General Vancouver Updates

[s211]

Off-topic, but the Coromandel logo reminds me of the symbol for bio-hazards.

[phesto]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2018/06/01...s-have-room-buzzing-about-future-growth/

Wow, this looks awful. Okay, I'll wait to see more detailed renderings, but man, I'd be disappointed even if this was 100% social housing. Yikes!

[LeftCoaster]

It's a pre-app open house, so that form is likely just a massing.

I'm going to wait and see some materials and details before making any judgement on the design quality.

As for the massing itself, I mostly like it. I think it would be nice if the corner tower stepped up a floor or two on the corner itself to create a pinnacle but that's just me.

Side note, how is this 3.8 FSR per policy but station adjacent sites on the Canada line are only 3.5. Drives me up the walls.

[jlousa]

Maybe someone on this forum had a vested interest in a higher fsr here and made it happen.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by jlousa

Maybe someone on this forum had a vested interest in a higher fsr here and made it happen.

Can you have a vested interest in higher FSRs across the City?

Would greatly appreciate it!

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by phesto

Wow, this looks awful. Okay, I'll wait to see more detailed renderings, but man, I'd be disappointed even if this was 100% social housing. Yikes!

The massing as it rounds the corner looks fine to me.
The windows and the facades remind me of Totem Park residences at UBC
- but with a shift in the windows "to reduce the appearance of building bulk".

[osirisboy]

I still don't get why they want to reduce appearance of bulkiness. Especially if it means making the building look stupid. Stop shifting widows! If the windows didn't shift and it looked bulkier how would the negatively effect anyone??

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

I still don't get why they want to reduce appearance of bulkiness. Especially if it means making the building look stupid. Stop shifting widows! If the windows didn't shift and it looked bulkier how would the negatively effect anyone??

makes it feel like you are being squished and it'll feel claustrophobic! but for real idk.

[Feathered Friend]

June 5th Public Hearing : 3 Tales of Rental Housing, Criminals on Rupert, A Year Delay on Kingsway, and 10 Floors in Marpole + Homes for Seniors on Fraser
Obtainable housing will be the primary focus of Vancouver’s upcoming public hearing, as three rental buildings, and a city-owned housing site for seniors are on the schedule. Unfortunately, all four have had their own difficulties during the rezoning process, with the last agenda item seeing particularly strong neighbourhood opposition.

The proposals are:

http://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/3510fraser/index.htm

1. 3510 Fraser St. – Moderate Risk
What is it?:
58 homes over 6 floors provided by the city for senior citizens. The ground floor will provide space for the 411 Seniors Centre Society who offer a wide range of programs and services for seniors. As the location used to be a peat bog, there will only be 5 above ground parking stalls and a space for a ride share vehicle.

http://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/855kingsway/documents/REVISED_Renderings_Small_000.pdf

2. 855 Kingsway – Low Risk, but affected by bad policy decisions
What is it?:
50 Rental homes in a 6 story passive house level building

3. 1506 W 68th Ave and 8405 – 8465 Granville St. – Low Risk
What is it?:
A 10 floor building with retail at grade, office use on the second floor (likely medical/services), and 45 rental homes on levels 3 – 10. There are amenity spaces on level 2 and 3, including a bamboo garden

http://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/4459rupert/documents/Renderings.pdf

4. 4459 Rupert St. – High Risk
What is it?:
A four story 12 home passive house rental building with a very small amount of parking. The proposal secured the rare honor of full support from the UDP, who commented that the project was “innovative and beautifully executed.”

Does it need Support?
Yes! The comments during the process have been disgusting, with feedback expressing concerns over the type of people who need rental housing, and that rental homes would lead to increased crime, transient behavior, and an unstable neighbourhood.

There have been 4 letters against the proposal sent to city council, with concerns over the availability of street parking. Other comments have expressed that a building like this only belong on Cambie St, and that these 12 homes will bring “an entirely new.. unhealthy level of densification” to the neighbourhood.

More info (and horrible public feedback about 4459 Rupert) at: https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2018/06/04...-in-marpole-homes-for-seniors-on-fraser/

[GenWhy?]

Rupert & 29th:
Many of those letters mention not wanting to be at a more dense or local area commercial node, but the area is zoned/planed for as much, is on 2 arterial roads. Area is single family homes and should stay as such. Claimed ownership of parking infront of their house. I commend them on calling bylaw enforcement for parking violation.

I think too many policies are in favour of this site. Parking violations and illegal parking aside. As far as I know many homeowners in the East End don't parking in their garage... with is a legally required space for the primary residence. Almost everyone in my neighbourhood parks 1 of their cars on the street due to an abundance of parking spaces. I always have a spot for my Evo infront of my house.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by officedweller

From Changing City Updates -

Office building for the 3 Vets site:

2200 Yukon


https://changingcitybook.com/2018/05/25/2200-yukon-street/

More renderings for the 3 Vets site project at the Courier:

http://www.vancourier.com/real-estate/de...ed-for-old-3-vets-site-images-1.23325560



Aerial view from the northwest. Rendering by Proscenium Architecture + Interiors Inc.
http://www.vancourier.com/real-estate/de...ed-for-old-3-vets-site-images-1.23325560


Aerial view from the southeast. Rendering by Proscenium Architecture + Interiors Inc.
http://www.vancourier.com/real-estate/de...ed-for-old-3-vets-site-images-1.23325560

[osirisboy]

Is that height reflective of a maximum height restriction in that area?

[GenWhy?]

In regards to Rupert & 29th I hear that "Generation Squeeze", a housing group, is rallying speakers for the hearing in favour of this and the Kingsway site.

Hearing rumblings that some of the older West End towers are receiving minor heritage designations prior to redevelopment and are becoming more difficult to tear down.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

In regards to Rupert & 29th I hear that "Generation Squeeze", a housing group, is rallying speakers for the hearing in favour of this and the Kingsway site.

Hearing rumblings that some of the older West End towers are receiving minor heritage designations prior to redevelopment and are becoming more difficult to tear down.

YES!

[Feathered Friend]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

In regards to Rupert & 29th I hear that "Generation Squeeze", a housing group, is rallying speakers for the hearing in favour of this and the Kingsway site.

Hearing rumblings that some of the older West End towers are receiving minor heritage designations prior to redevelopment and are becoming more difficult to tear down.

Yes, it seems they did well with a letter generator, and even had a couple members spread out to speak tonight. Good for them

As for the heritage designations, it was hinted at recently on the forum that there's big changes coming. I meant to catch this meeting, but I'm still recovering from a rough couple weeks.

http://vancouver.ca/docs/council/vher20180604ag.pdf

[Feathered Friend]

“The Best Rental 100 [Building] We’ve Seen” – UDP Supports Cedar Cottage Rental Homes, Bemoans Loss of Late Night Cider
1303 Kingsway & 3782 Clark Dr
The UDP meeting for this 53 home rental building, which will replace the current home of the Cedar Cottage Neighbour Pub, started out a little weird. While this was partially due to the room being taken over by architecture students from Portland, Oregon, it was mostly because no one in the city staff or applicant team was quite sure how to quantify the building’s height. One person stated the building is technically 8 stories tall that reads as a 6 story building from Kingsway. However, according to building code (and the official application), the height is 7 floors from the lowest point of the laneway. The building attempts to address the single family homes across the lane by lowering massing on this side, with the housing format switching to townhomes. Though the entrances to these units will be from inside the building, rather than the exterior.

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2018/06/06...-homes-bemoans-loss-of-late-night-cider/

[truenorth44]

Originally Posted by truenorth44

The Heather Place site excavation has begun this week. I snapped a quick pic as I passed by this morning.

Work is progressing at Heather Place - a crane is up, and they're pouring foundations.

June 11, 2018, my pics:












An unfortunately situated Mobi stand at the alley, a victim of one of the trucks, by the looks of things.

[jollyburger]

Wonder how much resistance they'll face here..

The City also set out further proposed strategies for its planned densification of Vancouver’s single-family neighbourhoods, under a new initiative called “Making Room,” which will also go before council next week.

The new program aims to take a City-wide approach to rezoning in order to create more diverse housing choices for residents, in particular the “Missing Middle” of medium-density housing that is affordable to medium-income residents.

Part of this strategy will involve adding duplexes to the “menu” of allowable housing forms on most residential zoned neighbourhoods, to further increase ground-oriented densification. It also proposes easing restrictions and streamlining permits for new laneway houses.

The planning team also announced that it would be looking at applying the B.C. government’s rental zoning policy to combine with commercial uses on land that is currently zoned for commercial only.

Garrison said, “Our ability to sustain a city with the kinds of diversity [in housing] that we have is going to depend on a certain amount of change. Retaining the amount of low-density, single-detached housing we have is going to be a real struggle if we are to deliver the kinds of affordability and housing options we need. So there is a need for change.”

http://www.vancourier.com/real-estate/ci...rdable-housing-endowment-fund-1.23335136

[GenWhy?]

It was a very basic release. For RS-1 it simply said they would allow duplexes with 2 secondary units. There were some good parking reductions though.

[officedweller]

Broadway Corridor Planning

From VancouverMarket.ca:

...
Policy Considerations

The City also notes a number of other policy consideration that will shape future development scenarios. These include:
◾The Rental Housing Stock Official Development Plan – City will explore renewal and retention of existing rental apartment stock. The rental districts within the study area make up one of the City’s core rental areas, containing 17,680 units of existing non-market and market rental housing – including 27% of the City’s total purpose-built rental units in areas covered by the Rental Housing Stock ODP. Planning work will explore potential future options for these sites, noting that rental replacement and enhanced tenant protection and relocation will be prioritized.
◾Jobs and Economy Policies – the Metro Core Jobs Plan is being updated by the Employment Lands and Economy Review Study set for 2019. In conjunction with that study, the Broadway Planning will consider protection of lands for job space and provision of new commercial density. Existing industrial zones will be largely excluded, save for a small stretch on 8th Avenue.
◾Heights, Views & Other Considerations – ◾Queen Elizabeth View Corridor (View #3) – testing will occur to explore whether select buildings along Broadway could enter into view 3.1 without
eroding the overall view of the city within nature
◾Vancouver General Hospital Flight Path – VGH has a helicopter pad for emergency transport to and from the hospital. The VGH flight path is a wide apron that swings out to the north of the VGH heliport. Transport Canada limits building heights along Broadway – quite considerably between Oak
and Laurel Streets.The City and VGH have agreed that proposals
for new towers will be brought forward for review and discussion with VGH, Transport Canada and the helicopter operators.
◾C-3A Guidelines (Views to City Hall) The Cambie Street (east side) C-3A Guidelines and Central Broadway C-3A Urban Design Guidelines which restrict heights along Broadway between Laurel Street and Yukon Street in order to preserve views to City Hall from public points along the north
side of the False Creek seawall will be reviewed.
◾Community Plans – The Broadway Plan study area includes lands covered by three Community Plans: Mount Pleasant Community Plan (2010), Kitsilano Neighbourhood Plan (1977), and Fairview (1974) – these will be reviewed as part of the process.
◾Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) and City Hall Campus – As both City Hall and VGH will be undertaking master planning initiatives to plan for their future in the near term, the larger context of these two major employment
campuses and the area’s role as an important gateway to the City Core will be considered through Broadway planning.
...

http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2018/06/14/broadway-planning-program-comes-into-focus/


http://www.vancouvermarket.ca/2018/06/14/broadway-planning-program-comes-into-focus/

Full report here:
http://council.vancouver.ca/20180620/pspc20180620ag.htm