Downtown Vancouver Updates

[Bcasey25raptor]

Originally Posted by Vin

I don't know, Portland's homelessness seems more spread out: doesn't feel as concentrated as what's happening in Vancouver. In East Hastings, and now many parts of downtown's Granville Street, even many folks who do have subsidized shelters are also frequently high on something and look like zombies. An epidemic unique only to this part of the world. It's very shameful.

Portland isn't the Warmest city in the USA, Vancouver is the warmest major city in Canada. Homeless and poor people from across the country come here because they won't freeze to death in winter. Also our city has a very lax attitude towards drugs and druggies across the country again know this.

[osirisboy]

Moderator alert! Lol

Don't turn this thread into the whole homeless drug problem. I believe there is a thread for that

[osirisboy]

double post

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by red-paladin

A render of the 1345 Davie Street project, from: https://changingcitybook.com/2016/09/27/1345-davie-street/

Really liking this! Good scale. Hope people who bought in jervais were aware that this lot was getting redeveloped. Some ppl will be loosing some pretty nice views

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Bankview

Do you propose we treat their concurrent disorders by leaving them in shelters and on the street? Housing is the key to treatment, or at the very least, the key to stability. Stability provides a floor that an individual can be reached from and hopefully, eventually, brought to a place where they can grapple with their conditions.

I say this as a person who has struggled with my own serious concurrent mental health and addiction issues. I've also been homeless and have received invaluable support from the overburdened and underfunded social infrastructure apparatus that exists in this city and owe my life to the work they did - and continue to do.

Nope, housing alone is tantamount to spoon-feeding and spoiling people who don't want to get better, especially since our society has this wrong concept that housing solves everything: It does not. Giving housing with no follow-ups like good treatment (by stick and not always carrot) and jobs, we are just succeeding in creating more squalid places and slums, as is evident on East Hastings, with Granville Street, Newton and many other areas fast catching up. No other cities in the world, even those in developing countries, has it that bad like Vancouver.

You are one of the few who got the right help, but the same cannot be said of many others here.

I believe downtown Vancouver can develop and resources used much better if we can solve the problems that had been plaguing us for decades, with no real solution in sight.

[officedweller]

The Davie project looks good - reminds me of the Rolston.

************

Vancouver Sun article on the Hollyburn rental tower on Alberni.

Looks like the design has changed a bit to incorporate some twists/curves.

http://vancouversun.com/business/commerc...dding-200-plus-rental-suites-to-west-end



Residents of the 66 rental apartments at Brockton House at 1640-1650 Alberni St. have been informed the 47-year-old, 14-storey apartment building owned by Hollyburn Properties will eventually be emptied for redevelopment. A 385-foot-tall, 42-storey rental apartment tower will take its place. Evan Duggan story [PNG Merlin Archive] West End apartment / PNG
http://vancouversun.com/business/commerc...dding-200-plus-rental-suites-to-west-end


The proposed development at 1640-1650 Alberni St. in Vancouver’s West End.
Hollyburn Properties
http://vancouversun.com/business/commerc...dding-200-plus-rental-suites-to-west-end

[Jebby]

Looks good.

[osirisboy]

The side of that reminds me of that new UBC Project. Looks good

[Klazu]

That's something I would allow Empire Hotel to be replaced with. Good height and iteration on design.

[dleung]

First time that the skyline is shrinking?

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by red-paladin

A render of the 1345 Davie Street project, from: https://changingcitybook.com/2016/09/27/1345-davie-street/

More from VncnouverMarket.ca:

1345 Davie

The proposal for the 1345 Davie Street site includes:
◾two 18 and 19-storey residential buildings, over a 3 and 4 storey podium.
◾153 market residential and 68 social housing units;
◾a total density of 6.55 FSR
◾Building heights of approximately 175 ft and 157 ft.
◾Gross floor area of 232,323 SF (23% social housing)
◾4 levels of underground parking with 257 spaces, accessed from rear lane.

http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2016/09/28/two-tower-project-planned-for-davie-street-in-west-end/


http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2016/09/28/two-tower-project-planned-for-davie-street-in-west-end/


http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2016/09/28/two-tower-project-planned-for-davie-street-in-west-end/


http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2016/09/28/two-tower-project-planned-for-davie-street-in-west-end/

[BodomReaper]

Thanks for the info. Hopefully Marcon can deliver well - they've never done a project of this scale before, and some of their smaller projects aren't exactly masterpieces.

An aside: it baffles me that the prevailing authorities can see it as a socially desirable outcome to stuff nearly 25% of the population into housing paid for off the backs of the other 75%. Hardworking people live in neighborhoods far less desirable than the West End, endure longer commutes, live in older buildings - so the state can take their income and hand out new units in A+ locations often to people at a similar income level? Insanity. This 25% social housing requirement is my least favorite policy of the last few years.

[s211]

Originally Posted by BodomReaper

An aside: it baffles me that the prevailing authorities can see it as a socially desirable outcome to stuff nearly 25% of the population into housing paid for off the backs of the other 75%. Hardworking people live in neighborhoods far less desirable than the West End, endure longer commutes, live in older buildings - so the state can take their income and hand out new units in A+ locations often to people at a similar income level? Insanity. This 25% social housing requirement is my least favorite policy of the last few years.

My first thought also.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by BodomReaper

Thanks for the info. Hopefully Marcon can deliver well - they've never done a project of this scale before, and some of their smaller projects aren't exactly masterpieces.

An aside: it baffles me that the prevailing authorities can see it as a socially desirable outcome to stuff nearly 25% of the population into housing paid for off the backs of the other 75%. Hardworking people live in neighborhoods far less desirable than the West End, endure longer commutes, live in older buildings - so the state can take their income and hand out new units in A+ locations often to people at a similar income level? Insanity. This 25% social housing requirement is my least favorite policy of the last few years.

Until the 90s:

Social housing:
Helping the less fortunate and letting them get back on their own feet with the help provided with tax-payer's funding, for that's the initial goal.

Single Family Homes:
A type of housing attainable by middle-class hardworking folks.



Now, in the Millenium:

Social Housing:
Spoiling the lazy and irresponsible, but punishing the majority hard-working middle-class citizens, and yet the whole society still sees it as a sympathetic gesture.

Single Family Homes:
Protecting the very rich by not allowing high density, but punishing the majority hard-working middle-class citizens, and yet the whole society still sees it as an acceptable gesture.


Baffling how misinformed people can be.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

I wouldn't mind seeing something like the Los Angeles Bonaventure on that site, provided ther is space enough:


http://www.romanticbug.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/The-Westine-Bonaventure-Hotel-LA.jpg

Coincidentally also the site of a revolving restaurant with terrible food. Is there an unwritten rule that every revolving restaurant has bad/mediocre cuisine? Certainly been my experience.

The Bonny certainly has a cool look, but the building turns its back on the surrounding streets in a very outmoded way.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by BodomReaper

Thanks for the info. Hopefully Marcon can deliver well - they've never done a project of this scale before, and some of their smaller projects aren't exactly masterpieces.

An aside: it baffles me that the prevailing authorities can see it as a socially desirable outcome to stuff nearly 25% of the population into housing paid for off the backs of the other 75%. Hardworking people live in neighborhoods far less desirable than the West End, endure longer commutes, live in older buildings - so the state can take their income and hand out new units in A+ locations often to people at a similar income level? Insanity. This 25% social housing requirement is my least favorite policy of the last few years.

Well, given that these bright and shiny new towers remove a fair number of affordable market units from the rental pool, what do you suggest? That all the service workers in the West End/Downtown commute from Langley?

That's the thing about the infatuation for glitzy shiny condo towers, it removes affordable housing from the neighbourhoods and then the gov't has to step in to ensure it is available.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by officedweller

More from VncnouverMarket.ca:

1345 Davie


http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2016/09/28/two-tower-project-planned-for-davie-street-in-west-end/
]

Very disappointed they are not including retail or office elements for this project. I always feel that the entire Davie stretch should be retail mixed with residential. There is housing for the retired just a block away and the residents need to walk a fairly long distance to the closest retail stretch. Bad planning, especially for a major thoroughfare. An all-residential project like this one should be no less than 2 blocks away from Davie and Denman.

[s211]

Originally Posted by Vin

Very disappointed they are not including retail or office elements for this project. I always feel that the entire Davie stretch should be retail mixed with residential. There is housing for the retired just a block away and the residents needs to walk a fairly long distance to the closest retail stretch. Bad planning, especially for a major thoroughfare. An all-residential project like this one should be at least 2 blocks away from Davie and Denman.

There are lots of reasons why there's no retail here: no market need for it. There's more than enough retail/commercial space in the west end, and there's no need to add to the glut.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by s211

There are lots of reasons why there's no retail here: no market need for it. There's more than enough retail/commercial space in the west end, and there's no need to add to the glut.

Can you show me any statistics stating there is no market need for it? Don't forget this development, plus the one next door, will bring in more than 1000 new residents. And explain why Main street or Kingsway, with all its low density housing both sides, have retail on almost the entire stretch, while a high FSR neighbourhood like West End has no demand for retail?!

Obviously you haven't visited world-class cities where shops/restaurants/offices do not only line the main roads, but can also be found on alleyways and next block streets, forming a network of retail/work community that help to attract even outsider shoppers/workers/visitors and tourists into the neighbourhood. That is what makes a downtown area vibrant: for residents, visitors as well as business owners. This is the kind of neighbourhood that transit authority can justify putting in a new subway staion or a streetcar line to serve the huge number of people living or going there. This is the kind of community that can truly call itself green as residents, including the old, can conveniently walk anywhere to get their shopping done. If our downtown is not the place to achieve this, where else can we do this?

Only reasons for the retail glut downtown: Low density run-down retail with overpriced lease rate, and remote street-retail on buildings cut off from other higher foot-traffic retail communities, such as what this part of Davie is doing. If I were to walk up Davie at Burrard to shop, I have a higher tendency to continue westwards towards English Bay if the retail stretch were continuous, but currently, most people would only walk up to Bute, then turn back.

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by s211

There are lots of reasons why there's no retail here: no market need for it. There's more than enough retail/commercial space in the west end, and there's no need to add to the glut.

What are you talking about? this is the most logical place for retail! And glut? There's basically no vacancies on Davie.

This mentality baffles me. It's on one of the main commercial high streets and you think it's wrong to put retail here?