General Vancouver Updates II

[RedArbutus]

Originally Posted by idunno

There's a lot of demand for climbing/bouldering in Vancouver. They point out that the city only has one other similarly sized facility. I think this will do well, so long as bouldering remains popular.

Oh I agree on the bouldering - The Hive just isn't that accessible for walking/transiting final mile based on its location on Industrial Ave, and it and the other climbing gyms seem to do roaring business. It's the combination with several other business types that intrigues me!

[madog222]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Good luck running a restaurant/cafe with those traffic numbers.

It’s ancillary to the gym so it doesn’t need to be profitable on its own.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by RedArbutus

Also, I'm not even sure what to make of this.



https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/823-jackson-ave

Interesting. I've noticed beside the modular housing beside the OV Canada Line station there are a couple leisure style trailers permanently plugged into the housing.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by RedArbutus

Oh I agree on the bouldering - The Hive just isn't that accessible for walking/transiting final mile based on its location on Industrial Ave, and it and the other climbing gyms seem to do roaring business. It's the combination with several other business types that intrigues me!

You're also protected from your building get redeveloped.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Interesting. I've noticed beside the modular housing beside the OV Canada Line station there are a couple leisure style trailers permanently plugged into the housing.

Seems like it's an artist studio now

Churchland Studios
In 2011 the property at 823 Jackson Avenue was purchased by Stephen Melvin and Torrie Groening and is now known as Churchland Studios. Torrie Groening is an artist and photographer who works with drawing, painting and printmaking. Stephen Melvin is an electrical engineer and patent agent who consults with inventors and established companies on a wide variety of issues related to intellectual property. Churchland Studios is a working studio that includes a showroom, photography/print studio, ceramic studio, technology workshop and artist residency.

https://capturephotofest.com/gallery...hland-studios/

[Alex Mackinnon]

Originally Posted by RedArbutus

Also, I'm not even sure what to make of this.



https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/823-jackson-ave

I used to live across the land from that place. It hasn't been a church in quite a while. It sold and turned into a studio around 2010. I recall laughing at it being worth $600K.

Marp.

[jollyburger]

At the southeast corner of 12th and Clark, a developer has figured out a way to build on a lot that’s been vacant for at least 30 years – long enough that many people can’t remember what once stood there.

Architect David Wong remembers buying flowers from a small florist shop there many years ago, one of three shops in a one-level commercial building that used to occupy the site. Although Clark Drive is a truck thoroughfare for port activity, it’s a central location on the east side of Vancouver, within a 10-minute walk to the SkyTrain station and the shopping district along Commercial Drive. It’s one of several empty lots around the city, including another over at 12th and Commercial. Why it has remained empty is largely due to its size. Bigger density projects make financial sense for most developers. But one developer, called XGX Apartments, has figured out a way, with the help of long-time Vancouver architect Wong.

Wong’s application to rezone the site to build a 33-unit, six-storey mixed-use building at 1302-1318 E. 12th Avenue was just approved by the city, a rezoning that nearly doubles the floor space ratio (FSR) to 3.2, with a six-storey building. Despite the challenges the architect faced, the design has retained some unique elements. There will be two levels of underground parking, entering off the lane, as well as five or six shops at the ground level, a roof top amenity space, and an interior courtyard, with landscaping, and potential outdoor seating, for the retailers. The courtyard will offer light to the units, and a retreat from the constantly busy intersection outside. Another unique aspect is the architect’s patented bathroom, which is a prefabricated unit manufactured off-site and dropped into place. Instead of an enclosed shower, the shower is open, with a drain in the centre of the room, a style popular in space-constrained cities in Asia.

Mr. Wong figures they could have gone to a maximum of eight storeys with the tight footprint, but it was a moot point because they weren’t about to do another revision. The developer had already invested nearly three years in soft costs and time, so he didn’t want to go back to the drawing board. Now that they have the rezoning approved, Wong figures it will take two more years to get the development and building permits to begin construction. Development in Vancouver is an ultra-long waiting game.

“I have to say, to be blunt, we have some of the most frustrating colleagues to deal with at the Urban Design Panel. It’s so frustrating… they killed all the good stuff. We had an open door with circulation to an open courtyard. We still have an interior courtyard, but we had to close it off. I’m 65 years old, and I’ve designed close to 22,000 residential units, mostly in Singapore and different parts of the world. We have experience in this.”

https://storeys.com/vancouver-clark-...e-development/

[GenWhy?]

Ya that's a bummer as I really liked the breezeway concept but maybe not in such a loud area. I remember looking at this site 6 or so years ago and the math was tight then.

[madog222]

I still think “interior” bedrooms with a window to the breezeway is weird.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by madog222

I still think “interior” bedrooms with a window to the breezeway is weird.

Usually if that's done, the window is high up (like clerestory window) so people can't look into the bedroom.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Usually if that's done, the window is high up (like clerestory window) so people can't look into the bedroom.

I get that part but their diagrams show it as promoting airflow. If the window is open one is going to hear everyone walking through the corridor from the bedroom. Not to mention noise going the other way...

[FarmerHaight]

Only 29 blocks from Duffin's, so I'd consider it.

[Feathered Friend]

We’re proud to launch our new, highly detailed guide to Vancouver’s Secured Rental Policy.

Unlike the official map, ours is interactive, & reveals which specific blocks allow for new rental homes, & the status of every application submitted so far.
https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2023/0...olicy-tracker/


Plus our spreadsheets not only track the status of these rental developments, but also offer some added info on them too. Which isn’t that impressive, as there’s only been a couple dozen applications submitted since 2019, & only a few since the new multiplex policy was approved.

https://x.com/City_Duo/status/1792986140967923969

[officedweller]

W68
Granville & West 68th


https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV


https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV


https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV


https://w68.ca/

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

https://x.com/City_Duo/status/1792986140967923969

This is amazing, great work! Love the zoning overlays.

Would it be possible to add a legend? I can't seem to figure out what crescent moon or the other symbols/colours mean.

[Feathered Friend]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

This is amazing, great work! Love the zoning overlays.

Would it be possible to add a legend? I can't seem to figure out what crescent moon or the other symbols/colours mean.

There's a table in the post, but putting one into the map might get messy.

Eligible Blocks / Properties
Simplified
On Arterial (up to 6 floors) – Dark Blue
Adjacent Arterial (up to 5 floors) – Blue
Transitional Side Street (up to 4 floors) – Light Blue
C-2 Zone – Yellow Green
Conditional
Site Issues (eg. No laneway) – Red
Existing Multi-family, CD-1, or C-1 Zones – Purple
Ineligible Areas, Schools, & Parks – Black

Applications / Pins
Building Form Application Status
6 floors – ❄
5 floors – ✰
4 floors / Multiplex – ⁂
C-2 Rental Development Application – ☽
CD-1 SRP Rezoning – □
Rezoning Approved- Green
In Review – Orange
Withdrawn or Rejected – Black

[GenWhy?]

PNE music venue drawings can be found here:

https://council.vancouver.ca/20240528/documents/a1.pdf

[SpongeG]

this tower seems to have popped out all of a sudden - in the Oakridge area

PXL_20240528_231102684 by snub_you, on Flickr

PXL_20240528_231108878 by snub_you, on Flickr

I was also surprised to see the former dennys site on marine drive was so built up and the project next to it, when did that happen lol

[jollyburger]

Replacing the BMW dealership at Burrard

SHAPE Architecture Inc. has applied to the City of Vancouver for permission to develop a six-storey, mixed-use building on this site, consisting of:

Retail uses (Vehicle Dealer) at grade and office and industrial uses above
A proposed height of 29 m (95 ft.)
A Floor Space Ratio of 4.49 (19,146 m² / 206,093 sq. ft.)
Loading to be located at the rear of the building with access from the lane
Four levels of underground parking

https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/1755-w-5-ave

[whatnext]

Given the city let Telus build the useless projecting boxes, its a shame none of the car dealers try getting something similar to feature a vehicle cantilevered over Burrard.