The Ultimate Vancouver Rumour Thread!

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Are we sure this is true? Did she have an orange vest on?

LOL oh my the old "yellow vest misinformation" joke. oh how I missed it.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

Apparently it was common knowledge (to all but my partner and I ) that 1300 Robson St (The Listel Hotel, Forage, Timber) was listed for sale. Valued at $107 million according to the last assessment, we're hearing rumors that the site has now sold and will be redeveloped. - https://twitter.com/City_Duo

Jeezus, somebody stop the insanity! Where does the government expect all the tourist traffic they like to boast about to stay?

It's clear Vision Vancouver's West End policy has been a disaster for renters and businesses in the West End. Do we have to wait until they get booted out of office in October for somebody to pull the plug on it?

[Tetsuo]

Meanwhile the lot across the st from Landmark owned by that HK guy, remains vacant.

I wonder which other sites on that portion of Robson has been seeing a lot of interest

[Feathered Friend]

Raising expectations in Oakridge- @actonostry team teased March 7th UDP with a mention of a great design from Jim K. M. Cheng's for the Oakridge Transit Centre - Hints that pressure will be taken off 41st avenue with strong east west connections, including a new 39th Ave

--- https://twitter.com/City_Duo

[officedweller]

Here's the road system from the approved policy statement.
39th Ave. is/was just a shared pathway.
Aren't there townhouses fronting Oak St. that would prevent 39th Ave. from reaching Oak St.?


http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/DOC%202016...t%20Final%20Version%20-%202016-02-19.pdf

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by officedweller

39th Ave. is/was just a shared pathway.
Aren't there townhouses fronting Oak St. that would prevent 39th Ave. from reaching Oak St.?

there is space between the buildings that would allow a walkway. there would be no vehicle access but there could be pedestrian. though i do not see a right of way, which means they would be on private property. strange.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

there is space between the buildings that would allow a walkway. there would be no vehicle access but there could be pedestrian. though i do not see a right of way, which means they would be on private property. strange.

Well it's mentioned in the report for the pathway:

west of the OTC, between Oak Street
and the existing lane there is significant
grade change and stairs are required;
through rezoning provide a pedestrian
connection of at least 3.66 m (12 ft.).

5470 Oak rezoning:

At the site to the south, half of a future east-west public pathway was secured through
rezoning of that site, and conditions seek that the other half be provided with this
application. The path is intended to break the long block and provide pedestrian access to
the Oakridge Transit Center site, aligning with West 39th Avenue further east.

. Provision of a 6’-0” wide pedestrian right of way along the south edge of the
site to match the current pedestrian right of way registered as CA4360965 over
the north 6 feet of neighbouring Lot B.

http://council.vancouver.ca/20151117/documents/p6.pdf

[BodomReaper]

I've been told that there's a "stunning tower form" in the works for the 600 block of Robson St. Is the retail strip at the corner of Seymour and Robson really a large enough site to support a substantial tower given tower separation guidelines? Perhaps it's an assembly with a few of the buildings on Granville.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by BodomReaper

I've been told that there's a "stunning tower form" in the works for the 600 block of Robson St. Is the retail strip at the corner of Seymour and Robson really a large enough site to support a substantial tower given tower separation guidelines? Perhaps it's an assembly with a few of the buildings on Granville.

The site next to the Capitol tower is only 100' wide, and the tower only has a 30 feet setback from that site. It's not likely the 80 foot tower separation would be relaxed - especially as Capitol is such a significant structure.

That would suggest that all that might be squeezed onto that site would be a very slim tower, just 50 feet wide at most. That could be stunning - but not really substantial (and questionably economic to attempt).

The zoning on Granville doesn't support a tower, and I don't think there's any rezoning policy to support anything bigger. The Winners / Best Buy building could be redeveloped as a tower under current zoning, and policy supports a rezoning subject to viewcone limits. However, it could only be a commercial tower - hotel or office (or both). It always seemed to be a significant underbuild to have 3 FSR there, and now the base zoning is 11 FSR. That would be over 350,000 square feet, and it could have more space with a rezoning. However, the existing building is only 15 years old, so that seems a bit premature.

The other office building on the 600 block of Robson was developed in 1989, and it's a fairly high density already, so it doesn't seem a likely candidate either.

It'll be interesting to see whether anything appears. There's a largely vacant site on the 500 block of Robson that would seem to be a much more likely candidate for a tower.

[dleung]

Originally Posted by Changing City

The Winners / Best Buy building could be redeveloped as a tower under current zoning, and policy supports a rezoning subject to viewcone limits. However, it could only be a commercial tower - hotel or office (or both). It always seemed to be a significant underbuild to have 3 FSR there, and now the base zoning is 11 FSR. That would be over 350,000 square feet, and it could have more space with a rezoning. However, the existing building is only 15 years old, so that seems a bit premature...

The original Aberdeen Centre in Richmond was only 12 years old before it was demolished for the new one

Come to think of it, the new Aberdeen Centre has already outlived the original one, at 15 years old!

[djh]

Wouldn't it be possible to combine the units all along the Robson St. frontage so that they could build a wider tower? This would mean halting the alleyway or diverting it to exit at 90 degrees onto Seymour (or less likely Granville). But there's precedent already on the next block up.

Also, that intersection is so high-profile and high-traffic that its is feasible that a developer would be willing to pay above the going rate to buy up the whole Robson frontage and build a substantial project.

I'm saying it's feasible, but I don't know who would have the deep pockets to take such a risk unless they had a very solid commercial tenant or tenants committed to the project.

[LeftCoaster]

I would assume 600 block of Robson would mean the Bestbuy/Winners. Neither are great rent paying tenants and the building is not of the highest quality.

Slim chance it's the retail strip north of the Capitol but that would be a tiny building and would be a real fight to get approved with the entire capitol building likely to fight it hard.

Supposedly there are several rather exiting proposals in the pre-app stage with the city right now, so it could be an interesting 12 months or so (not that the last 24 have been quiet at all!)

[officedweller]

I doubt the alley south or Robson could be diverted - as it's the loading alley for the Orpheum and Commodore Ballroom. Big trucks may need access.

I also recall that the diversion of the alley north of Robson (caused by Vancouver Centre/Scotia Tower) hindered the redevelopment of the Best Buy/Winners site because a potential hotel could not easily accommodate tour buses through the alley. It's conceivable that the reconfiguring of that alley for Vancouver Centre II creates a configuration that is more workable for the redevelopment of the Best Buy/Winners site for a hotel or office building.

Both sides of Granville - as Changing City has mentioned - is height limited by the view cone from the middle of Granville Bridge.

I wouldn't rule out the site north of The Capitol.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

I would assume 600 block of Robson would mean the Bestbuy/Winners. Neither are great rent paying tenants and the building is not of the highest quality.

Slim chance it's the retail strip north of the Capitol but that would be a tiny building and would be a real fight to get approved with the entire capitol building likely to fight it hard.

Supposedly there are several rather exiting proposals in the pre-app stage with the city right now, so it could be an interesting 12 months or so (not that the last 24 have been quiet at all!)

Any chance that any of these proposals will be over 150 meters? (or better yet over 170?)

Also I really really really hope that any redevelopment of the 600 block retains a major anchor multi level retail aspect and video screens (seriously it is the best corner / intersection in the city for such a feature).

I always fear that any redevelopment of such areas will trend towards a more dull and dim street experience.

[mcminsen]

I went to have a closer look at the 600 block of Robson today.



April 3 '18, my pics

[s211]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I doubt the alley south or Robson could be diverted - as it's the loading alley for the Orpheum and Commodore Ballroom. Big trucks may need access.

I also recall that the diversion of the alley north of Robson (caused by Vancouver Centre/Scotia Tower) hindered the redevelopment of the Best Buy/Winners site because a potential hotel could not easily accommodate tour buses through the alley. It's conceivable that the reconfiguring of that alley for Vancouver Centre II creates a configuration that is more workable for the redevelopment of the Best Buy/Winners site for a hotel or office building.

Unfortunately not. It's still going to be a tight alley, and will actually dead-end up by the Vancouver Block.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by s211

Unfortunately not. It's still going to be a tight alley, and will actually dead-end up by the Vancouver Block.

They are moving the old private alley that goes to Seymour.

Loading and Access: The existing loading area for Vancouver Centre is located at the rear of the Scotia Tower and accessed from a privately-owned, publicly accessible lane which is to be relocated to the south end of the new tower as part of this application. The existing loading is also proposed to be relocated and consolidated with the loading facility for the new office tower. This new loading facility will be located and accessed off both the new lane segment and along the existing north/south city lane. Based on the Parking By-law, 11 class A, 11 class B, and two class C loading spaces would be required. Subject to the provision of an integrated loading management strategy for all on-site retail and office uses at the development permit

CD-1 Rezoning - 650 West Georgia Street (753 Seymour Street) – RTS 10615 12
stage, Engineering staff have indicated that they would support a loading relaxation to eight class A and five class B spaces. Safely maneuvering a tractor-trailer into the proposed lane from Seymour Street will be challenging, and the current design requires the truck to back a significant distance down the lane. Staff are recommending that the development remove the proposed Class C loading space and make arrangements to deliver goods using smaller trucks, unless it can be shown that truck maneuvering can be done safely. Staff are also recommending that legal
arrangements be made to ensure that the buildings across the lane on Granville Street (Future Shop/Winners and Vancouver Block) have the ability to have appropriate space for loading and maneuvering.

[officedweller]

Here's the Granville Bridge View Cone 12.2.
Looks to allow something a bit taller than the Vancouver Block clock (about the height of 701 West Georgia).
The view cone does not affect the Seymour side of the block (i.e. north of The Capitol).


http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/views/viewcones/122.htm

Originally Posted by s211

Unfortunately not. It's still going to be a tight alley, and will actually dead-end up by the Vancouver Block.

Actually, there's going to be more flexibility if the Best Buy/Winners building is demolished.

Before, the corner in the alley was constrained by both the heritage Vancouver Block and the parkade.

With the alley being moved to the south opposite the back of the Best Buy/Winners building,
that allows any redevelopment of the Best Buy / Winners building to include
a circular court or driveway (on private property) that lines up with the new alley.

[But I still suspect it'll be the site north of The Capitol]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Here's the ground floor plans from the DP application - [EDIT: modified to add lay-by)

Old Alley:

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Aug.12 '17, my pics

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Dec.15 '17, my pics

[GenWhy?]

Heard of PCI applying for 2 separate sites for 10-storey buildings along East Hastings Street.

[officedweller]

I wonder if that "600 Robson" is actually south of 500 Robson (on the parking lot between H-Mart and the Symphony Place parkade).
I noticed that the small spa/nail place north of the Symphony Place parkade has been papered over, as well and the windows in the adjacent small heritage building.