Cambie Corridor Updates

[Vin]

Originally Posted by logan5

Hopefully the only thing inspired from Metrotown is the "Town Centre" part. Probly won't happen, but you'd like to see Oakridge as a walk-able neighbourhood, with a good retail street at its heart instead of a mall.

Even with all that density, Metrotown is a lifeless neighbourhood.

The neighbourhood IS Metrotown. It is an "indoor neighbourhood" and is one of the most lively and vibrant neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland. Not every town centre has to have a cookie-cutter look with loads of people crossing road intersections, although I have to say since more towers are being built away from the mall proper, it is starting to look like so on the street level.

FYI, Metrotown is very walkable. Just imagine the walkways inside the mall as pedestrian-only covered commercial lanes or streets. In fact, the only areas not so nice are those old rundown walk-up neighbourhoods. Those areas are, indeed, pretty lifeless.

Oakridge Centre already missed the boat. Based on the earlier OCP, the City already conned too many developers to build 6-story condos around the mall, where they could have taller mixed-used towers from the get-go. Even with those SFH lots eventually taken up by taller towers as per the revised OCP (made at the end of Vision's tenure), they will always be separated by the quiet boring 6-story residential buildings from the core (Oakridge mall). Hence the area will never overtake Metrotown for its vibrancy. It's another one of Vancouver's numerous blunders when it comes to the planning of a good neighbourhood.

[GenWhy?]

I understand the desire on your part, Vin, to create a 3rd Vancouver downtown in a sense (after Broadway) and to be on par with downtown Burnaby, which was conducting and enacting plans around the same time.

But I think for most cities, going from 50s suburban mall / house paradigm to... 50 storey towers is / wouldn't be a realistic possibility (though it should have happened maybe but at the time the "affordability factor" wasn't baked in so maybe "we" dodged a bullet). Hence why Vision was booted, perhaps even or so the storey goes.

Very curious to see the absorption rates once Dogwood, Langara Gardens, Heatherlands, the old transit yard and their projected pop. numbers are and if they can proceed in tandem with the general 20-ish storey Cambie St towers, not even to mention the mall itself.

Mainly curious about condo sales. Rental I think should still be fine.

[Migrant_Coconut]

And a healthy downtown has busy indoor AND outdoor spaces. Metrotown fizzles out as soon as you cross the street, something Oakridge should learn from.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by Vin

The neighbourhood IS Metrotown. It is an "indoor neighbourhood" and is one of the most lively and vibrant neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland. FYI, Metrotown is very walkable.

Oh my god.


Ok, lets say that a shopping mall counts as a neighbourhood. That makes Metrotown a neighbourhood with no residents. At least Oakridge will be a shiny new shopping mall with thousands of residents literally on top of the mall. Plus Oakridge will have a park on top of the mall. So Oakridge has 3 important elements that make up a good, vibrant neighbourhood - retail, residents, and parks. Metrotown only has one of those things. Plus Oakridge will have a super cool underground connection to Skytrain. Clearly Oakridge will be vastly superior to outdated Metrotown.

[GenWhy?]

Speaking of Heather Lands, did anyone catch the Feb. UDP on it?

I think and the Transit Yard are about 3,500 net increase in residents, no displacement.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Speaking of Heather Lands, did anyone catch the Feb. UDP on it?

I think and the Transit Yard are about 3,500 net increase in residents, no displacement.

I think it's a lot more people to be added. Heather Lands will have around 2,610 units, and the Transit Yard, now called Oak Green, has 1,630 units. That should add at least 6,500 residents once they're both built out.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by Changing City

I think it's a lot more people to be added. Heather Lands will have around 2,610 units, and the Transit Yard, now called Oak Green, has 1,630 units. That should add at least 6,500 residents once they're both built out.

Oh yes, thanks I forgot they revised it recently I think. Both are many years off from Occupancy but the low-hanging fruit is gone.

Oak Green got its Rezoning approved in Winter 2020 and I think Heather applied around the same time? I think the last numbers for the Plan was an extra 32,000 new units or people I can't remember but it seems dated now. Don't know if that was net or gross either. Oakridge was I think still about 3,000 units?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Oh yes, thanks I forgot they revised it recently I think. Both are many years off from Occupancy but the low-hanging fruit is gone.

Oak Green got its Rezoning approved in Winter 2020 and I think Heather applied around the same time? I think the last numbers for the Plan was an extra 32,000 new units or people I can't remember but it seems dated now. Don't know if that was net or gross either. Oakridge was I think still about 3,000 units?

Oakridge will be about 3,000 units. So far around 1,400 have been approved and are underway. The various big projects like Cambie Gardens, Langara Gardens, Oakridge, Oak Green, Heather Lands and the YMCA add about 12,500 units. So far, another 10,500 units have been completed, approved or submitted in the rest of the Cambie Corridor. I would guess that in the rest of the corridor we have maybe seen half the potential development identified, so that would add at least another 10,000 units, so altogether there would be 33,000 extra units that are added. The only things being redeveloped are houses, so not many units are being replaced. (It's not like Metrotown, for example). That's probably around 50,000 more people. It includes the Marine Gateway towers, but it doesn't include the other development from the Marpole Plan adjacent to the Cambie Corridor.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Oakridge will be about 3,000 units. So far around 1,400 have been approved and are underway. The various big projects like Cambie Gardens, Langara Gardens, Oakridge, Oak Green, Heather Lands and the YMCA add about 12,500 units. So far, another 10,500 units have been completed, approved or submitted in the rest of the Cambie Corridor. I would guess that in the rest of the corridor we have maybe seen half the potential development identified, so that would add at least another 10,000 units, so altogether there would be 33,000 extra units that are added. The only things being redeveloped are houses, so not many units are being replaced. (It's not like Metrotown, for example). That's probably around 50,000 more people. It includes the Marine Gateway towers, but it doesn't include the other development from the Marpole Plan adjacent to the Cambie Corridor.

But how can that be? I'm pretty sure Vin et al assured us nothing was being built in the COV and SFH zoning was making Vancouver cede its metropolis designation to Burnaby or Surrey.

[squeezied]

Originally Posted by Vin

FYI, Metrotown is very walkable. Just imagine the walkways inside the mall as pedestrian-only covered commercial lanes or streets. In fact, the only areas not so nice are those old rundown walk-up neighbourhoods. Those areas are, indeed, pretty lifeless..

Metrotown is walkable??? Compared to Surrey?

Do you think people in Metrotown only come by transit, bike or walking? What about the huge multi-level parkade underneath Metrotown? Do you know what the percentage of people arriving by car is?

It's like saying every car-dependent suburban mall is walkable and completely ignoring the fact that everybody there arrived by car.

My goodness, your logic is so out there.

[Klazu]

Well, Metrotown is very walkable for those of us living here. I walk to all parts of Metrotown but drive/transit in and out out of the area.

Back on the topic, do we know if the Heather Land development will give us the 33rd Avenue SkyTrain station?

[Feathered Friend]

Heather Lands Reach A Magical Milestone As Multi-nationalism Wins Over The Urban Design Panel

4949-5255 Heather St and 657 W 37th Ave (Heather Lands)
Admittedly, spelling and grammar are not my strong points, so if not for Hannah’s efforts, my posts would be rather messy. Unfortunately, neither of us were taught the languages of our host nations, so we couldn’t capture the presentation that started the Urban Design Panel’s review of the Heather Lands. Nonetheless, I could understand this was a “momentous” moment, even if it was weird to hear a condensed version of the Spirit of Tsleil (sp?) sung over Zoom.

There is no denying the MST Partnership’s 2014 purchase of the lands the RCMP E Division left in 2013 marked a huge evolution in their role as its caretakers. That said, this rezoning application only slightly differs from the policy statement that guides it, and these updates mostly result from an issues report passed by city council in 2018. That’s led the site’s FSR to be increased from 2.3 to 2.5, as it now included 100 Moderate Income Rental Homes.

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2021/03/05...nalism-wins-over-the-urban-design-panel/

[Feathered Friend]

City Duo @City_Duo
The timeline to determine the Fairmont Building’s future was revealed during the Vancouver Heritage Commission’s Heather Lands presentation. The only two viable options approved by city council are to either demolish it, or cut it into 3, & move it to a new location.
6:56 PM · Mar 15, 2021·Twitter Web App

Like the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s trip across LA, power lines along that route would need to be removed. One volunteer conceded fighting to preserve it on site was futile “as that horse had left the barn,” but hoped it could be used like the Taylor Manor, which it resembles.

https://twitter.com/City_Duo/status/1371641571649581057?s=20

[Klazu]

I don't know why there needs to be towers at this location. I am happy if that leads to the new SkyTrain station getting built but I think this area should be low to midrise.

[phesto]

Originally Posted by Klazu

I don't know why there needs to be towers at this location. I am happy if that leads to the new SkyTrain station getting built but I think this area should be low to midrise.

Lower density would equate to a lower financial benefit to MST Nations.

You could argue that Jericho Lands shouldn't have towers either, but I don't think anyone will really argue against MST trying to maximize the financial benefits by trying for them.

[Migrant_Coconut]

The blocks directly south of them are zoned for highrises anyway, so why not?

[Vin]

Weird that developers have to foot millions to refurbish rundown shacks on their properties, yet this beautiful building could be demolished. Yet another thing that totally makes sense in this fair city.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

The blocks directly south of them are zoned for highrises anyway, so why not?

Interesting - hiding the highrises a couple blocks off the arterial.
That's not a bad idea.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by Vin

Weird that developers have to foot millions to refurbish rundown shacks on their properties, yet this beautiful building could be demolished. Yet another thing that totally makes sense in this fair city.

I has nothing to do with cost and everything to do with the racist history of the building.

There's a big political can of worms that may open just for the privilege of spending more money to save a building.

Safest choice is to knock it down.

[vanman]

Cambie Gardens taken by me yesterday.