General Vancouver Updates - Page 471

chowhou · #**9401** Posted **Mar 15, 2021, 9:02 PM**

Wouldn't be surprised if he was poached by some up-and-coming American city like Austin or Miami. Please remember that this man was not "chief architect of monuments and wonders", he was just the chief city planner. "What was his contribution" is not really a question that's on point.

rofina · #**9402** Posted **Mar 15, 2021, 9:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chowhou

Wouldn't be surprised if he was poached by some up-and-coming American city like Austin or Miami. Please remember that this man was not "chief architect of monuments and wonders", he was just the chief city planner. "What was his contribution" is not really a question that's on point.

What does a chief city planner do then that he gets to float from City to City across the continent?

What are achievements of successful city planners so you can calculate ROI?

What value to a city and community does it to bring one in from San Francisco for instance?

All actual questions, not meant as rhetorical.

s211 · #**9403** Posted **Mar 15, 2021, 9:56 PM**

Unfortunately, Vancouver created the mess by elevating their chief planners to rock stars. Then add the lure of Vancouverism. Then add "let's bring people in from other cities with big 'disruptive' ideas". [Like bringing in that bike advocate from Chicago, going from memory.]

GenWhy? · #**9404** Posted **Mar 15, 2021, 10:19 PM**

If I recall Gil has been working from the US for months. He's from or at least family from Oregon

officedweller · #**9405** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 2:35 AM**

Lots of updates from Lawrence Black!

March 7th, 2021:

425 West 6th Ave.

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

397 West 7th Ave.

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

CityLink

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

officedweller · #**9406** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 2:39 AM**

From Lawrence Black twitter March 8th:

2021 Cypress

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

Joie

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

510 West Broadway

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

officedweller · #**9407** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 2:45 AM**

From Lawrence Black twitter March 13th:

2131 Manitoba

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

The Workshop

This is nice!

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

Houss

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

103 East 3rd Ave.

Blocking any future Quebec St. widening, it seems.

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

181 West 5th Ave.

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

150 West 4th Ave.
Abcellera

https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

zahav · #**9408** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 4:35 AM**

I am a bit confused. I walked by this site and saw as well the signs for AbCellera, and the building well under construction. But in this article it mentions "more space" for the current building:

AbCellera is the future tenant of the four-storey office building currently being constructed at the 150 West 4th Avenue parcel by Dayhu Group, Lark Groupo, and ICT Group. This is a 110,000 sq ft office and industrial building, but the intention now is to build more space on both this site and the adjacent site at 110 West 4th Avenue, which is occupied by A&B Partytime Rentals.

And then this:
A rezoning application has yet to be submitted

So basically just the A&B Party rentals is something new, the other building was already announced.

Changing City · #**9409** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 4:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by zahav

I am a bit confused. I walked by this site and saw as well the signs for AbCellera, and the building well under construction. But in this article it mentions "more space" for the current building:

AbCellera is the future tenant of the four-storey office building currently being constructed at the 150 West 4th Avenue parcel by Dayhu Group, Lark Groupo, and ICT Group. This is a 110,000 sq ft office and industrial building, but the intention now is to build more space on both this site and the adjacent site at 110 West 4th Avenue, which is occupied by A&B Partytime Rentals.

And then this:
A rezoning application has yet to be submitted

So basically just the A&B Party rentals is something new, the other building was already announced.

As well as a future building on the A&B Party site at 110 W4th, the other building (150 W4th) is already under construction as a 110,000 sq ft building. Currently the underground parking is under construction. Last week Council agreed there could be a rezoning. Presumably the intent is to submit that quickly, and get it to Council soon. If it was fairly modest (say adding an extra floor or two to the existing approved building) then it would theoretically be possible to keep going with construction and complete the building with more space than already approved. Something like that happened with Concord's Avenue One condo tower, which was already well under construction before the rezoning was amended to allow an extra floor in 2019.

Migrant_Coconut · #**9410** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 4:51 AM**

No viewcones, no neighbours - should be a slam dunk for them.

jollyburger · #**9411** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 5:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

No viewcones, no neighbours - should be a slam dunk for them.

Not so fast.

Quote:

View impacts to the North Shore Mountains from Jonathan Rogers Park and other public spaces will be considered as part of the rezoning review process for each site.

Here's the presentation from March 10th:

https://csg001-harmony.sliq.net/00317/Ha...9&mediaEndTime=20210310215744&viewMode=3

First question from Colleen Hardwick: Why are you allowing this development which will take away valuable industrial space.

Answer: Lab space and associated space are allowed.

Followup: That's not what I asked. This is a land economics question because I'm talking about use.

(Staff and applicant thinking, how do I politely reply without making her sound stupid)

AbCellera said they can still make changes to the site and don't want to pause construction. Basically in a nice way they said they want to build their campus in Vancouver but if not they might look elsewhere.

Migrant_Coconut · #**9412** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 6:01 AM**

They're taking away industrial space by building industrial space... that's a new one.

WarrenC12 · #**9413** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 3:29 PM**

Tons of updates in the MPIA. Thanks for posting. These should all start completing this summer.

As for industrial space, I'm not sure what Hardwick is hoping for. Blacksmiths?

osirisboy · #**9414** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 3:34 PM**

All of what is being built seems more like just typical office space. I’m not seeing much “industrial” space.

Migrant_Coconut · #**9415** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 5:55 PM**

I dunno, "biotech campus with lab space" sounds pretty industrial.

osirisboy · #**9416** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 8:53 PM**

True. Depends on what kind of labs. There are lab spaces in hospitals and strip malls but I wouldnt call them “industrial”.

rofina · #**9417** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 9:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Not so fast.

Here's the presentation from March 10th:

https://csg001-harmony.sliq.net/00317/Ha...9&mediaEndTime=20210310215744&viewMode=3

First question from Colleen Hardwick: Why are you allowing this development which will take away valuable industrial space.

Answer: Lab space and associated space are allowed.

Followup: That's not what I asked. This is a land economics question because I'm talking about use.

(Staff and applicant thinking, how do I politely reply without making her sound stupid)

AbCellera said they can still make changes to the site and don't want to pause construction. Basically in a nice way they said they want to build their campus in Vancouver but if not they might look elsewhere.

Takes patience of a saint to do business here.

If the Vancouver attitude of governance was transplanted to a minutely less geographically desirable location this city would be void of life.

I truly believe this place is an overall success, despite its best effort to fail.

officedweller · #**9418** Posted **Mar 16, 2021, 11:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by osirisboy

True. Depends on what kind of labs. There are lab spaces in hospitals and strip malls but I wouldnt call them “industrial”.

I would consider both research labs and analytical testing labs both "industrial" (for the latter, whether that's testing blood samples or rock samples). i.e. chances are they handle "hazardous materials" like solvents and other chemicals.

In the case of a business like Lifelabs, there would be a retail storefront in the strip malls, etc. much like a doctor's office or an old school optician, but they would send many of their samples for testing at their larger facility.

jollyburger · #**9419** Posted **Mar 17, 2021, 12:10 AM**

"Phase 2 will build a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility in Vancouver, BC. This facility will be the first in Canada capable of going from a patient sample to manufacturing antibodies for clinical testing, and will help Canada be prepared to respond to future pandemics."

https://www.abcellera.com/news/abcellera-receives-175.6-million-from-the-government

LeftCoaster · #**9420** Posted **Mar 17, 2021, 8:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jollyburger

"Phase 2 will build a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility in Vancouver, BC. This facility will be the first in Canada capable of going from a patient sample to manufacturing antibodies for clinical testing, and will help Canada be prepared to respond to future pandemics."

https://www.abcellera.com/news/abcellera-receives-175.6-million-from-the-government

And yet Collen Hardwick still has a problem with this project.

I've never seen anyone more negative to just about everything.

She truly is a malignant presence on council and just a generally unpleasant person.