was built to combat tuberculosis and later on a polio epidemic but is now used to treat adults living with a range of brain and spinal related injuries. Another facility also houses seniors requiring around the clock complex care."






Renders taken from vancitybuzz article

Anyone have any more info or updates on this? The people in those remders are hilarious btw.

Edit: found this link, http://pearsondogwood.vchnews.ca/ is there a thread for this that I missed?

[connect2source]

Isn't that Cosmo ( Georgia and Beatty ) in the pic, third from the bottom? Crazy renders, looks excessively chaotic and crowded!

[osirisboy]

Lol could they cram in anymore trees and marshland in this thing

[a very long weekend]

damn, all india sweets closing would truly mark the end of an era for the city.

[WugOverlord]

Originally Posted by connect2source

Isn't that Cosmo ( Georgia and Beatty ) in the pic, third from the bottom? Crazy renders, looks excessively chaotic and crowded!

They honestly look like collages made in some high school beginner's photoshop course

[djmk]

this place might beat out disneyland for the happiest place on earth. I want to live here!

[s211]

Was at Cambie and 12th yesterday and noticed that the mothballed refurbishment of the concrete highrise on the SW corner of that intersection was back under way again. Not sure if that had been mentioned here already.

[s211]

Originally Posted by WugOverlord

They honestly look like collages made in some high school beginner's photoshop course

Before they got to the "less is more" module of the course.

[SFUVancouver]

That VanCityBuzz article is nothing more than the Pearson Dogwood Lands Policy Statement. There's absolutely no new information in there that hasn't been public available for months.