General Vancouver Updates

[Feathered Friend]

https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applicatio...ts/6161CambieSt-SustainabilityReport.PDF






https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applications/1940mainst/documents/perspectives.pdf

December 10th Public Hearing – East Van Residents Hope To Save Beloved School As Sonder Claus Plans To Visit Main Street
December 10th, 2019 Public Hearing –

The first of two public hearings scheduled for this week is one Hannah and I expect to be over quickly and quietly. That’s because none of these applications have drawn the ire faced by a MIRHPP proposal in Kitsilano which will be on heard Thursday night. In fact, one has to wonder why any of these items were even subjected to this process as they’ve drawn little opposition, and didn’t receive any recommendations from the Urban Design Panel.

We imagine the first one, the expansion of the community facilities at the Alliance Française, will draw widespread support. Meanwhile, the second, a four-storey building less than a block from the Canada Line’s Langara-49th Avenue station, is born from a plan that failed to predict our city’s affordability crisis.

As the lack of family housing has lowered enrollment numbers at some schools to levels that have put them in danger of closing, it’s no wonder the residents of Kiwassa are eager to support the addition of a large amount of family housing to their neighbourhourhood.

This is probably why the last proposal, which will bring 49 strata homes and 37 spaces of city-owned daycare to Mount Pleasant, has also failed to generate any anger. That said, we don’t know what the reaction will be to a last-minute change which will see Sonder operate some of its strata homes as hotel suites for likely at least the next five years.

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2019/12/09...sonder-claus-plans-to-visit-main-street/

[Feathered Friend]

https://council.vancouver.ca/20191212/documents/phea1policyreport.pdf


https://council.vancouver.ca/20191105/documents/p5.pdf


https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applicatio...archSt-RezoningApplication-Rendering.jpg

December 12, 2019 Public Hearing – Will Kitsilano MLA Help Deliver A Very MIRHPPY Christmas? East Van Steps Up For Long Awaited Middle Class Rental Homes

December 12th, 2019 Public Hearing –
One way or another, this Thursday night will be a historic one, as it marks the first time a project under the Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program (MIRHPP) will be heard by city council. In fact, depending on how you look at it, they’ll actually be deciding the fate of two or three project this night.

That’s because the two applications on Vancouver’s East Side are literally across the road from each other. While some may worry that pace of change would cause some opposition, this community nestled in by the Renfrew SkyTrain station is eager for far more. This demand has led to city staff granting an extra floor of housing for both projects, something that might also be a first.

For the sake of balance, it only makes sense the night’s other project comes from one of Vancouver’s western neighbourhoods. However, it’s faced a far different reception from Kitsilano, as hundreds of responses have led to the elimination of one floor of housing. The city’s own reports show that decision could jeopardize the project’s future, yet even after winning the support of local MLA David Eby, 315 people have signed a petition calling for city council to reject these homes.

For this reason, we expect this to be a very long meeting. It may even last multiple nights, as we’ve heard over 40 people have already signed up to speak. City council hasn’t seen this level of response to a rezoning application since early this year, which ended with the rejection of a Shaughnessy townhome complex. Which mean it’s possible this meeting will end with the first approval and rejection of middle class housing our city has seen in years.

Backlash Expectations

Item #1 – 2543-2583 Renfrew Street & 2895 East 10th Avenue – Very Low
Many in the area would support far more density here

Item #2 – 2603-2655 Renfrew Street – Very Low
Like its northern counterpart, the reception has been overwhelmingly positive

Item #3 – 1805 Larch – Extremely High
The amount of opposition has led to the loss of a floor, and pushed this project to the edge of viability

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2019/12/11...-long-awaited-middle-class-rental-homes/

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Might save us 2 years here and there on getting rental built. I was surprised on the Spring release.

The additional commercial height was a nice touch that was routinely discussed but wasn't sure it would make it on here. Typically we build the lowest allowable heights for residential to get reasonable commercial heights within a C-2 form. The end result horrible.

So year end whispers of projects rolling through that have been impacted by the rental incentives review... looks like these touches are going to prove very fruitful

[logan5]

What exactly do you gain by having extra height in a commercial space? Most commercial spaces have a drop ceiling anyways.

[misher]

Originally Posted by logan5

What exactly do you gain by having extra height in a commercial space? Most commercial spaces have a drop ceiling anyways.

Can't have a drop ceiling if you don't have the height for a drop ceiling

[officedweller]

High ceilings make for a better retail experience

[cairnstone]

Main reason for higher ceilings in commercial is HVAC as the unit is usually hung above the ceiling And also allows all the slab bands to be hidden away plus all the plumbing. And also shopping experience in retail. example is comparing PC to other malls you have a lower ceiling height and it makes you feel claustrophobic.

[logan5]

He mentioned C-2 buildings, which a lot of the time come with smaller retail units. I've seen some of these along Main St., with open ceilings.They look cavernous and out of proportion, and the exposed wilson joists and deck make the space look cold and sterile.

[GenWhy?]

The revision (I hope I'm reading it correctly) is to have added height for commercial once you hit the height limit meeting the general C-2 form. So "6-storeys" in name only, and to get that 6th storey in by not being only... say 1 ft over your City's height limit... you start shaving the residential heights (especially for rental - hence the Rental 100 review) to their lowest allowable - which is bloody low - to get a reasonable 15 foot clear commercial unit height. Exposing the ceiling allows the floor-to-ceiling to look taller than with a dropped ceiling.

This way, you design your residential rental and commercial units with adequate ceiling heights, then work with staff on the conditional extra height used for commercial. This typically can get you from a short 13 foot (maybe 12 with dropped ceilings) up to 15 or 17. Right now we're building units and CRUs with terribly low ceilings to meet an arbitrary height limit from like 40 years ago - which is really a 5-1/2-storey height limit.

[GenWhy?]

For example: https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applicatio...plication-BuildingSection-2019-10-18.pdf

[officedweller]

Hoepfully they'll end up with commercial retail that looks like the newer retail in buildings on Hastings in Burnaby's Heights.

[officedweller]

The Link - Collingwood

From GBL twitter - Nov 15th:


https://twitter.com/GBLArchitects


https://twitter.com/GBLArchitects

[logan5]

For me the most important thing with mixed use development is the architecture at retail/street level. This recent development in North Vancouver does a decent job of creating separation between retail units through the use of individual canopies for each cru. Normally you would see one long common canopy for all the retail units. Also there is some set-back, so there is an opportunity for a patio, which further adds to the individual character of each retail unit. Over-all pretty decent pedestrian realm.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.312271,-1...QkuxJVyUQi341Jw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

But look what it replaced. A block long row of colourful store-fronts.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.3123979,-...GIlvAUG0VMfECSA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Imo the street is actually less walk-able now.

This is what I worry is going to happen to some of the blocks in Mt. Pleasant, or South Granville after the Broadway Plan is finalized.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by logan5

For me the most important thing with mixed use development is the architecture at retail/street level. This recent development in North Vancouver does a decent job of creating separation between retail units through the use of individual canopies for each cru. Normally you would see one long common canopy for all the retail units. Also there is some set-back, so there is an opportunity for a patio, which further adds to the individual character of each retail unit. Over-all pretty decent pedestrian realm.

But look what it replaced. A block long row of colourful store-fronts.

Imo the street is actually less walk-able now.

This is what I worry is going to happen to some of the blocks in Mt. Pleasant, or South Granville after the Broadway Plan is finalized.

Same as if you consider the 1-storey small buildings that were replaced by say the Lee Building or Belvedere Court at Main and 10th and the building across the street. It's a cycle, just delayed. The physical bones are relatively the same just the paint changed colour.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Paint that also wears off over time. Lonsdale's streetfront is pretty because the BIA has the resources to keep it like that; Kingsway or Hastings, not so much.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Same as if you consider the 1-storey small buildings that were replaced by say the Lee Building or Belvedere Court at Main and 10th and the building across the street. It's a cycle, just delayed. The physical bones are relatively the same just the paint changed colour.

That's the problem. There is no colour after these mixed use buildings are built. You're left with a long row of blank facades.

[Migrant_Coconut]

We're talking about the same South Granville and Mount Pleasant, right? Two-fifths of the streetfront is white, off-white or beige, another two-fifths is brick brown, and the last fifth is grey or some other colour; most people will hardly tell the difference.

[Feathered Friend]

A sign of how important/at risk the 1805 Larch MIRHPP project is, there's still time to write in at [email protected]


https://twitter.com/ahvancouver/status/1205285200160124936?s=20

[logan5]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

We're talking about the same South Granville and Mount Pleasant, right? Two-fifths of the streetfront is white, off-white or beige, another two-fifths is brick brown, and the last fifth is grey or some other colour; most people will hardly tell the difference.

"or some other colour". Lol. Thank-you. Exactly.

It's not just colour. There is a variety of materials, shapes, textures.

You have to be blind to not be able to see a difference.

[Migrant_Coconut]

You'd have to be blind to ignore the 99% of buildings that're already that style in favour of the 1% that's yellow or purple. Take a walk down Granville or Broadway and you'll find that much of the streetfront is already "bland" stone/brick boxes - all that's missing is the four/five floors' worth of housing on top.