Suburban Updates - All Other Metro Vancouver Municipalities

[SFUVancouver]

^ I think that's called Alfa. There's a lot happening along the No.3 Road corridor, especially further north in the future Capstan Way Station precinct.

[officedweller]

The Windsor, Coquitlam

July 7, 2016


https://twitter.com/polygonhomes

[urbancanadian]

Originally Posted by RichmondOval

Picture by me. Don't know what project this is, but it's in Richmond near Granville Ave and No.3 Road!

I'm not quite sure, but it looks like your photo was taken from the south side of Granville Avenue, just east of No. 3 Road, looking north?

If so, then the building under construction in the foreground is Storeys, which is an affordable housing tower.

http://vanmarconstructors.com/projects/richmond-storey/

The site being preloaded in the background is for the iFortune Centre project (NE corner of Anderson & No. 3 Road).

http://www.ifortunehomes.com/index.php/en/component/content/article/81-picture/high-rise/90-slide51

Alfa is on the same block, but at the NW corner of Anderson & Buswell (hidden behind Storeys).

http://www.liveatalfa.com/

Hope that helps!

[RichmondOval]

Originally Posted by urbancanadian

I'm not quite sure, but it looks like your photo was taken from the south side of Granville Avenue, just east of No. 3 Road, looking north?

If so, then the building under construction in the foreground is Storeys, which is an affordable housing tower.
http://vanmarconstructors.com/projects/richmond-storey/

The site being preloaded in the background is for the iFortune Centre project (NE corner of Anderson & No. 3 Road).

http://www.ifortunehomes.com/index.php/en/component/content/article/81-picture/high-rise/90-slide51

Alfa is on the same block, but at the NW corner of Anderson & Buswell (hidden behind Storeys).
http://www.liveatalfa.com/

Hope that helps!

Yes that clarifies things up a lot! It was looking north from the parking lot of the Td on that corner. Have never even heard of that ifortune project. Thanks!

[officedweller]

ITC Centre in Richmond has started construction:


https://twitter.com/GBLArchitects


https://twitter.com/GBLArchitects

http://www.gblarchitects.com/work/international-trade-centre/

[SFUVancouver]

Thanks for the clarification about Alfa vs Storeys. I was referring to the latter as the former. Interesting to learn that Storeys is a affordable housing building.

With regards to iFortune Center, thanks for the rendering. They're going full-bore with accelerated preloading (concrete blocks have replaced sand) and it's an interesting mix of development program.

Good to see that there's some solid evidence of the International Trade Centre (ITC) being officially under construction with rebar and whatnot. That's going to be home to an Opus hotel, if I recall correctly.

That whole general area between Lansdowne and the future Capstan Station precinct is going bonkers with projects by Pinnacle, Concord, and Polygon (the first phases of which are all under construction or complete), plus the big project at No. 3 and Cambie Road across from Lansdowne Mall (which itself if rumored to be in play), plus the big Yuanheng site (next to the Westin-Wall Financial project) at the corner of No. 3 and Sea Island Way. Never mind the Oval precinct, too.

Lots going on!

[LeftCoaster]

ITC Centre is actually happening? Wow I had no idea. I thought it was one of those in-limbo projects.

So much going on in richmond it is honestly overwhelming. Every time I turn around there's a new tower I've never heard of.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

Good to see that there's some solid evidence of the International Trade Centre (ITC) being officially under construction with rebar and whatnot. That's going to be home to an Opus hotel, if I recall correctly.

you would recall correctly


http://itcrichmond.com/office.html

[Vin]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

ITC Centre is actually happening? Wow I had no idea. I thought it was one of those in-limbo projects.

So much going on in richmond it is honestly overwhelming. Every time I turn around there's a new tower I've never heard of.

Yup, you should keep turning around.....From what I heard, City of Richmond has more than 200 projects backlogged. It should have a pretty neat city centre, expanded all the way from No.3 Road east to Garden City, and west to River Road waterfront area. It's just too bad that the buildings there are rather short and won't have an impact on its skyline from afar. Travelling into the city and approaching Richmond Centre via Canada Line already makes one feel how urban it is while rolling along the elevated guideway.

[LeftCoaster]

Very exciting, although it's all quite Olympic Village-esque, I'm surprised you find it 'neat' and urban.

Not to mention they want to remove both major malls in the city centre.

It's really about the most un-Vin place I can imagine.

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

ITC Centre is actually happening? Wow I had no idea. I thought it was one of those in-limbo projects.

So much going on in richmond it is honestly overwhelming. Every time I turn around there's a new tower I've never heard of.

Originally Posted by Vin

Yup, you should keep turning around.....From what I heard, City of Richmond has more than 200 projects backlogged. It should have a pretty neat city centre, expanded all the way from No.3 Road east to Garden City, and west to River Road waterfront area. It's just too bad that the buildings there are rather short and won't have an impact on its skyline from afar. Travelling into the city and approaching Richmond Centre via Canada Line already makes one feel how urban it is while rolling along the elevated guideway.

I strongly suspect lots of speculation fueling unprecedented construction. If you go spend some time around those new neighborhoods it would seem most of those apartments are remaining empty. I encourage anyone who thinks otherwise to go have a look for them selves.

[Spork]

Originally Posted by cornholio

I strongly suspect lots of speculation fueling unprecedented construction. If you go spend some time around those new neighborhoods it would seem most of those apartments are remaining empty. I encourage anyone who thinks otherwise to go have a look for them selves.

15% of purchases by foreigners in Richmond, I would agree that this is probably fueling a lot of it.

[RichmondOval]

Originally Posted by cornholio

I strongly suspect lots of speculation fueling unprecedented construction. If you go spend some time around those new neighborhoods it would seem most of those apartments are remaining empty. I encourage anyone who thinks otherwise to go have a look for them selves.

I am sure there is much speculation going on. However, compared to 5 to 10 years ago, I've noticed that there has been more occupancy. Back when the Olympics were causing a tremendous amount of residential construction, some condos would appear to have literally 10-20% occupancy rate (from my observation). However, newer buildings such as River Green, Ora, as well as Pinnacle in Richmond do genuinely seem to have more people living in them. That may of course be because prices in Burnaby and Vancouver are skyrocketing.

[Marshal]

The foreign investment market is obviously a major aspect all over the place. Regardless, pointing it out weekly, monthly, daily, etc. is tiring and adds nothing of interest. We have all known about it for years. And a worse version of this is the endless exaggeration. Even if 30% of units are empty, that leaves 70% occupied . . . and in central Richmond, with the density that now exists, that's a lot of people going about their daily lives. Foreign investment is an important factor and issue, but stop bringing it up without adding something to our understanding. In other words, get over it already.

[Sin_City]

Your banks in Canada are not as dumb as ours in the US. Our housing crisis was fueled by banks that would loan 100% with no to minimal documentation. Your banks require foreigners to put in 40% down payment before loan approval.

We purchased a Pinnacle unit at Capstan (Richmond) when they were pre-selling three years ago and use it as a vacation unit. We were there this weekend and the garage appeared about half-full.

Had dinner with a friend and he was telling us about this development at Metrotown?, Burnaby, that seems to be the hot place at the moment. Anyone know anything about it? For someone like us, it would seem a bit far to get to with the horrible surface traffic in Vancouver.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by Sin_City

Your banks in Canada are not as dumb as ours in the US. Our housing crisis was fueled by banks that would loan 100% with no to minimal documentation. Your banks require foreigners to put in 40% down payment before loan approval.

We purchased a Pinnacle unit at Capstan (Richmond) when they were pre-selling three years ago and use it as a vacation unit. We were there this weekend and the garage appeared about half-full.

Had dinner with a friend and he was telling us about this development at Metrotown?, Burnaby, that seems to be the hot place at the moment. Anyone know anything about it? For someone like us, it would seem a bit far to get to with the horrible surface traffic in Vancouver.

Just leave the car at home and take the skytrain!

[Sin_City]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

Just leave the car at home and take the skytrain!

We'll probably do that along with a trip to downtown. We don't keep a car at our condo since Hertz and Enterprise is less than a 10 min walk away.

[urbancanadian]

Nice angle of West Van's skyline I thought was worth posting:


Cindy Goodman
http://www.nsnews.com/news/west-vancouver-debates-denser-more-affordable-future-1.2300684

[officedweller]

Interesting study for density in downtown Maple Ridghe from 2015:

http://mgba.com/wp/meier-204/

Meier 204
May 7, 2015
Located in Maple Ridge, BC, this project encompassed a highly involved site study and planning exercise
in order to produce massing and layout options for a dense residential development in the heart of Maple Ridge.
Bringing together commercial and residential opportunities to comprise an innovative form of urban village,
this massing study helped convey possibilities of the sites unique characteristics which could be amplified by
careful configuration of the built environment.

http://mgba.com/wp/meier-204/


http://mgba.com/wp/meier-204/


http://mgba.com/wp/meier-204/

That would be for this site described here:

Plaza bought
Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows - The News
January 14, 2014

Owners of Johnston Meier Insurance have bought the Haney Plaza to add to their property acquired on Dewdney Trunk Road and 224th Street in downtown Maple Ridge.

Bruce Johnston and Tom Meier bought the retail mall at 22255 Dewdney Trunk Road, last November, for $7.3 million. The strip mall contains a discount liquidation store, a laundromat and several smaller retail outlets on a four-acre property that stretches from Dewdney Trunk Road to Brown Avenue.

The property is added to at least 16 other lots just to the east, from 223rd to 224th Street, 10 of which were sought for rezoning in 2011.

While the file is still active, it isn’t moving forward at the present, District of Maple Ridge development manager Chuck Goddard said Tuesday.

Two years ago, Meier had sought rezoning to allow future construction of five residential towers, ranging from 15 to 25 storeys, to be built in phases over several years.

An hotel, seniors residences, an educational institute, condos, restaurants and shopping were all proposed for the area between 223rd and 224th streets.

Overall, more than 226,000 square feet of commercial space and 693,000 sq. ft. of residential and hotel accommodation were projected.

Now, with Haney Plaza added, the properties now cover two entire blocks from 224th to Plaza street.

http://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/241735081.html

[Metro-One]

That would be amazing for Maple Ridge. I really hope that project moves forward resembling something close to that scale.

It is the perfect location, it is right in the heart of the town core and is surrounded by the few older streets in Maple Ridge that actually have a little bit of urban retail charm.