Olympic Village & Southeast False Creek Updates Discussion

[logan5]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

Absolutely. False creek should be a natural place for downtown to expand and i think the removal of the viaducts and relocation of the hospital will help to make that happen. The stadium district still kinda cuts it off though.

Compared to all other areas that downtown could potentially expand to, it has the least amount of nimbyism because of predominantly industrial and commercial land use for the past half century and there's no viewcones to impede heights.

What would help is having more large scale office buildings proposed, similar to what is built downtown. The housing is already being built there, i'm sure those people would love to be able to walk to their office in just a few minutes.

There are offices opening up in the MT Pleasant industrial area (very close to FC), so what you're suggesting is happening on a smaller scale. If we do see major office towers south of False Creek, they would likely be close to Broadway and Cambie, where 2 Skytrain lines will intersect. Still walking distance for residents of False Creek.

[scryer]

Mount Pleasant or the Kingsway-Broadway-Clark triangle seem like better locations. We'll need patches of midrise to break up the bland, uni-sized tabletop known as downtown.

Is this a joke?

With the incredible land restraints and land demand, you want to place even more limits on building height in areas that are a stone's throw away from the downtown core, for the sake of the skyline? Listen, unless downtown Vancouver starts growing a pair and learns to build taller skyscrapers, you can expect more vertical sprawl.

That's right, I said it; vertical sprawl is a real urban phenomenon that is happening in Metro Vancouver.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by scryer

Is this a joke?

With the incredible land restraints and land demand, you want to place even more limits on building height in areas that are a stone's throw away from the downtown core, for the sake of the skyline?

By that logic, New Yorkers should solve their own housing crisis by building Trump towers all over Greenwich and Little Italy. "Character of the nighbourhood" is occasionally a valid argument.
Olympic Village is... a village. It's low-rise and unassuming by definition, and yet still high-density and still vibrant. No reason we can't have more of those scattered around False Creek - beats the hell out of yet more oversized picnic spaces.

Originally Posted by scryer

Listen, unless downtown Vancouver starts growing a pair and learns to build taller skyscrapers, you can expect more vertical sprawl.

Correct. Vision's strict adherence to zoning based on a tree line in QE Park (which has since grown) means that when downtown inevitably spreads all the way around False Creek, it'll be as an endless flat monolith of stunted condos, occasionally broken by an actual tower.

That's only part of the problem though. Even if City Council collectively evolved overnight on that one issue and decided to build proper skyscrapers, it wouldn't fix anything. Foreign buyers aside, solving our housing crisis means rezoning wide swaths of SFH to mixed-use townhouses and apartments all over the city, not just False Creek - again, a couple blocks of midrises gets you the same density as two or three highrises. One neighbourhood in one part of the seawall not having "taller towers" is small change in comparison.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

That's only part of the problem though. Even if City Council collectively evolved overnight on that one issue and decided to build proper skyscrapers, it wouldn't fix anything. Foreign buyers aside, solving our housing crisis means rezoning wide swaths of SFH to mixed-use townhouses and apartments all over the city, not just False Creek - again, a couple blocks of midrises gets you the same density as two or three highrises. One neighbourhood in one part of the seawall not having "taller towers" is small change in comparison.

There will probably be more resistance to that compared to the building of any skyscrapers downtown.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by scryer

I personally feel like Olympic Village is missing some taller towers.

Haha you just noticed? I've been wanting some back-up on this for years.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

Absolutely. False creek should be a natural place for downtown to expand and i think the removal of the viaducts and relocation of the hospital will help to make that happen. The stadium district still kinda cuts it off though.

Compared to all other areas that downtown could potentially expand to, it has the least amount of nimbyism because of predominantly industrial and commercial land use for the past half century and there's no viewcones to impede heights.

What would help is having more large scale office buildings proposed, similar to what is built downtown. The housing is already being built there, i'm sure those people would love to be able to walk to their office in just a few minutes.

With all the short stubby buildings put in, we have already created a new breed of OV NIMBYs. Build a tall one there with great views of the city and mountains and I'm sure the neighbourhood residents will be jealous enough to protest. This is Vancouver's culture.

OV wasn't planned as an extension of downtown, rather as a buffer into ultra quiet residential zones. Otherwise this entire neighbourhood would've been filled up with retail and entertainment outlets everywhere, together with commercial (office, hotel, etc) zones created throughout. Vancouver essentially screwed their planning, meaning the downtown commercial zone will never be able to expand continuously out of the peninsula as Strathcona will never give up its SFH status, and other areas are surrounded by water: wasted opportunity for short-sighted planners.

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by Vin

With all the short stubby buildings put in, we have already created a new breed of OV NIMBYs.

NIMBYs living in one of the most dense neighborhoods in the City and setting a precedent for mid-rise high-density developments.

Oh the horror! Now we'll never get to build 70-story towers in Point Grey and Shaughnessy!

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by Vin

With all the short stubby buildings put in, we have already created a new breed of OV NIMBYs. Build a tall one there with great views of the city and mountains and I'm sure the neighbourhood residents will be jealous enough to protest. This is Vancouver's culture.

OV wasn't planned as an extension of downtown, rather as a buffer into ultra quiet residential zones. Otherwise this entire neighbourhood would've been filled up with retail and entertainment outlets everywhere, together with commercial (office, hotel, etc) zones created throughout. Vancouver essentially screwed their planning, meaning the downtown commercial zone will never be able to expand continuously out of the peninsula as Strathcona will never give up its SFH status, and other areas are surrounded by water: wasted opportunity for short-sighted planners.

We should really have more flexible zoning boundaries, ones that are allowed to expand or integrate or naturally overtake other zones as certain types of zoning become more important for the progression of the city as opposed to lower density zoning. That would allow SFH that are within a block or two of major arteries to be redeveloped.

[marlou_aquino]

Marijuana legalization advocates have set up a camp south of the Science World. A homeless camp is also starting to form in the area.

[Infrequent Poster]

Originally Posted by marlou_aquino

Marijuana legalization advocates have set up a camp south of the Science World. A homeless camp is also starting to form in the area.

Someone should tell them it's going legal already. No need to set up a camp.

[officedweller]

By Yellow Fever Sept 30th:

Originally Posted by Yellow Fever

Concert

20160930_075445 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

20160930_075147 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

Originally Posted by Yellow Fever

20160930_075112 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

20160930_075034 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

20160930_074931 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

Originally Posted by Yellow Fever

20160930_074858 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

20160930_074726 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

20160930_074804 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Jebby

NIMBYs living in one of the most dense neighborhoods in the City and setting a precedent for mid-rise high-density developments.

Oh the horror! Now we'll never get to build 70-story towers in Point Grey and Shaughnessy!

I don't think your sarcasm amounts to anything.

Originally Posted by retro_orange

We should really have more flexible zoning boundaries, ones that are allowed to expand or integrate or naturally overtake other zones as certain types of zoning become more important for the progression of the city as opposed to lower density zoning. That would allow SFH that are within a block or two of major arteries to be redeveloped.

Very much in agreement. Despite the potential for a lot more growth, I think Vancouver is now stagnated, and that's because of its own making.

[WarrenC12]

Sorry no photos, but walking around the construction site it appears that Voda is topped out, the non-market rental is proceeding quickly, and now Navio (North and South) are above ground.

Navio still appears to have some of the higher end units for sale. Hopefully the final building will be marketed this spring and we'll see construction start ASAP.

[Changing City]

We posted this new rezoning project a couple of weeks ago. It has 104 rental units proposed for West 1st and Cook Street.


https://changingcitybook.com/2016/11/09/1715-cook-street-220-west-1st-avenue/

[wrenegade]

Thats a pretty good looking building, apart from the baby-poo yellow detail bits. Hopefully they come out looking more like the colour on James (next door) than what they look like in the rendering. If I remember correctly, I believe that this building will share a parkade entrance with James as there was a knock-out panel built on the east side of P1 at the bottom of the entrance ramp.

[vanman]

My pics from this morning.

Some new art installations.






Navio












West

[officedweller]

From the Rogers South Tower crane operator:


https://twitter.com/lesterclj64


https://twitter.com/lesterclj64

[officedweller]

By Yellow Fever Jan 8th:

Originally Posted by Yellow Fever

Concert

20170108_130457 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

Originally Posted by Yellow Fever

Concert

20170108_130500 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

20170108_130454 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

20170108_130353 by Yellow Fever @ SkyscraperCity, on Flickr

[WarrenC12]

Note the black spandrel on the southeast corner of the non-market housing building.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

Absolutely. False creek should be a natural place for downtown to expand and i think the removal of the viaducts and relocation of the hospital will help to make that happen. The stadium district still kinda cuts it off though.

Compared to all other areas that downtown could potentially expand to, it has the least amount of nimbyism because of predominantly industrial and commercial land use for the past half century and there's no viewcones to impede heights.

What would help is having more large scale office buildings proposed, similar to what is built downtown. The housing is already being built there, i'm sure those people would love to be able to walk to their office in just a few minutes.

With the way things are going now, that's not going to happen. It will be a mid-rise seafoam-coloured sleepy community with as little retail as possible. I think it was created not to expand the CBD of Vancouver, but to cut it off. The most vibrant locales would be the volleyball courts at the Community Centre and the Craft Beer Restaurant.