Downtown Vancouver Updates

[Feathered Friend]

Urban Freedom Fighters Help Inch Vancouver’s Failed Freeway Revitalization Closer To Daylight

625-777 Pacific St
Hopefully the Urban Design Panel’s volunteers enjoyed their winter break, because their first review of 2022 lasted for nearly three hours. The Omnicron-forced return to a virtual format was partially to blame for this, but as Hannah jokingly pointed out, some people like torturing themselves, and I willingly attend these sessions. Her words haunted me when one city engineer confessed they could happily talk for hours about the plan to replace the Granville Bridge’s northern loops (pg 5).

The panel literally asked for this punishment too, as last summer they recommended this one million square foot mixture of strata, rental, and social housing return to them for further review. This time the city’s Real Estate and Facilities Management Department was clearly better prepared, with a far more illustrative framework for these publicly-owned lands that claimed to advance the work of Jane Jacobs. Yet this body’s opening remarks ran counter to that renowned urbanist’s core message.

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2022/03/28...eeway-revitalization-closer-to-daylight/

[vanman]

The improvements to the streetscape look great with all that new retail and activation of dead space under the bridge. My one gripe is the massing of the towers. Some variation of the heights would be much better for the skyline. The last thing False Creek needs is more uniform towers. Would be nice if each tower was built by a different developer with a completely different design.

[Feathered Friend]

A Historical Breath Of Fresh Air Promises To Light Up Gastown’s Future
343 W Pender St (DP-2021-00952) – 470 Homer Street

When the Hartney Chambers, and World Buildings were first constructed during Vancouver’s pre-war boom, I wonder if anyone thought they would be standing over a century later. Granted, their insides had been gutted to accommodate some rather interesting things, including a provocatively named waxing studio, an adult “massage parlor,” and even an optometrist. So it’s probably not surprising to learn the Vancouver Heritage Commission wasn’t upset that only the outside of that former Class B heritage structure would be preserved.

That support earned this six floor office building the 10% floor area increase it needed to be viable, and is where I would have expected this story to end. Instead, I was stunned to see it brought before the Urban Design Panel for a further review, though as Hannah reminded me, city staff (usually) have a reason for their madness. This time the goal wasn’t protecting the past, but rather those who will shape our city’s future.

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2022/04/01...ir-promises-to-light-up-gastowns-future/

[gaviscon]

Guys, does anyone know what happened to that arc shadow proposal replacing the parkade The Bay? I want that badly to happen

[madog222]

Originally Posted by gaviscon

Guys, does anyone know what happened to that arc shadow proposal replacing the parkade The Bay? I want that badly to happen

It was really just a concept at best. It's also weird how those renders were released with very similar wording on the dailyhive and urbanyvr posts.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by madog222

It was really just a concept at best. It's also weird how those renders were released with very similar wording on the dailyhive and urbanyvr posts.

It was one of the losers in the design competition.

[gaviscon]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

It was one of the losers in the design competition.

So what happened to the winner?

[Feathered Friend]

A 20 year dream to connect the Seawall under the Granville Bridge will finally become a reality thanks to a “last minute” catch by the sharp eyes of city staff. The False Creek Yacht Club deserves some credit for this too, though they weren’t too pleased about it.

After all, It was their application to renew, and expand their marina that led to the rediscovery of this long promised right-of-way. However, they feared it would delay & derail their planned dock renewal, & urged the Development Permit Board to separate it from this process.

That plan was praised for targeting 5 stars under the Georgia Straight Alliance Clean Marine Program, but the prospect of this pedestrian pathway was too good to pass up. Rather than delay everything for further study, they chose to approve the project with the route intact.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb_YDGjJPil/...EFysskh6zPnib78F9mSqlkIQK3WF8RRl5Q9Z2FGw

[jollyburger]

Excavation started on the new Coal Harbour school

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by officedweller

2 11-storey rental projects by ONNI on West Pender between Richards and Homer - 2 separate lots - both currently empty it appears.

...

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Feb.23 '16, my pic

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

Excavation has started at the Onni Project at Richards@Pender. the alley is blocked off now also. this project seems to be a go.

April 9 '22, my pics

[mcminsen]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Excavation started on the new Coal Harbour school

April 10 '22, my pics

[mcminsen]

At Harbour Green Park.





April 10 '22, my pics




April 9 '22, my pic

[Feathered Friend]

Stephen Quinn @CBCStephenQuinn
12:04 PM · Apr 11, 2022

https://twitter.com/CBCStephenQuinn/status/1513593776249352192?s=20&t=ft-NE88Eo1B2xu0AW-sIWQ

Stephen Quinn @CBCStephenQuinn
And more…
12:09 PM · Apr 11, 2022

https://twitter.com/CBCStephenQuinn/status/1513595232285171715?s=20&t=ft-NE88Eo1B2xu0AW-sIWQ

[whatnext]

Well I guess we know where the next midrise behind a heritage facade is going.

[officedweller]

By me at 2:00pm:



Also, mesh coming down at Pacific Pointe II:

[giallo]

I noticed it from Cambie and Broadway today. Those are some large flames.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Well I guess we know where the next midrise behind a heritage facade is going.

That depends on whether engineers think the facade is stable enough to stand up safely. It will have relied on the frame behind to hold it up - if that's too damaged or has burned away it might have to be demolished. The 92 SRO rooms remain associated with the site, even if the building has gone. It's unusual because the 'Winter's' in the hotel name was also the developer, Mrs. Avis Winters, in 1907.

[giallo]

I was flying a DJI Mini around Fairview when I caught a glimpse of the fire.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

eek, quite the fire.

i do have a question about this building, though. assuming it is burned to the ground, would anyone actually rebuild the SRO's? i know CoV would most likely mandate it. but would it be worth anyone rebuilding them? even if you could do condos above, i dont see people wanting to buy into a building with SROs in them, in that area...

is there a real chance this would sit an empty parcel?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

eek, quite the fire.

i do have a question about this building, though. assuming it is burned to the ground, would anyone actually rebuild the SRO's? i know CoV would most likely mandate it. but would it be worth anyone rebuilding them? even if you could do condos above, i dont see people wanting to buy into a building with SROs in them, in that area...

is there a real chance this would sit an empty parcel?

It would no doubt take a while to sort out. Buildings have burned down, but not SRO hotels, although there have been fires in old hotels in recent years, none have required demolition. The only previous example I know is the Park Hotel in the 100 block of West Pender, that burned down in 1950. The site is still vacant.

One option would be to sell the site to the City, or to BC Housing, if they were interested in buying it. Another would be to rebuild a replacement, using the insurance that the owners almost certainly will have had. A third might be to request the rooms be allowed to be removed from the SRA register. There's a base fee of $15,000 per room, so roughly a $1.4m cost here, but I don't see City Council being willing to allow that given the low-income housing crisis. They might agree to have fewer, larger self-contained rooms as a replacement; that's happened where buildings have been renovated and improved.