General Vancouver Development Updates II

[hollywoodnorth]

excavation is under way for the 14-storey social housing project at Hastings and Jackson.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/401-...social-housing

[hollywoodnorth]

2 tower cranes are up for the LD Redevelopment project in the Hastings Sunrise area of East Vancouver.


https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/lond...reet-vancouver

[jollyburger]

Across the street from the old industrial laundry development.

11-15 E 4th Ave rezoning application

The City of Vancouver has received an application to rezone the subject site from I-1 (Industrial) District to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District. The proposal is to allow for the development of a 8-storey mixed-use industrial building and includes:

Industrial and office space;
Commercial space on the ground floor;
A floor space ratio (FSR) of 6.7; and
A building height of 44.5 m (146 ft.).
(External link)

This application is being considered under the Broadway Plan.

The project vision is to develop a market-leading, sustainable, commercial/industrial building to
support the research and development needs of life sciences tenancies. With a total FSR area
of 15,109 m², 50% of the floor area in the building will be dedicated to laboratory (industrial)
use, in alignment with the ½ Industrial Option contemplated in the Broadway Plan. The proposed
building has been designed with purpose, to meet the unique needs of life sciences tenancies,
while responding to the critical shortage of purpose-built lab space required to support the growth
of the life sciences community in Vancouver. The proposal is also aligned with the Broadway
Plan’s objective to “strengthen the heart of the Mount Pleasant Industrial Area as a vibrant
creative production area by enhancing its light industrial function while strategically increasing
opportunities to support the innovation economy.” At completion, the proposed building is
anticipated to support between 500 to 750 jobs.

https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/11-15-e-4-ave

[jollyburger]

Is a highrise boom coming to Vancouver's East Hastings neighbourhood?

Strathcona resident Evan Horie is alarmed at the height of the proposed towers, which are about two-and-a-half times taller than others in the neighbourhood.

“The scale is really out of context with the neighbourhood character, and really the infrastructure capabilities, particularly with the social housing element,” said Horie.

“This type of scale in density far exceeds (the density around) a rapid transit hub, and that’s not even there. In addition to that, there’s the lack of parking (41 stalls for 767 rental units in the rental towers).

“Can you imagine the nightmare (parking) in this neighbourhood? It’s already tough to find a spot in front of our house to unload our kids from school.”

https://vancouversun.com/business/re...ver-strathcona

[BaddieB]

I wish that Mt Pleasant building could have just been entirely brick like the base. If there a bylaw forcing them to do that?

[Migrant_Coconut]

Glen and Hastings isn't that bad, there's an R4 stop two blocks away.

Though it does bring up the question of why VCC-Clark, Nanaimo, 29th and other SkyTrain stations are still apparently untouchable...

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Glen and Hastings isn't that bad, there's an R4 stop two blocks away.

Though it does bring up the question of why VCC-Clark, Nanaimo, 29th and other SkyTrain stations are still apparently untouchable...

What do you want done around VCC-Clark? There's a lot of development underway already.

29th and Nanaimo are ridiculous though. 29th has a park and modular housing, but there's room for more density obviously. If Joyce can do it...

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Glen and Hastings isn't that bad, there's an R4 stop two blocks away.

Though it does bring up the question of why VCC-Clark, Nanaimo, 29th and other SkyTrain stations are still apparently untouchable...

There are 35 storey rental towers already proposed for VCC- Clark. 29th and Nanaimo will be allowing greater heights and density in the citywide Plan soon, and I think the Provincial TOD policy already applies?

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

What do you want done around VCC-Clark? There's a lot of development underway already.

Half a dozen blocks south of the tracks is pretty good progress, I'm not doubting that, BUT there's still a self-storage, a Kal Tire and several warehouses around the station which're much more conducive to 30+ floor towers than most of Hastings, especially with the provincial transit hub rezoning.

Originally Posted by Changing City

There are 35 storey rental towers already proposed for VCC- Clark. 29th and Nanaimo will be allowing greater heights and density in the citywide Plan soon, and I think the Provincial TOD policy already applies?

See above. Happy for the market rental, still think high-density social housing should be concentrating around the most effective people movers.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Half a dozen blocks south of the tracks is pretty good progress, I'm not doubting that, BUT there's still a self-storage, a Kal Tire and several warehouses around the station which're much more conducive to 30+ floor towers than most of Hastings, especially with the provincial transit hub rezoning.



See above. Happy for the market rental, still think social housing should be concentrating around more effective transit.

The two tall towers proposed on Hastings are market rental too. The social housing is the shorter building, not very different in scale from the BC Housing project currently under construction at 1015 E Hastings. There are a lot of buses along Hastings, and it's as good a location to get around the city, and to Downtown. There's already a supermarket there too.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Is a highrise boom coming to Vancouver's East Hastings neighbourhood?

Strathcona resident Evan Horie is alarmed at the height of the proposed towers, which are about two-and-a-half times taller than others in the neighbourhood.

“The scale is really out of context with the neighbourhood character, and really the infrastructure capabilities, particularly with the social housing element,” said Horie.

“This type of scale in density far exceeds (the density around) a rapid transit hub, and that’s not even there. In addition to that, there’s the lack of parking (41 stalls for 767 rental units in the rental towers).

“Can you imagine the nightmare (parking) in this neighbourhood? It’s already tough to find a spot in front of our house to unload our kids from school.”

https://vancouversun.com/business/re...ver-strathcona

I would love to repeatedly smash a nerf bat over this guys head. Bringing these new units will make the neighbourhood safer, and eventually create a retail strip along a stretch of Hastings that is very desolate.

I would take it a step further and let the developer build 60 story rental buildings, because the more functional people you bring into the DTES area, the more functional the neighbourhood becomes. And stop building social housing in the DTES.

[truenorth44]

There's been some activity in the past few months at the Heather Lands site at Heather St between 33rd and 37th Ave (former RCMP headquarters). One of the RCMP office buildings at the southeast end of that parcel has been demolished, and at the north end, on the front lawn of the Tudor style building, they're building a presentation centre.

My pics (August - October)
DP sign:


Presentation Centre site clearing:


Presentation Centre construction:




Demolished office building site:


Remaining RCMP office building:

[jollyburger]

New BC Housing project surprises Vancouver small businesses

“If this shelter comes in, I’m not staying—I’m absolutely going to move,” says Anila Frroku, who co-owns the Italian fashion outlet Motrati. “Nobody seems to care if a small business will survive or how something like this will affect your business.”

Located at 1450 West 12th Ave., Chalmers Lodge was purchased by BC Housing in April 2023 and will provide supportive housing to more than 100 low-income seniors, Indigenous people, women and other equity-denied groups.

It was slated for opening in the spring but a change in contractor and unanticipated renovation work has moved that timeframe into “the coming weeks,” according to a statement issued by BC Housing.

A webpage outlining the project has been established by the Crown corporation, but no formal notification has gone out to nearby businesses or residents—and therein lies the rub.

“Of course we are frustrated—we pay huge rent and taxes every month and yet we know nothing,” said Eyes for You co-owner Brigitte Reymond-Peter. “Why are we finding out about this from a journalist?”

BIV spoke to roughly 40 businesses spanning 10th to 14th avenues along Granville Street and none had received any communication from the province or city. Two-thirds of the businesses knew nothing of Chalmers Lodge, while those who did found out from customers or through the media.

https://www.biv.com/news/real-estate...nesses-9662114

[whatnext]

No doubt it will be another NDP shitshow in the making. Can’t wait for all the news stories about breakins and attacks in South Granville.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by whatnext

No doubt it will be another NDP shitshow in the making. Can’t wait for all the news stories about breakins and attacks in South Granville.

Roving gangs of low income seniors? Is that what you're afraid of?

[logan5]

I’d be surprised if it’s mostly docile seniors, but fair is fair. Each neighbourhood needs to take in their fare share social housing.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by whatnext

No doubt it will be another NDP shitshow in the making. Can’t wait for all the news stories about breakins and attacks in South Granville.

Out of curiosity, what do you think ought to be done with the people who would otherwise be housed in these kinds of social and supportive housing?

Dump then in DTES and wash our hands of it?

And if you're a business who sees a threat to your viability as a business or your existence from the influx of marauding pillaging hordes of,... (**checks notes**)......" low-income seniors, Indigenous people, women and other equity-denied groups."......then might I suggest you're probably not running that great a business to begin with.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Spr0ckets

Out of curiosity, what do you think ought to be done with the people who would otherwise be housed in these kinds of social and supportive housing?

Dump then in DTES and wash our hands of it?

And if you're a business who sees a threat to your viability as a business or your existence from the influx of marauding pillaging hordes of,... (**checks notes**)......" low-income seniors, Indigenous people, women and other equity-denied groups."......then might I suggest you're probably not running that great a business to begin with.

Let's not take flowery language at face value. Every single supportive housing project is allegedly for "low-income seniors, indigenous people, women, and other equity denied groups". The sad fact is that the people most needing of help also tend to overlap with the people that cause the most problems. This isn't a seniors' home for 100 knitting grannies here, this is supportive housing and there's no reason to expect it would have a different demographic than any other project.

I begrudgingly support projects like these, but it's ridiculous to pretend that supportive housing doesn't have impacts. If anything it just makes people angry that you're hand waving away the problems instead of addressing them.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Let's not take flowery language at face value. Every single supportive housing project is allegedly for "low-income seniors, indigenous people, women, and other equity denied groups". The sad fact is that the people most needing of help also tend to overlap with the people that cause the most problems. This isn't a seniors' home for 100 knitting grannies here, this is supportive housing and there's no reason to expect it would have a different demographic than any other project.

I begrudgingly support projects like these, but it's ridiculous to pretend that supportive housing doesn't have impacts. If anything it just makes people angry that you're hand waving away the problems instead of addressing them.

However you want to characterize them, it still brings me back to my original question to him.

What would he otherwise do with them?

The whole "dumping them in one location in an undesirable part of town where no one else needs to think of, nor acknowledge even exists at all, doesn't really seem like that much more of an effective or viable solution.

Especially if there is, as you say, an overlap between those sort of "undesirables" with the actual vulnerable groups (the seniors and recovery addicts) that would benefit from this kind of housing.

What we seem to have with this kind of attempt is an imperfect solution for an imperfect world that elicits collective and shared responsibility for everyone involved.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Let's not take flowery language at face value. Every single supportive housing project is allegedly for "low-income seniors, indigenous people, women, and other equity denied groups".

Not necessarily. The language is always vague, but keywords like "low barrier" indicate the residents are a lot more disruptive. They don't usually combine low income seniors with drug addicts.