Downtown Vancouver Updates

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

A somewhat obscure site.
Right across the street from The Californian apartments.

And on the opposite side of the lane, there's one of the pair of Bosa4Rent 33 storey rental towers on Harwood.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Sales transaction details on 1065 Pacific.

https://renx.ca/wall-financial-buy-vancouver-redevelopment-site-32-storey-apt-tower

For this one:

Originally Posted by Changing City

Another 11+ FSR West End rental tower, this one at 1065 Pacific from Wall Financial. 30 existing rentals replaced with 36 below market and 144 market rental units.


[Changing City blog]

Here's the east facade.
Side loaded core.


https://vancouvermarket.ca/2023/01/19/32-storey-rental-building-proposed-for-pacific-street-site/

[officedweller]

Rec Room

Pic by me last night:

[MistyMountain]

Seems like Concord has reached some agreement with the city to transfer some of their social housing obligations to other sites. Maybe some of their other projects will proceed now, like the one by the Viaduct?

https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/false-creek-north-non-market-housing

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by MistyMountain

Seems like Concord has reached some agreement with the city to transfer some of their social housing obligations to other sites. Maybe some of their other projects will proceed now, like the one by the Viaduct?

See thread on the social housing sites here:
https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182022&page=30

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by MistyMountain

Seems like Concord has reached some agreement with the city to transfer some of their social housing obligations to other sites. Maybe some of their other projects will proceed now, like the one by the Viaduct?

See the Social Housing thread for discussion on the housing deal, (thanks officedweller!) and the Viaducts thread on the $110m for the streets network contribution.

If the Public Hearing approves the changes to the ODP to allow this to go ahead, the City and BC Housing will develop three of the sites, and Concord can submit applications for their three sites.

It suggests Concord and the City are talking - although this was first announced in 2018, so it's slow going. To what degree they're also talking about the Viaducts sites they own (or the Bayshore Hotel, or the Brewery, or St Paul's) isn't clear from any public statements I've seen.

[dleung]

This makes sense. It is maddening that some of the lowest-density developments downtown are non-market... i mean, split that land cost with more units please!

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by dleung

This makes sense. It is maddening that some of the lowest-density developments downtown are non-market... i mean, split that land cost with more units please!

Non-market housing is inherently a break even/money loser proposition, no real getting around that I think. The taller you go, the more in the hole you go so I'm not entirely sure there's such a thing as splitting the land cost when your marginal construction cost is increasing faster than recoverable dollars.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Non-market housing is inherently a break even/money loser proposition, no real getting around that I think. The taller you go, the more in the hole you go so I'm not entirely sure there's such a thing as splitting the land cost when your marginal construction cost is increasing faster than recoverable dollars.

Says who? Obviously you can be "too tall", but around 30 stories is pretty efficient I would guess. Certainly better than 10 on the same expensive land footprint downtown.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Says who? Obviously you can be "too tall", but around 30 stories is pretty efficient I would guess. Certainly better than 10 on the same expensive land footprint downtown.

It all depends on how non-market we're talking. It's a fact that construction costs do not increase linearly with height. I seem to remember hearing that in Vancouver for market housing, you start having diminishing returns after around the 50th floor. I would tend to assume that for non-market housing that's going to be a lot lower.

[GenWhy?]

Issue for non-market housing is there is only so much money per project and just at all, in general. A small building needs less financing. A tall building is uber expensive. (so summarize broadly)

[officedweller]

902 Davie

From the architect's new website.
I wonder if this will proceed as-is if City Council removes some shadowing (but not view cone) restrictions.


https://denari.co/902-Davie


https://denari.co/902-Davie


https://denari.co/902-Davie


https://denari.co/902-Davie

[gaviscon]

Some good progress on power line removals along some of the back alleys in East Van:

Between Columbia and Carrall:


Before:





After:





East Cordova and Columbia:


Before:



After:




Main and Powell:


Before:



After:




Harbour Light Alley:

Before:



After:

[djh]

Originally Posted by gaviscon

Some good progress on power line removals along some of the back alleys in East Van:

Between Columbia and Carrall:


Before:

(snip)

I didn't realise this was an actual initiative that the City is actively undertaking. I thought the practice was to let developers eat the cost and make them bury the power and communications lines whenever they developed a site.

Why is the City making this a priority, and is this work limited to East Vancouver? Is there a particular reason - e.g., to widen specific narrow alleys, or whatever? And weirdly, in the "After" images I don't see any signs that they dug up the road to bury those lines, so how did they achieve this?

[madog222]

Originally Posted by djh

I didn't realise this was an actual initiative that the City is actively undertaking. I thought the practice was to let developers eat the cost and make them bury the power and communications lines whenever they developed a site.

Why is the City making this a priority, and is this work limited to East Vancouver? Is there a particular reason - e.g., to widen specific narrow alleys, or whatever? And weirdly, in the "After" images I don't see any signs that they dug up the road to bury those lines, so how did they achieve this?

It's BC Hydro, not the city. In the last two pictures there is an underground vault and a line of newer pavement.

New developments make underground connections to the distribution lines which are Hydro's responsibility.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by madog222

It's BC Hydro, not the city. In the last two pictures there is an underground vault and a line of newer pavement.

New developments make underground connections to the distribution lines which are Hydro's responsibility.

"BC Hydro’s H-Frame removal project includes the removal of H-Frame wooden poles, platforms, overhead wires and electrical equipment from a number of lanes in the Downtown Vancouver core, Gastown, and Chinatown, to improve reliability and safety concerns in those areas. The purpose of the project was to reduce electrical risk to the public due to close proximity of equipment and high voltage wires to windows and fire escapes.

The H-Frame structures were replaced with underground services in easy-access vaults, improving visual aesthetics, accessibility, and traffic flow in alleyways. The project also aimed to modernize building connections to the grid and standardize distribution voltage in BC Hydro’s system.

The project included the conversion of all the customers in the area from overhead 120/240 V AC and 208 V AC services to underground 347/600 V AC services. This included the redesign of customers’ electrical rooms to accommodate the new underground connections." [acec bc awards]

[Vin]

Now all they need is to clean up the alleyways, and turn them into something like those found in London:

Carnaby/Soho area:
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5136958,...kIw!2e0!5s20210501T000000!7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/place/INO+Ga...135262!4d-0.1385547!16s%2Fg%2F11pwjczqwn

Now who am I kidding....

[gaviscon]

Originally Posted by Vin

Now all they need is to clean up the alleyways, and turn them into something like those found in London:

Carnaby/Soho area:
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5136958,...kIw!2e0!5s20210501T000000!7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/place/INO+Ga...135262!4d-0.1385547!16s%2Fg%2F11pwjczqwn

Now who am I kidding....

Not possible in Vancouver because the buildings were designed to throw trash out on the alley side.
They would have to renovate and cut into the buildings to create new spaces, and the city will never provide enough money to do that.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by gaviscon

Not possible in Vancouver because the buildings were designed to throw trash out on the alley side.
They would have to renovate and cut into the buildings to create new spaces, and the city will never provide enough money to do that.

Understood. However.....

London and New York, as well as many other great cities, are designed for folks to throw trash on their doorsteps.

I suggest the City Planners drop their archaic mentality and to be more flexible when planning for urban spaces.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Vin

London and New York, as well as many other great cities, are designed for folks to throw trash on their doorsteps.

I suggest the City drop their archaic mentality.

I hate to break it to you, but London and New York are that way because they are centuries old. Ever been to NYC on garbage day in the summer? Or any time of year. It's gross.