Downtown Vancouver Updates

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by csbvan

...That's insane. I thought that 155 Water Street development wasn't approved, for obvious reasons.

Hm, not sure what the obvious reasons are, but the Urban Design Panel were OK with it back in 2015. The design seems to have evolved a bit and been simplified, but the heritage facades are preserved and 75,000 square feet of office and retail built behind them with a setback to demarcate old and new. [image source https://changingcitybook.com/2018/04/29/155-water-street/]

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Hm, not sure what the obvious reasons are, but the Urban Design Panel were OK with it back in 2015. The design seems to have evolved a bit and been simplified, but the heritage facades are preserved and 75,000 square feet of office and retail built behind them with a setback to demarcate old and new. [image source https://changingcitybook.com/2018/04/29/155-water-street/]

Ah, that's the proposal. I believe that the original proposal was to fully demolish the 7 storey building and replace it with a faux heritage building. That is the one that didn't fly.

I still don't love the idea of facadism in Gastown. But this is much better than the original.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by csbvan

Ah, that's the proposal. I believe that the original proposal was to fully demolish the 7 storey building and replace it with a faux heritage building. That is the one that didn't fly.

I still don't love the idea of facadism in Gastown. But this is much better than the original.

You're correct - the justification was the low floor to ceiling heights in the 7-storey building, and they wanted to 'reconstruct' it at six storeys. That wasn't supported, and they also dropped the fake heritage three storey element over the shorter heritage building. This looks a lot more honest, and it's more obvious what's old, and what's new.

[Jougho]

Prime Minister Trudeau will be in Vancouver tomorrow and will be making a big announcement with Amazon at the old post office building on Georgia at 9:30am.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Jougho

Prime Minister Trudeau will be in Vancouver tomorrow and will be making a big announcement with Amazon at the old post office building on Georgia at 9:30am.

They are turning it into a bitumen refinery?

[Jougho]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

They are turning it into a bitumen refinery?

Interesting thought. Have you seen the plans for the pipeline extension to downtown? lol

[jollyburger]

I guess that's why they suddenly started the demo work on the Post Office building.

[jollyburger]

Someone went down to Granville Island and took a photo of the new model for the post office. Deloitte is going in with Amazon it seems:



https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2018/04/13...anges-in-design-and-new-tenant-revealed/

[Hot Rod]

fugly. ....

what is it with this city and it's obsession with midrise office buildings in the downtown core. .... why not make something exciting with arguably the largest square footage lot remaining in the core -

'Nope, we gotta protect those views so lets just build a couple of 15 floor point 'towers' on top of the podium. ..'

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Hot Rod

fugly. ....

what is it with this city and it's obsession with midrise office buildings in the downtown core. .... why not make something exciting with arguably the largest square footage lot remaining in the core -

'Nope, we gotta protect those views so lets just build a couple of 15 floor point 'towers' on top of the podium. ..'

Well they probably would have to demo the old building in that case.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Well they probably would have to demo the old building in that case.

Then the developers would have to go against an even bigger crowd of angry people that would include: anti view cone obstructors, heritage people, and all the other people that would complain. This route is the easiest one so they took it. Plus it was a win for so many involved. I personally would have preferred a complete demo and rebuild with an iconic building that may have connected to (underground)Vancouver City Centre Mall or something but oh well.

[LeftCoaster]

Some day the viewcones will be rethought in certain areas, but this isn't that day and why would any one developer risk their entire project for that?

It's much easier to just build what is allowed today and save the fight for when demand is slower.

[Retail-Insider]

The Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Vancouver is confirmed to be closing on January 31, 2020. The announcement was made earlier today to staff by GM Michael Sinclair.

Curious what might happen with the building -- floor-to-ceiling heights are rather low so it's uncertain if the existing tower would be repurposed for high-end residential. Anyone have any idea how complicated a demolition and redevelopment might be?

[jollyburger]

Did CF win their lawsuit?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Retail-Insider

The Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Vancouver is confirmed to be closing on January 31, 2020. The announcement was made earlier today to staff by GM Michael Sinclair.

Curious what might happen with the building -- floor-to-ceiling heights are rather low so it's uncertain if the existing tower would be repurposed for high-end residential. Anyone have any idea how complicated a demolition and redevelopment might be?

Unless a new Council have a totally different take on the importance of retaining the CBD for commercial uses, residential wouldn't be possible here anyway. It's only possible where there's either on-site heritage or non-market residential that needs upgrading - which wouldn't apply here.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Retail-Insider

Curious what might happen with the building -- floor-to-ceiling heights are rather low so it's uncertain if the existing tower would be repurposed for high-end residential. Anyone have any idea how complicated a demolition and redevelopment might be?

Thanks - re ceiling heights.

I'll bet its steel frame though - like the office towers and Eaton's - which might make disassembly more straightforward (?).
Prime site for a high end department store with high end hotel on top (not that Vancouver really needs more high end retail, and assuming Saks doesn't pull out of Canada).

Hopefully this will also mean a reworking of the Georgia & Howe rotunda replacement.

... and no speculation of redevelopment is complete without a view cone analysis...

It would appear that the Four Seasons site may sit in the VIEW SHADOW of Scotia Tower!
(from the 12th & Cambie view cone).
Whether that would give it more height than the neighbouring Residences @ Hotel Georgia would have to be determined.
The site is also squarely within the "Higher Buildings Policy" area.

This diagram is from the 753 Seymour rezoning.

Hmmmm.....


http://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/753seymour/index.htm

[SpongeG]

is the Four Seasons opening elsewhere or are they leaving Vancouver?

[theKB]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

is the Four Seasons opening elsewhere or are they leaving Vancouver?

There are several rumours/ideas, the main one being that the hotel will take over the Fairmont Pacific Rim.

[officedweller]

Interesting.
That property is definitely more resort-like.

[SpongeG]

BIV article

https://biv.com/article/2018/05/four-seasons-vancouver-close-2020

this part is interesting, finally could get a W hotel

Marriott Canada president Don Cleary told BIV last year that he would like to bring the Marriott luxury brands Ritz-Carlton and W Hotels and Resorts to Vancouver. The Four Seasons' looming closure now provides him with a possible site.