Downtown Vancouver Updates

[GenWhy?]

Aw man place is historic. That's where Dogecoin was invented.

[jollyburger]

The two properties were on the market for $15 million a few years ago.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

I wasn't able to attend this meeting, but I don't think there has been anything posted about this rezoning before.

https://vancouver.ca/docs/council/vher20221024ag.pdf

Application is up.
https://shapeyourcity.ca/430-440-w-pender-st


Image by Architectural Collective

[officedweller]

Thanks.
It would be nice if there was some sort of architectural feature (arch or pediment) in the middle of the top cornice (might violate a height limit?)
Like on the Arts & Crafts Building or the one next door in this pic:


https://pci-group.com/wp-content/uploads/576Seymour03-909x1030.jpg

[officedweller]

Yaletown Park towers are being repainted.
(They are just painted concrete).

On the right side of the pic, they've applied a base light beige coat, below the windows, then they applied a gray sealant coat ofor the ledges, then I suppose they'll go back and painta final coat or two.

Hoepfully they'll retain the 3-shade colour blocking across the tower facade, but knowing stratas these days, they may just opt for one colour.

Pic by me today.


I think this is the colour blocking before the paint faded.
The same would be for the tower in the background.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Yaletown Park towers are being repainted.
(They are just painted concrete).

On the right side of the pic, they've applied a base light beige coat, below the windows, then they applied a gray sealant coat ofor the ledges, then I suppose they'll go back and painta final coat or two.

Hoepfully they'll retain the 3-shade colour blocking across the tower facade, but knowing stratas these days, they may just opt for one colour.

Might be connected to some repair work

There was a wide-ranging discussion of the exterior project and why the resolution to raise money for its remediation failed at the Annual General Meeting, including the project is more than just repainting: it involves waterproofing the eyebrows above the windows and resurfacing the balconies.

Council briefly reviewed a previous proposal from Remdal to do the exterior coating and membrane work. The proposal was for discussion purposes only. Council will await the final draft of the RDH Engineering report.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/mrp-listings/0/...bbf1bfd.pdf#view=FitH&zoom=100&toolbar=0

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Might be connected to some repair work

https://s3.amazonaws.com/mrp-listings/0/...bbf1bfd.pdf#view=FitH&zoom=100&toolbar=0

The gray parts on the ledges are probably the "eyebrows" mentioned in your post and the coating looks like sealant.

I wouldn't be surprised about a resolution failing at the AGM, as that complex was heavily marketed to investors.
Those towers are mostly one bedroom units.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The gray parts on the ledges are probably the "eyebrows" mentioned in your post and the coating looks like sealant.

I wouldn't be surprised about a resolution failing at the AGM, as that complex was heavily marketed to investors.
Those towers are mostly one bedroom units.

Yeah they couldn't pass a motion to fix their water system that was creating pinhole leaks in their piping

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Yeah they couldn't pass a motion to fix their water system that was creating pinhole leaks in their piping

man oh man, strata sucks. but a better question is... how old is the place, and why are there holes in the pipes?

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

man oh man, strata sucks. but a better question is... how old is the place, and why are there holes in the pipes?

Faulty copper pipe from China in the early 2000s.
The website also says that buildings need to be replumbed every 20-25 years. Hmmm.

Was the building re-plumbed between 2000 and 2006?
Between these years a type of copper plumbing was manufactured out of China that was faulty. If the building is experiencing frequent pin hole leaks in the hot water copper pipes within a few years of being re-plumbed it is most likely that it may have been re-plumbed with the faulty Chinese copper plumbing. One of the manufacturers in China responsible for the poor copper pipes was Hung Tai manufacturing.

https://donurquhart.com/blog/older-condos-in-vancouver-and-their-plumbing-what-to-look-out-for/

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Faulty copper pipe from China in the early 2000s.
The website also says that buildings need to be replumbed every 20-25 years. Hmmm.

Yaletown Park, by Wall Financial Corp. Two towers completed 2006, one in 2007.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Yaletown Park, by Wall Financial Corp. Two towers completed 2006, one in 2007.

My building was completed in 1993 and we haven't discussed replumbing as far as I know.
We're currently doing an elevator refurbishment project (new cables, flywheels, electricals, software, and interior finishes)
and switching from Otis to Kone. Each elevator takes about 3 months.
By 2027, we're supposed to address the window wall anchor bracket deterioration, which will be betreen $50K and $100K per suite depending on the solution chosen ($100K being full replacement). The glass and seals are fine so far, just the brackets holding them in place have rusted in places.

[jollyburger]

Seems related to the soft water more than any defective piping.

From Hytec (which they were going to use for their water conditioning)

Larger buildings move large volumes of soft water continuously through their copper pipes. This “hungry water” if left untreated, seeks minerals from piping, and speeds the corrosion process. The higher volume of soft water is why B.C. condo owners and other large buildings see premature plumbing failure, while pipes in single-family homes last much longer.

Vancouver’s soft water is high in oxygen and carbon dioxide. It readily absorbs copper, lead, and other minerals from plumbing. We bring the water back to a optimal pH, at 8.0, which allows the protective layer from Hytec’s Aquasoft to work more quickly.

(their website is offline, cached copy)

[officedweller]

Weird...

A large crowd of partiers walked across from the VAG North Plaza (where there was a DJ spinning tunes) across Howe St. (stopping traffic) into the Howe Street tunnel.

Pic by me tonight:

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Yaletown Park, by Wall Financial Corp. Two towers completed 2006, one in 2007.

I rememenbr looking at one of those with a friend who was looking for a downtown condo. It had the weirdest bathroom set-up kind of a jack and jill set-up where the bathtub shower separated two bathrooms.

[mcj]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Weird...

A large crowd of partiers walked across from the VAG North Plaza (where there was a DJ spinning tunes) across Howe St. (stopping traffic) into the Howe Street tunnel.

Pic by me tonight:

That was the decentralized dance party, a fun time if you're feeling like street partying in a banana suit.

[jollyburger]

Forgot Metro Vancouver raised the hardness of the water last year as well

http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/w...trol_Program-Copper_Pipes_Protection.pdf

[gaviscon]

Does anybody have news about the Cohen Block site in East Van? Supposed to be a big development for the area:

https://www.urbanyvr.com/the-cohen-block-rentals/

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by whatnext

I rememenbr looking at one of those with a friend who was looking for a downtown condo. It had the weirdest bathroom set-up kind of a jack and jill set-up where the bathtub shower separated two bathrooms.

Mondrian (on Richards @ Nelson) had bathtubs with a window or sliding door into the living room.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by gaviscon

Does anybody have news about the Cohen Block site in East Van? Supposed to be a big development for the area:

https://www.urbanyvr.com/the-cohen-block-rentals/

It's the Army & Navy stores buildings. One has been used as a shelter. No application has been submitted yet (or at least, none that has gone public).