Downtown Vancouver Updates

[red-paladin]

I like this one a lot.

[connect2source]

WOW!! love the Grosvenor project, simple, modernist and timeless, the materials look to be of very high quality! nice and thanks for posting!!

[officedweller]

I just realized - no streetfront retail on Hornby St.
You'd also think they could put an entrance /exit from the bike room directly onto Hornby (rather than just to the lane).



PS - the rezoning application does not include the Howe/Pacific parcel - so maybe BIV was wrong in Grosvenor buying that lot?

[Vin]

Those fake corner shot rendering always makes the building look sleeker than it actually is: it is a ploy used by many marketers to trick the eye. Fact is, 90 degree angle doesn't make the building look like what's show. In terms of massing, this is just going to be a boring angular buildin. The balcony design and cladding material would help the overall final appearance though.

[officedweller]

One thing I find strange is that the angled wall on the balcony doesn't really add much useful interior space, and compromises the exterior balcony space.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Vin

Those fake corner shot rendering always makes the building look sleeker than it actually is: it is a ploy used by many marketers to trick the eye. Fact is, 90 degree angle doesn't make the building look like what's show. In terms of massing, this is just going to be a boring angular buildin. The balcony design and cladding material would help the overall final appearance though.

Yes! You're so right about the "90°" angles !!! They're drawn as 60° angles, as if on a triangular buiding.
Yet hopefully this one will add something, like "post International" or such.
Anyway, there are numerous buildings in Germany and the Netherlands a bit like this. It might work well. Too bad that old houses have to go, though.

[connect2source]

Not sure if this has been posted yet. Plan to turn the public Coal Harbour dock into the "Coal Harbour Deck". Similar to installations in Scandinavian cities.

http://globalnews.ca/video/2472864/ambitious-new-development-proposed-for-coal-harbour

[csbvan]

That would be great to see! I hope it comes to fruition.

[Coldrsx]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Construction of the new park at Smithe and Richards is due to start in February so it looks like a final goodbye to the old Lucy Mae Brown.

Damn, some fine memories in their subterranean abode.

[officedweller]

Interesting post about the Bay Parkade site on Changing City updates:

Otherwise the surface parking of the almost total city block owned these days by the Holborn Group sits, and waits for a development proposal. Over ten years ago the developer bought the site, and a 2006 memorandum was endorsed by the City Council that established a requirement for “a minimum FSR 5.0 commercial floor space, including at least one major office tower; retention and renovation of Dunsmuir House as Single Room Accommodation, affordable to low-income singles, with the possible transfer of the site to City ownership; market residential space as a bonus to cover the cost associated with retaining and up-grading Dunsmuir House; additional market residential space, as may fit into an appropriate form of development, which may or may not be density transferred from other heritage sites; and provision of other appropriate public benefits, subject to project viability.” Ten years later, there’s no sign of a project, although the base zoning of the site has been increased by the Metro Core Study, so now they might have to provide 7.0 FSR of commercial (which would be floorspace equivalent to seven times the site area).

https://changingvancouver.wordpress.com/2016/01/25/richards-street-600-block-west-side/

[LeftCoaster]

It's a colossal amount of commercial. Given that the site is roughly 110,000 sq ft that would mean about 770,000 sq ft of commercial. It's too bad 3 view cones bisect the site, otherwise we could have a 200M+ commercial tower here.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Interesting post about the Bay Parkade site on Changing City updates:

https://changingvancouver.wordpress.com/2016/01/25/richards-street-600-block-west-side/

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

It's a colossal amount of commercial. Given that the site is roughly 110,000 sq ft that would mean about 770,000 sq ft of commercial. It's too bad 3 view cones bisect the site, otherwise we could have a 200M+ commercial tower here.

Yet another example of how restrictions and viewcone height limits are strangling the growth of downtown Vancouver, especially when it comes to commercial space.

[LeftCoaster]

It is? Please elaborate on how a 9 storey building cannot be built here due to the viewcones...

All the density required by the FSR can easily be landed. I would venture to say one could easily land 20FSR on the site without bisecting the view cones.

Is there something I'm missing?

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Construction of the new park at Smithe and Richards is due to start in February so it looks like a final goodbye to the old Lucy Mae Brown.

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Damn, some fine memories in their subterranean abode.

Jan.25 '16, my pics

[Prometheus]

Thanks for the update.

How far north is this park going to go? The city is not really going to snuff out developable land north of the tear-down too, is it?

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Thanks for the update.

How far north is this park going to go? The city is not really going to snuff out developable land north of the tear-down too, is it?

The park goes up to the small office building so yes, that area to the north of the old Lucy Mae Brown building will become park. I'm glad to see that they'll be saving this nice cluster of mature trees.


Jan.20 '16, my pic




http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/smithe-and-richards-park.aspx

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

The park goes up to the small office building so yes, that area to the north of the old Lucy Mae Brown building will become park.

Thank you for the response.

Wow. A land-constrained city with an affordability crisis constraining itself even further.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Damn, some fine memories in their subterranean abode.

They just started to demolish the building, a few bricks from the front were pulled off.

EDIT: Nevermind, just saw the photos

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Thank you for the response.

Wow. A land-constrained city with an affordability crisis constraining itself even further.

Yeah, how dare they build a decently sized-park in a dense area of the city....

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Interesting post about the Bay Parkade site on Changing City updates:


https://changingvancouver.wordpress.com/2016/01/25/richards-street-600-block-west-side/

The report mentioned staff could see FSR 10.0 for that site.

http://council.vancouver.ca/20061212/documents/tt3_BayParkade.pdf