Downtown Vancouver Updates

[Alex Mackinnon]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Vancouver's Empire Landmark Hotel begins 'quiet' demolition in March
http://<br /> http://vancouversun.com/bu...k-hotel-begins-quiet-demolition-in-march

Link is NFG.


http://vancouversun.com/business/commerc...el-begins-quiet-demolition-in-march.html

[officedweller]

Thanks for fixing

[mcminsen]

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

https://changingcitybook.com/2015/10/03/1668-davie-street/

Originally Posted by mcminsen

1688 Davie Street (former London Drugs parking lot). Approaching grade, rebar poking up above ground level now.



Sept.23 '17, my pic

1688 Davie Street is about 7 floors up now.



Feb.28 '18, my pics

[mcminsen]

1188 Bidwell.



source: https://changingcitybook.com/2015/06/12/1188-bidwell-street/



Click the link in the image source above to read about the project. Click the link in this older post below to see some pics from last year.

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Well, they sure made short work of that little old apartment block at the back of the 1188 Bidwell site. Here are some before and after pics.

And now an update. The excavation has bottomed out and there is a crane now. This is the site that was at the corner of Bidwell and Davie, immediately to the west of where the liquor store was on Davie.



Feb.28 '18, my pics

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Rendering for Westbank's double tower proposal for the Safeway site at 1661 Davie Street:


Source: http://changingcitybook.com/2016/01/28/1661-davie-street/

And now an update on the former Safeway site on Davie Street.



Feb.28 '18, my pics

[mcminsen]

Here's the lovely old building that is still on the site where the 1485 Davie project is proposed.



Feb.28 '18, my pics

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

The rest of the UDP's rebuke can be read here or you can wait till the minutes come out
https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2018/02/27...udp-questions-lack-of-retail-in-project/

[officedweller]

Thanks!

Hadn't realized those sites were all so close to each other
- and being built simultaneously.

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Down to the structural steel now.



Jan.24 '18, my pics

They're finally getting that steel frame cut up and taken down at 401 W. Georgia.



March 2 '18, my pic

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Here's the lovely old building that is still on the site where the 1485 Davie project is proposed.

It's a shame to lose older affordable apartments like that, thank Vision for the gold rush they set off with the West End plan. I am surprised through that the UDP would criticize the lack of retail in the new proposal when there is none there now, Do we really need yet another strip of streetcar retail?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by whatnext

It's a shame to lose older affordable apartments like that, thank Vision for the gold rush they set off with the West End plan. I am surprised through that the UDP would criticize the lack of retail in the new proposal when there is none there now, Do we really need yet another strip of streetcar retail?

They're just swapping older affordable apartments for new, energy efficient affordable apartments. There will only be a temporary loss while construction occurs.

Agreed on the retail comment - there's apparently already more retail in the West End than seems to be needed (from the vacant storefronts). It's not like you would have to go far to find a store or a coffee shop. Maybe the comment reflects the difficulty of designing a good interface between residential uses and the street, rather than needing any more retail there?

[Aroundtheworld]

Originally Posted by Changing City

They're just swapping older affordable apartments for new, energy efficient affordable apartments. There will only be a temporary loss while construction occurs.

Agreed on the retail comment - there's apparently already more retail in the West End than seems to be needed (from the vacant storefronts). It's not like you would have to go far to find a store or a coffee shop. Maybe the comment reflects the difficulty of designing a good interface between residential uses and the street, rather than needing any more retail there?

I think there's enough people to justify more commercial in the neighbourhood. It might not be retail, but it could more restaurants or bars or something else.

[osirisboy]

That or office uses like dentist/doctors.

They should raise the ground floor up so the main entrance is flush with Davie. The way it is now it's sunken

[Changing City]

Crane came down on Tate on Howe yesterday, so we should get a better idea of what the final product looks like in a few weeks.

[SpongeG]

it feels like they have been working on that building next to london drugs for 10 years

[dleung]

These towers are all really really bad. With the psf prices you'd think they can do better than that

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by dleung

These towers are all really really bad. With the psf prices you'd think they can do better than that

It's not entirely clear which towers you mean - but if it's the four towers on the same block of Davie currently under construction; they are all 100% rental, all 585 apartments. There's another nearby on Pendrell as well.

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by Changing City

It's not entirely clear which towers you mean - but if it's the four towers on the same block of Davie currently under construction; they are all 100% rental, all 585 apartments. There's another nearby on Pendrell as well.

So rental can't be nice? Doesn't matter that they are rental, for the most part they will be rented at market rates, so high!

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

So rental can't be nice? Doesn't matter that they are rental, for the most part they will be rented at market rates, so high!

Of course they'll rent at market rates for new units. But for rental I'm not sure I'd call the 'really, really bad'. Although as it's dleung, maybe that's considered high praise.

[vancouvercitizen]

1550 Alberni