North Shore Updates

[Pinion]

Tell CNV you like the outdoor patio expansions: http://cnvsurveys.ca/expanded-outdoor-dining-survey/

[wrenegade]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Tell CNV you like the outdoor patio expansions: http://cnvsurveys.ca/expanded-outdoor-dining-survey/

[URL="http://cnvsurveys.ca/expanded-outdoor-dining-survey/"]

Done. Thought east 2nd outside Sushi Bella + Il Castello as well as east 18th outside of Browns would be good other locations as well.

[Pinion]

I wouldn't mind more patios on 3rd between St Georges and Chesterfield. Those buildings have such huge setbacks so you could get some really significant outdoor seating. And then maybe restaurants would move there instead of having — nail salons etc.

[Pinion]

Final touches are being done on Polygon Gallery and it actually looks really great IMO. Was not expecting much after the first renders.

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by wrenegade

There have been many iterations of an expanded power centre on the reserve lands east where Superstore is (and the driving range). Many years ago when I worked on that side of the business there were plans that included a Wal-Mart superstore or Costco (a +/- 130,000 sf box), a Silvercity theatre, fullsize Home Depot or Lowes, plus a couple medium size boxes (for tenants like Winners/Homesense/Michaels/etc) small CRUs and restaurant pads. However, there were plans floating around before I got there as well, and I'm sure there are plans now. I don't think the band leadership is in any rush to do anything.

That makes good sense. That's probably the only area on the North Shore that makes sense for a Costco. Near the highway and distant enough from a) Nimbies and b) the urbanists on NVC city council who aren't fond of big box stores. I wouldn't be worried about the Superstore, either. It tends to draw a slightly different crowd than Costco.

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Final touches are being done on Polygon Gallery and it actually looks really great IMO. Was not expecting much after the first renders.

It's looking good. Will there be some kind of retail space on the ground floor that takes advantage of the harbor setting (like a cafe or restaurant)?

Presentation House has historically enjoyed a very loyal following in the BC art community, so I have no doubt it will be successful attracting people to this gallery -- tourists and locals.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

It's looking good. Will there be some kind of retail space on the ground floor that takes advantage of the harbor setting (like a cafe or restaurant)?

This render suggests some sort of small cafe with outdoor seating. Or maybe just outdoor seating:

[jollyburger]

It's a cafe space, but there's been a for lease sign up for ages but I think it was recently taken down.

[Pinion]

This is pretty huge. I'm torn, on one hand the building is terrible, makes the seabus loop a depressing dungeon and cuts Lower Lonsdale in half. Redevelopment could be potentially amazing for the area. But on the other hand it would have been devastating to the economy:

BC Liberal plan to sell ICBC's North Vancouver head office halted

The previous B.C. Liberal government was considering the sale of ICBC’s North Vancouver head office. But North Vancouver-Lonsdale’s new NDP MLA, Bowinn Ma, says her government is halting that plan.

ICBC had prepared an internal business case at the direction of the Liberal government, laying out options for the future of the property at 151 West Esplanade, which has been in use since 1980.

“ICBC was instructed to begin the process required to sell off their Lonsdale Quay property a couple of years ago by the previous government in a desperate attempt to try to improve ICBC’s books,” Ma confirmed to the North Shore News on Thursday. “The new government has given instructions, under no uncertain terms, for this process to be stopped.”

But even if the office is to stay put, it has major financial liabilities attached.

“Given the age and condition of the head office building, significant expenditures for maintenance and upgrades will be required over the next 10-20 years. This expenditure is estimated to be at $184 million with the majority of the costs required during the first 10 years of this period,” states the business case, obtained by the News.

Among the upgrades needed, according to the report: $36 million for seismic upgrades, $27 million for deferred maintenance, $23 million for building envelope repairs and $44 million for enhancements.

Other options included selling the property and leasing new office space elsewhere in the Lower Mainland or buying/building a new head office elsewhere in the Lower Mainland.

In 2016, the property was assessed at $79,768,000, although the building itself was valued at just $15.8 million. In the previous year, the building was valued at close to $23 million, according to BC Assessment.

Staffing and commuting to the office is also an issue. At the time the report was written, only 27 per cent of the 1,500 people who work in the office actually reside on the North Shore. Seventy per cent commute from somewhere on the other side of the Burrard Inlet. That is a trend ICBC expects to continue.

“Housing on the North Shore is expensive compared to most of the Lower Mainland,” the report notes. “This does not make it attractive or affordable for employees to live close to the head office building.”

The public insurance corporation has been in turmoil since a report surfaced last month that it must raise auto insurance rates by as much as 30 per cent or face insolvency. Attorney General David Eby has fired a number of the previous government’s appointed directors and selected new ones.

Ma said she was not familiar with the details of the business plan and could not speak to the issues with the building itself. But she added that selling the land would be a short-sighted strategy.

“Selling that land will not fix ICBC. It will not put a dent in it. If that land is sold to private interests, the North Shore would have lost 1,000 jobs. The public would have lost control over one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in North Vancouver,” she said.

http://www.nsnews.com/news/exclusive-lib...-vancouver-head-office-halted-1.22361532

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Pinion

This is pretty huge. I'm torn, on one hand the building is terrible, makes the seabus loop a depressing dungeon and cuts Lower Lonsdale in half. Redevelopment could be potentially amazing for the area. But on the other hand it would have been devastating to the economy:



http://www.nsnews.com/news/exclusive-lib...-vancouver-head-office-halted-1.22361532

I didn't realize the Fiberals had been planning that. Given that, and that they took a big chunk of good paying jobs from N. Van when they closed BC Rail, it's amazing they ever got elected in that riding at all!

[jollyburger]

There is no way that building should be rehabilitated for $200 million dollars.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by whatnext

I didn't realize the Fiberals had been planning that. Given that, and that they took a big chunk of good paying jobs from N. Van when they closed BC Rail, it's amazing they ever got elected in that riding at all!

No one else knew they were planning that either as far as I know. NDP won easily in North Van-Lonsdale in the last election.

Originally Posted by jollyburger

There is no way that building should be rehabilitated for $200 million dollars.

Agreed but you know there's no chance of it staying on the north shore if they get a new building.

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by Pinion

No one else knew they were planning that either as far as I know. NDP won easily in North Van-Lonsdale in the last election.

Agreed but you know there's no chance of it staying on the north shore if they get a new building.

The 365 Project has some interesting information about the building:

"ICBC Building: The ICBC building by the waterfront in North Vancouver is odd-looking but pleasantly unique. It was designed by the same architect responsible for such landmarks as the Telus "boot" in Burnaby and the PriceWaterhouse Centre/pavilion on Hastings. Unusual stuff compared to most architecture in Vancouver, but not peculiar enough to be able to call "weird". Ugly enough to be scorned by many, but interesting enough to be loved by as many others. I'm on the side of liking it... just because it's different."

http://365project.org/reva/365/2012-03-17

I have no idea whether a renovation is worth the nearly $200 million, but that's a pretty reasonable estimate in terms of renovating/modernizing a building of that age.

Does anybody have an update on the Seabus terminal improvements? It would be nice to know that there is some potential future coordination between the ICBC property and the Translink property next door.

[jollyburger]

SeaBus improvements are half way and are sort of independent of anything on land. They are planning on upgrading the bus terminal but again, I doubt they are planning for any redevelopment of the ICBC building which is above the bus bays.

[cornholio]

Correct me if I am wrong but was the Surrey Central office tower not originally built for ICBC to consolidate their offices (including moving from North Vancouver to Surrey)?
Ultimately that did not happen but I am positive that was the original plan a decade plus ago.


https://www.kamloopscity.com/icbc-sells-central-city/


https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/report-...507/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&

The last article even states ICBC leased 350,000 square feet in the tower but then backed out in 2002. So ICBC moving is nothing new. 15 plus years ago they were already planning to move and put in a lot of work towards making a move a reality.

[Pinion]

I've never heard any serious talk of ICBC moving until now, and that would make my ears perk up for sure. (doesn't mean it didn't happen though of course)

x-post from Centreview thread:

Originally Posted by Pinion

Podium's looking noice

Centreview, North Vancouver by chrisjohann, on Flickr

[Tetsuo]

Well isn't the TREO building in Coquitlam available now


Would like to see ICBC stay on the north shore.

Ron.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by cornholio

Correct me if I am wrong but was the Surrey Central office tower not originally built for ICBC to consolidate their offices (including moving from North Vancouver to Surrey)?
Ultimately that did not happen but I am positive that was the original plan a decade plus ago.

Correct.

It was the NDP plan to move ICBC to Surrey, and the Liberals canned it.

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by Pinion

West Quay, North Vancouver by chrisjohann, on Flickr

West Quay about five weeks later...



Sept.4 '17, my pics

[Pinion]

Thanks, mcminsen.

Got this in the mail. More North Vancouvery condos for Lower Lonsdale. Did they raise the woodframe limit to six storeys?



Everyone at Orizon loses their view.