800 Granville Street | 137.5m | 42, 38 fl | Proposed

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

i really like this project. but 100% love that suggestion of a more grand entrance officedweller. that would probably improve it quite a bit. i like the example you have as well.

i hope this project goes ahead with minor revisions. granville street needs something. i remember being down there in summer of 2015 for a week and man, it wasnt great then. but i can only imagine what it is like now.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

i really like this project. but 100% love that suggestion of a more grand entrance officedweller. that would probably improve it quite a bit. i like the example you have as well.

i hope this project goes ahead with minor revisions. granville street needs something. i remember being down there in summer of 2015 for a week and man, it wasnt great then. but i can only imagine what it is like now.

Granville has plenty of foot traffic in the evening on weekends, but an injection of office workers would really help with weekdays.

[giallo]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

Granville has plenty of foot traffic in the evening on weekends, but an injection of office workers would really help with weekdays.

Yeah. It's hopping on the weekend, but it's really bleak during the day. Offices would definitely help.

[GenWhy?]

Office around Davie and Nelson intersections would help

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

Granville has plenty of foot traffic in the evening on weekends, but an injection of office workers would really help with weekdays.

City Council seems keen to double down on the weekend Vomitcon by considering banning even transit on Granville.

This office proposal is exactly what Granville needs to ensure a balance of businesses. Any commercial area that caters solely to a weekend evening crowd is going to be dead at every other time.

I can't see much objection except perhaps from owners of units at the Capitol.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by whatnext

City Council seems keen to double down on the weekend Vomitcon by considering banning even transit on Granville.

This office proposal is exactly what Granville needs to ensure a balance of businesses. Any commercial area that caters solely to a weekend evening crowd is going to be dead at every other time.

I can't see much objection except perhaps from owners of units at the Capitol.

Making Granville purely pedestrian could bring in more up scale restaurants with sizeable patios, which would draw a daytime crowd, combined with more office workers in the immediate area, as opposed to the fast food donair pizza places that are there now .

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by logan5

Making Granville purely pedestrian could bring in more up scale restaurants with sizeable patios, which would draw a daytime crowd, combined with more office workers in the immediate area, as opposed to the fast food donair pizza places that are there now .

Yep, a net benefit overall IMO. Banning all but transit/taxi always seemed weird to me... either 🞵🞵🞵🞵 or get off the pot.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by logan5

Making Granville purely pedestrian could bring in more up scale restaurants with sizeable patios, which would draw a daytime crowd, combined with more office workers in the immediate area, as opposed to the fast food donair pizza places that are there now .

Check out how many restaurants have kept their Covid-era patios through the winter. This isn't Miami or Barcelona. Or are you going to suggest patio heaters, fired by gas or propane they don't seem like "greenest city".

New restaurants will open to serve new office workers without the pleasant fiction they need patios which are only good in Vancouver from April-Sept, at most. And this being Vancouver, you can bet the city will try to cram all the bus and vehicle traffic onto two lanes on Seymour rather than forego any meter revenue.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by whatnext

City Council seems keen to double down on the weekend Vomitcon by considering banning even transit on Granville.

I don't see how this will hurt the viability of Granville for 9-to-5ers. People who drive already have to park off Granville and transit users are used to walking a block or two to get to their final destination.

Originally Posted by whatnext

Check out how many restaurants have kept their Covid-era patios through the winter. This isn't Miami or Barcelona. Or are you going to suggest patio heaters, fired by gas or propane they don't seem like "greenest city".

Patios are obviously most busy in the summer. But the patios that have been winterized (meaning shelter plus heaters) are still well used. Breka's patio on Bute is usually at capacity no matter what time of the year. Same with Cactus Club on Burrard. Or the patios along Mainland in Yaletown.

The temporary patios set up in parking spaces for COVID had no reason to be winterized because that costs money and the city hasn't given any clarity on if these spaces will revert to their previous roles. I imagine that if they were made permanent (or if Granville was pedestrianized) you would see a lot more winterized patios. As for the heaters, infrared heaters run on hydro power.

If Granville were to be pedestrianized I can imagine a few cool events. For one, I wish Vancouver had an outdoor space where large sporting events were broadcast. I would have loved to go watch the FIFA games or the Olympics at Robson Square or something. Another idea is that a main stage could be set up on Granville, so that all of those patio spaces could listen to live music on evenings and weekends.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

...Patios are obviously most busy in the summer. But the patios that have been winterized (meaning shelter plus heaters) are still well used. Breka's patio on Bute is usually at capacity no matter what time of the year. Same with Cactus Club on Burrard. Or the patios along Mainland in Yaletown.

The temporary patios set up in parking spaces for COVID had no reason to be winterized because that costs money and the city hasn't given any clarity on if these spaces will revert to their previous roles. I imagine that if they were made permanent (or if Granville was pedestrianized) you would see a lot more winterized patios. As for the heaters, infrared heaters run on hydro power.

At what point are they not quaint sounding "patios" and just ugly permanent structures? And again, propane and gas heating? Hello climate change!

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

If Granville were to be pedestrianized I can imagine a few cool events. For one, I wish Vancouver had an outdoor space where large sporting events were broadcast. I would have loved to go watch the FIFA games or the Olympics at Robson Square or something. Another idea is that a main stage could be set up on Granville, so that all of those patio spaces could listen to live music on evenings and weekends.

Because that worked out so well for the city in the 2011 Stanley Cup!

[logan5]

Old man whatnext shaking his fist at the clouds again. Some people still want to enjoy life.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by logan5

Old man whatnext shaking his fist at the clouds again. Some people still want to enjoy life.

"But we've changed since 2011"

[djmk]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

. Another idea is that a main stage could be set up on Granville, so that all of those patio spaces could listen to live music on evenings and weekends.

Omg. Yes.

Get rid of the cars/bus/taxi and put in a stage. That would be awesome and real culture building.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by whatnext

"But we've changed since 2011"

Don't worry you'll never go down there anyway.

[vanman]

Another idea is that a main stage could be set up on Granville, so that all of those patio spaces could listen to live music on evenings and weekends.

Great idea!

[dleung]

I don't think they could actually achieve 80' tower separation there, could they? Looks depressing for the units regardless

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by dleung

I don't think they could actually achieve 80' tower separation there, could they? Looks depressing for the units regardless

80' is for residential to residential. Residential to office can be tighter. The Exchange is about 60' from Jameson House. (Yes, it'll be dark on the lower floors if allowed as designed).

[Migrant_Coconut]

Re: buses, I'm just going to drop transit planners' opinions on one-way splits:

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by dleung

I don't think they could actually achieve 80' tower separation there, could they? Looks depressing for the units regardless

I bet most residents are more happy to have a sound barrier go up to block all the drunken ruckus of weekend Granville Street, than losing their views of people 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 on street corners. Granville Street can be really loud on weekends and we could hear it 45 floors up One Wall Centre.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Re: buses, I'm just going to drop transit planners' opinions on one-way splits:

DT blocks are 100 metres wide so shifting the buses one block on either side cuts off two blocks from the 400m radius. But I'm guessing the passengers on these buses will still be willing to walk to any destination between Thurlow and Cambie.