Downtown Vancouver Updates

[WarrenC12]

Hey man, if blood alley were more classy I wouldn't be able to buy a $3.50 beer at Gringo's.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by s211

Yeah, Blood Alley is a good example why we can't have good things.

It really depends on the neighbourhood and what's built around the "nice thing". The new alleyway around the Telus Garden buildings should be well maintained, especially if there are more shops/cafes/restaurants along it.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Vin

... Unfortunately, this new development will probably destroy it.

The new development will certainly cast a huge shadow on Blood Alley.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The new development will certainly cast a huge shadow on Blood Alley.

But taller is better. Vin? How will you reconcile this?

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by urbancanadian

Thanks for all the updates as usual, mcminsen. Each of those projects seems to be turning out very nicely.



That should be this development:


https://changingcitybook.com/2015/06/12/stanley-new-fountain-west-cordova-street/

It's certainly an interesting project. But they will need to be very careful to respect the existing buildings, especially how they treat the Blood Alley side, which is very unique for Vancouver.

After a long walk today through the Strathcona neighbourhood I came back through Blood Alley and took these pics. I was impressed by the restaurants that have a side that faces onto the alley (Salt Tasting Room, Gringo, Tacobar, Meet). There were some homeless people camped out along the back side of the building that's proposed to be added onto but it didn't seem too bad. Decades ago Blood Alley was a pretty sketchy area but it is much better now. I'm surprised by the difference even in the last year or two. The presence of restaurant patrons coming and going probably makes it a safer and more comfortable area to be in.

One issue I could see with the proposed 8+ storey addition to the building on the south side of the alley is the blockage of sunshine and daylight. Maybe they could redesign it with a space in the middle to let in some sun.



May 21 '16, my pics

[Vancouver_Highrise]

Sad the Hindenburg will probably no longer exist. It's a funky little place that adds a little bit of character to the neighbourhood.

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by Rocketeer

I noticed that a Vancouver Sun article posted a render of Burrard Bridge with the new suicide fencing - does anyone know if the below rendering is an updated one? I haven't seen this render before, and the fencing looks somewhat better than the original renders.

^^^ Click on the link in Rocketeer's post to get back to some previous discussion about the planned suicide fence on Burrard Bridge.


From Change.org (my bolding):

New motion before council regarding Burrard Bridge fencing

"Re-examination of Fencing on the Burrard Bridge 


MOVER: Councillor Affleck


SECONDER: Councillor Ball




WHEREAS...

...THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Vancouver City Council direct staff to re-examine the plan to add fencing to the Burrard Bridge as part of the Burrard Bridge Upgrades and North Intersection Improvements project, including a re-examination of design options that would be less visually intrusive and destructive to the heritage aesthetics of the bridge and to views from the bridge, as well as a re-examination of the effectiveness of fencing as a suicide prevention measure within the broader context of suicide prevention and mental health strategies."

[jollyburger]

Why didn't they re-examine it before they voted on it.

[connect2source]

I posted the Change-org piece on my Facebook page.. here's my favourite reply from a very successful career woman in the design industry :

"ohh...jeez..hmm, lets decide between the Burrard St. Bridge looking like high security penitentiary or...a saloon jail. Maybe people wouldn't jump off bridges if the city (Vision) didn't make it so damn hard to live here!"

Brilliant!!

[Prometheus]

A slightly different rendering:

The Stanley Hotel dates from 1906, and the New Fountain from 1899. Both have seen better days. They were briefly owned by Westbank, who bought them from the City Of Vancouver, and now appear to have been sold to BC Housing. They’re managed as single-room-occupancy hotels by PHS, who don’t have anything good to say about the buildings in their present state.

Now a scheme has been confirmed to retain the facades and redevelop above and behind with 80 units of non-market shelter-rate housing and 134 units of market rental, all over street-level retail space. Designed by Henriquez Partners, it will be an 11-storey building, funded by BC Housing through their Community Partnership Initiative.

An interesting twist is that Westbank wants to include a 15,000 sq. foot cabaret in the basement that will be called Blood Alley, referencing the property’s back alley, a cobblestone and brick-tiled area that will be given a significant makeover in a separate City-led design process. The name is entirely the invention of 20th century marketing – there are no identified historical sources of blood in the immediate vicinity.

The project has a September date for the Development Permit Board, assuming no roadblocks from the public process and the Urban Design Panel.

Source: https://changingcitybook.com/2016/05/24/stanley-new-fountain-west-cordova-street/

[jlousa]

Since we are on the topic of blood alley... I received the following email from the city just yesterday.

Invitation to Blood Alley Square Redesign Kickoff Events

Wednesday June 1 and
Saturday June 4, 2016
   
Hi -, 

You are invited to the kickoff events for the redesign of Blood Alley Square/Trounce Alley in Gastown.  At these events, you can learn about the project, meet our consultants, and tell us your thoughts on what you would like to see in the Square. 

 Please join us at one of these times:
 
Wednesday June 1, 2016  4-7pm in
Blood Alley Square/Trounce Alley
Saturday June 4, 2016  11am-2pm in
Blood Alley Square/Trounce Alley
 
Registration is not needed.  You can drop by anytime during the event.  
*These events will take place rain or shine.
 
Project Background 
Blood Alley Square is a public square in the heart of Gastown.  It is adjacent to Trounce Alley, one of the original roads in Vancouver, which is also included in this redesign.  The cobblestones, narrow lanes, historic streetlights and brick buildings bring a unique sense of character unlike anywhere else in the city.  The Square is cherished by the local residents, businesses and visitors, and neighbourhood groups have hosted a number of community events in the Square. 
 
The DTES Plan identifies Blood Alley Square/Trounce Alley as a priority for rehabilitation “to improve the public realm, increase safety and introduce programming, with support for community stewardship as a shared space, including opportunities for low-income community.”  
 
The Redesign
The redesign will look to improve this space for neighbourhood gatherings, conserve its important heritage characteristics, propose new ways for the management of commercial dumpsters and waste in the alley, and create a stewardship plan that involves local residents, businesses and communities.  The redesign will be guided by the nine social-impact objectives in the Plan to make sure it is inclusive and welcoming to all community members.   
 
We have hired Enns Gauthier Landscape Architects to lead a highly-qualified team of consultants with considerable experiences in the Downtown Eastside to redesign Blood Alley Square/Trounce Alley.  The redesign is expected to be completed by March 2017.

[officedweller]

Renderings from VancouverMarket.ca:


http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2016/05/25/westbank-planning-214-rental-units-for-gastown-site/


http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2016/05/25/westbank-planning-214-rental-units-for-gastown-site/

**********

Ongoing Hotel Vancouver renos - pic by me today:

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

This bull is getting penned in now.



March 10 '16, my pics

475 West Georgia.



May 25 '16, my pics

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

The former site of the Central Presbyterian Church at the corner of Thurlow and Pendrell Streets in the West End.

May 11 '16, my pics

May 25 '16, my pics

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

An update on the tree atop the Eugenia tower down at English Bay. Sprouting some green.



April 30 '16, my pic

May 25 '16, my pics

[mcminsen]

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/

May 25 '16, my pics

[mcminsen]

Pics from a couple of weeks ago of Bute Street changes just south of Jim Deva Plaza.



May 11 '16, my pics

[officedweller]

Wow, pine trees in the boulevard.

[trofirhen]

Dotting the city here and there with conifers or broadleaf evergreens breaks the monotony of winter grey without blocking too much sun. Others would like the city totally deciduous.....

As for the photos of this neighborhood, I could momentarily imagine myself in an upscale outer Parisian suburb, or part of another, older, American or European city, newer district.
The treescaping here is A1. IMHO.

[urbancanadian]

EDIT - nvm, check the next page.