General Vancouver Updates

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

it just increases the amount of profit the developer gets while making all of the residents in the CoV to subsidise the lack of parking provided by the developer.

Yaletown is an example of adequate parking vs the West End.

Subsidize how? Again, speaking of rental buildings, having a substantial amount of minimum parking required to build, with the additional costs mentioned for constructing a new building, rents increase as parkade levels are increased and mandated by City guidelines and rules. If people are choosing to park on the street, and the inconveniences that come with that, and pay for permit parking then I fail to see the issues with citizens who lave the luxury to own a car and park in readily available subsidized public street parking for a cheap price. Who wouldn't, right? If the issue is finding adequate street parking for shopping, living, or visiting, then a business and market case can be made for public parking garages, better metered parking and time restrictions, or simply... not driving. If we're talking about relaxing parking to a degree for new construction of rental buildings, most developers would try to build as many units as possible while trying to do so economically. Parking is one of the biggest issue in new developments and they can destroy perfectly good rental projects. Parkade stalls are $40,000 per stall and that is tacked onto each unit whether the tenants like it or not. What's affordable about that?

[BodomReaper]

Originally Posted by chrisel

Looks like this will be going up at the former Gas station plot which was bought by Landa:





Source: https://www.landaglobal.com/projects/alma-intro/

Just let it sink in how horrific this is. 4 storeys at the intersection of two arterials, 10 minutes away from a university with over 60,000 students and 15,000 staff. Utterly disgraceful policy failure.

[osirisboy]

Yeah this is pathetic. If the city is going to keep saying there is a housing crisis than why does this get approved?

[retro_orange]

Definitely undersized for the location... very weird looking too.

This is definitely some kind of new PoMo. Like 70's swanky/traditional meets early 2000's stucco facade.

Weird.

[osirisboy]

Yeah and the columns are weird, makes me wonder how they will be finished. Also, the top floor, will it be just painted concrete?

[csbvan]

Hideous building. Looks like a giant version of those bizarre, tile-clad west side McMansions. Who thinks that style fits Vancouver?!

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Subsidize how? Again, speaking of rental buildings, having a substantial amount of minimum parking required to build, with the additional costs mentioned for constructing a new building, rents increase as parkade levels are increased and mandated by City guidelines and rules. If people are choosing to park on the street, and the inconveniences that come with that, and pay for permit parking then I fail to see the issues with citizens who lave the luxury to own a car and park in readily available subsidized public street parking for a cheap price. Who wouldn't, right? If the issue is finding adequate street parking for shopping, living, or visiting, then a business and market case can be made for public parking garages, better metered parking and time restrictions, or simply... not driving. If we're talking about relaxing parking to a degree for new construction of rental buildings, most developers would try to build as many units as possible while trying to do so economically. Parking is one of the biggest issue in new developments and they can destroy perfectly good rental projects. Parkade stalls are $40,000 per stall and that is tacked onto each unit whether the tenants like it or not. What's affordable about that?

the amount of resources required by the CoV to administer programs like the West End permits is ridiculous. so those costs are then covered by the entirety of the CoV. the market dictates the price. if the market says a unit will sell for $1800/sqft it will sell for that regardless of if there is 1 parking stall/unit or 2. if the market says a place rents for 2500/month then once again the developer isn't going to lower the price since they only now need to build 1 parking stall/10 units.

the prices that are commanded aren't related to the costs of the building. if the building costs 1,000 to build or 100,000 to build the market will still only pay what it will pay. the difference is how much profit the developer gets.


in the end, you can either have the West End where people drive around for parking for up to 30mins, there's little guest parking, and spots at 150/month. or you get Yaletown where every unit came with 1 spot originally with some left over for guests and if someone wanted to purchase a 2nd spot. then the street gets meters and/or more lanes to more traffic around.

street parking IS THE BIGGEST WASTE OF ROAD SPACE. what little roads we have should be used to maximize transportation. not let people park on because they were too cheap to have parking on their property due to bad policies allowing it to become a CoV problem for the future.

[rofina]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

the amount of resources required by the CoV to administer programs like the West End permits is ridiculous. so those costs are then covered by the entirety of the CoV. the market dictates the price. if the market says a unit will sell for $1800/sqft it will sell for that regardless of if there is 1 parking stall/unit or 2. if the market says a place rents for 2500/month then once again the developer isn't going to lower the price since they only now need to build 1 parking stall/10 units.

the prices that are commanded aren't related to the costs of the building. if the building costs 1,000 to build or 100,000 to build the market will still only pay what it will pay. the difference is how much profit the developer gets.


in the end, you can either have the West End where people drive around for parking for up to 30mins, there's little guest parking, and spots at 150/month. or you get Yaletown where every unit came with 1 spot originally with some left over for guests and if someone wanted to purchase a 2nd spot. then the street gets meters and/or more lanes to more traffic around.

street parking IS THE BIGGEST WASTE OF ROAD SPACE. what little roads we have should be used to maximize transportation. not let people park on because they were too cheap to have parking on their property due to bad policies allowing it to become a CoV problem for the future.

I largely agree with this.

A carless future is something to strive for, but its grossly exaggerated.

Cars are going to be around for decades, and decades.

They may shrink, they may be self driving, they may be a hundred different things, but people will continue to use vehicles for transportation on road networks.

We need roads. We need parking.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by csbvan

Hideous building. Looks like a giant version of those bizarre, tile-clad west side McMansions. Who thinks that style fits Vancouver?!

Apparently Kevin Cheung and Scott Wang, who are behind Landa. Both are astronaut kids whose fathers work in property development in Shanghai. They are also the ones who wildly overpaid for Burrit Brothers building on Main, so if you want to lay some blame at their feet for escalating home prices in Vancouver, go right ahead.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Apparently Kevin Cheung and Scott Wang, who are behind Landa. Both are astronaut kids whose fathers work in property development in Shanghai. They are also the ones who wildly overpaid for Burrit Brothers building on Main, so if you want to lay some blame at their feet for escalating home prices in Vancouver, go right ahead.

I'm sure the Burrit Brothers rejected the offer as the amount of money is way too much for their good conscience.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

the market dictates the price. if the market says a unit will sell for $1800/sqft it will sell for that regardless of if there is 1 parking stall/unit or 2. if the market says a place rents for 2500/month then once again the developer isn't going to lower the price since they only now need to build 1 parking stall/10 units.

the prices that are commanded aren't related to the costs of the building. if the building costs 1,000 to build or 100,000 to build the market will still only pay what it will pay. the difference is how much profit the developer gets.

Exactly, if the market for a new one or two bedroom, within existing zoning, so no rezone is needed and Rental 100 or the Affordable Housing Rezone Policy doesn't need to be used, if the rent is $2,500 the developer will not lower the price. However, if needing 1 stall per unit is required through the Parking Bylaw, then that market price of $2,500 can increase due to higher construction costs with every $40,000 stall. When we're not working within policies that dictate that we provide "affordable units" or 35% "family units" and trying to get DCL's waived... we raise what we charge for rents because we can, vacancy below 1%, and parking and concrete construction is expensive and land costs are high.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Vin

I'm sure the Burrit Brothers rejected the offer as the amount of money is way too much for their good conscience.

You're right, but it does not change the fact that Chinese money is inflating prices by wildly overbidding for these sites. Even local developers shake their head. However, its clear their projects are designed for the taste-challenged offshore nouveau riche, so they think they can get that money recouped. China is in the midst of a massive credit and housing bubble, that contagion spreads here through those actions.

[Feathered Friend]

https://twitter.com/Lidsville

Lindsay Brown:‏

If you have time & don't like demolition/gentrification on the Drive please head to the Friendship Centre 1607 E Hastings rt now - developer who didn't notify the residents is presenting a rezoning - with City assistance! Why no notification of current tenants?? #vanpoli #vanre

https://twitter.com/Lidsville/status/928797516061073409

Meena Wong:

They are doing this again? Haven’t developers and City learned from #105Keefer? #VanRE #vanpoli

https://twitter.com/meenawong1/status/928806725917876224


I didn't see the info for the open house until quarter to seven, and so there was no time to make it down. What is disturbing is that the 105 Keefer anti-development crowd are expanding their targets from Chinatown to Grandview Woodlands as well.
Heaven forbid, more rental units in a place where the area plan calls for it

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

https://twitter.com/Lidsville

Lindsay Brown:‏

https://twitter.com/Lidsville/status/928797516061073409

Meena Wong:

https://twitter.com/meenawong1/status/928806725917876224


I didn't see the info for the open house until quarter to seven, and so there was no time to make it down. What is disturbing is that the 105 Keefer anti-development crowd are expanding their targets from Chinatown to Grandview Woodlands as well.
Heaven forbid, more rental units in a place where the area plan calls for it

well once the snowball starts rolling, it is hard to stop. don't expect what happened at 105 Keefer to maintain a 1-off.

[officedweller]

Pre-Leasing of single storey (?) retail at 2 former Chevron sites:

Cambie & 16th and Oak & 41st


http://form.ca/campaigns/2017/monthly_mailer/October_Mailer.html


http://form.ca/campaigns/2017/monthly_mailer/October_Mailer.html

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Pre-Leasing of single storey (?) retail at 2 former Chevron sites:

So they're just going to be one story commercial at such prominent corners? What a waste.

[webster]

Originally Posted by whatnext

So they're just going to be one story commercial at such prominent corners? What a waste.

i can only assume those are placeholders with plans to redevelop again in 15 years. very strange

[Vin]

I don't think these are single-storey buildings. Look at the lobbies with the elevators. I'm sure they are for the strata condos upstairs. As these are commercial leasing plans, we don't get to see the residential portion. Funny thing is that they keep plunking CRUs in the sparsely-populated neighbourhoods, way more than the downtown core deserves.

[GenWhy?]

For 815 Commercial Drive, that's about 10,000sf for about maybe 40 units. Usually for a rezoning one has to squeeze in quite a few "affordable" rental units and 35% family-orientated units. I'm sure they already went in with an Enquiry to the City, and are now on Pre-Application, not a Rezoning, and this is not City-led... so the wording by these activists is all over the map and incites some misinterpretation on policy, process, and use of language. 1 City official is at times at the Pre-App Open House for a bit, merely as an observer of the Developer-led Open House. It's a "test the waters" stage before the City-led Open House for a Rezoning, and even then it's not green lit to go ahead.

Yes, it's bad optics to not have notified the tenants, as so they claim, but development is years away and policy does not state at the Pre-App stage this is necessary.

CofV Tenant Relocation Policy: "Applicants must submit a Tenant Relocation Application Form as part of the rezoning and/or development permit application process. Staff will evaluate each Tenant Relocation Plan based on the policies set out in this document. As much as possible, the Plan should be tailored to the needs of tenants in each project.

Staff will track and monitor the number of rental buildings affected by redevelopment and renovation, including the number of tenant relocation plans. This will contribute to a better understanding of trends in the rental housing stock and its impact on tenants."

[GenWhy?]

The buildings on the site are also built (from VanMaps) in 1914 and 1906, but hold little promise in their keeping. Might also be referencing the house on the lane on this site. A continuation of retail from the neighbours would be great.

I don't get how this is gentrification if rentals are being matched, tenants are getting reduced rates for the new building, more units are being built, and if anything... I doubt the developer will get away with 100% market rental in this area for a Rezoning. They'll be pressed to get to that stage by providing at least 20% "affordable, I hope. Maybe with some parking relaxations. That's the game they'll have to play.