Quote:
Originally Posted by FarmerHaight
Food for thought on the seawall, and ways it could be improved.
I, for one, would love more restaurants and entertainment options adjacent to, or located on the seawall. Incorporating ground floor commercial spaces facing the seawall in the Plaza of Nations development would be a great start. I also think a seasonal concession at David Lam Park could be successful, and I would love if more permits for food trucks and other mobile vendors for the stretches along Sunset and English Bay beaches. Also, when the co-ops between Cambie and Granville are redeveloped they could include some seawall-facing commercial spaces too.
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There have been more retail spaces and restaurants on the seawall in the past than there are today. There are office spaces between Burrard Bridge and Granville Bridge that used to be retail, but they failed. There was much more retail in Leg-in-Boot Square, including a supermarket, but it closed, and nobody wanted to reopen it - I think it's now a Crossfit franchise. Other retail units there were converted to townhouses. There was retail built underneath Silver Sea, next to George Wainborn Park by Granville Bridge, but there was no interest from anyone in leasing it. The Park Board have been trying to get someone to build
a restaurant on the waterfront in Coal Harbour for 12 years. Two potential operators have backed out.
The theory of more retail or restaurants is great. The reality is that it seems to work better in a modest cluster of units like the Olympic Village, or the foot of Davie, where the City planned local centres and where there's a captive residential market as well as passing walkers, joggers etc. The next that's intended to create those conditions will be the redeveloped Plaza of Nations redevelopment, and we'll see how that performs.