General Vancouver Updates

[cov]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Strand preparing to reveal their Prior Street project to the east of the new St Paul's. 264 rental units in 18 and 19 storey towers, with a 5 storey office/retail podium. Online pre-submission Open House on 13 May.

Wow looks great. Definitely the kind of development needed in that area.

[cov]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Strand preparing to reveal their Prior Street project to the east of the new St Paul's. 264 rental units in 18 and 19 storey towers, with a 5 storey office/retail podium. Online pre-submission Open House on 13 May.

Wow looks great. Definitely the kind of development needed in that area. Lots of Strathcona nimbys will cry foul, but anti-development rhetorics are losing their popular appeal too.

[scryer]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Strand preparing to reveal their Prior Street project to the east of the new St Paul's. 264 rental units in 18 and 19 storey towers, with a 5 storey office/retail podium. Online pre-submission Open House on 13 May.

Seems like this is going to replace the industrial warehouse complex there, no?

I do like the proposal. Along with the hospital development, it is really going to turn that area into something a lot more dynamic than what it is now - which is a little rundown to be honest.

[djmk]

The professional building/oscars pub on the 3600 block of Hastings Street seems to be coming down now.

looks like its going to be replace with this:



https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/3600-3680-east-hastings-street-vancouver

[rofina]

Originally Posted by djmk

The professional building/oscars pub on the 3600 block of Hastings Street seems to be coming down now.

looks like its going to be replace with this:



https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/3600-3680-east-hastings-street-vancouver

The final form at the open house was alot different looking, for the better.

Particularly the Boundary and Hastings tower, bit more of a landmark gateway tower.

That said, this is an absolutely horrendous idea to put high rise here.

This area should not be receiving any additional density.

With the lights at Cassiar, Boundary, the highway onramp, and Kootenay Loop during regular times this area is an absolute nightmare of congestion.

Add 300 units, and even if that's only a 100 extra cars changing the lights at Kootenay to merge onto Hastings - complete panic.

Very bad idea.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by rofina

The final form at the open house was alot different looking, for the better.

Particularly the Boundary and Hastings tower, bit more of a landmark gateway tower.

That said, this is an absolutely horrendous idea to put high rise here.

This area should not be receiving any additional density.

With the lights at Cassiar, Boundary, the highway onramp, and Kootenay Loop during regular times this area is an absolute nightmare of congestion.

Add 300 units, and even if that's only a 100 extra cars changing the lights at Kootenay to merge onto Hastings - complete panic.

Very bad idea.

The developers are only providing 98 parking spaces between the two buildings so even if all the residents tried to leave simultaneously (which is pretty difficult to do from two underground parking garages) they probably wouldn't cause 'complete panic'.



Image source - the Development Permit

[Feathered Friend]

Originally Posted by djmk

The professional building/oscars pub on the 3600 block of Hastings Street seems to be coming down now.

looks like its going to be replace with this:

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/3600-3680-east-hastings-street-vancouver

This is quite old news (the story itself is from January 2020), and as Changing City has shown, there's far better renders of the projects out there too.

In the time that's passed, there's been development applications submitted, and approved, for both buildings. In fact last month, the formal "form of development" step was passed by council with the updated addresses of 435 Boundary Rd, and 444 Kootenay St.

as per
https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2019/04/22...e-rental-housing-all-you-need-to-mirhpp/

[rofina]

Originally Posted by Changing City

The developers are only providing 98 parking spaces between the two buildings so even if all the residents tried to leave simultaneously (which is pretty difficult to do from two underground parking garages) they probably wouldn't cause 'complete panic'.



Image source - the Development Permit

I knew someone would point that out.

300 units, at 1.6 average occupancy that's about 500 new people to the neighborhood.

500 new people using the Kootenay and Boundary cross walks to get to the Kootenay Bus loop since apparently they wont be driving due to no parking stalls. I assume the idea is they use the busses.

I maintain that there are few areas with infrastructure less prepared to take on this amount of density.

On a day when the bridge is slow, traffic backs up well into the Heights along Hastings, and well down Boundary.

This is such a choke point, to be adding this much housing on this corner is a bad idea.

This is simply poor planning.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by rofina

I knew someone would point that out.

300 units, at 1.6 average occupancy that's about 500 new people to the neighborhood.

500 new people using the Kootenay and Boundary cross walks to get to the Kootenay Bus loop since apparently they wont be driving due to no parking stalls. I assume the idea is they use the busses.

I maintain that there are few areas with infrastructure less prepared to take on this amount of density.

On a day when the bridge is slow, traffic backs up well into the Heights along Hastings, and well down Boundary.

This is such a choke point, to be adding this much housing on this corner is a bad idea.

This is simply poor planning.

That sort of argument can be made for many parts of the Lower Mainland. It was made by a number of people who commented to Council about the project. Interestingly, a lot of them didn't live in Vancouver, and they also commented that the development will spoil their view - so I'm guessing they were Burnaby residents.

Again, just like the cars exiting the parkades, 500 people will not all be crossing the road on the same traffic light. Some of them might be travelling towards Burnaby - so they won't need to cross the road at all. Some will probably chose to cross at the Boundary Road light. (The entrance to one of the towers is on Boundary). If there are any cars waiting to exit Kootenay, or any other pedestrians waiting to cross Hastings, the light is going to change anyway - so no congestion is added.

If the project was another Brentwood with 500 apartments in each tower, and 10 towers planned, there could be a problem. But 300 units in total on the entire block doesn't seem excessive.

Many here think East Hastings is the obvious future route for future transit investment. If the development was limited to condos on 5 storeys as the current zoning permits there would be as many, or more cars, and once transit gets developed there would be complaints that these sites had been underbuilt with condos and had been a missed opportunity.

[bc2mb]

Got some new details on Strand's Prior Street mixed-use project next to the new St. Paul's

https://www.urbanyvr.com/strand-prior-street/

[officedweller]

4th & Burrard

From Lawrence Black twitter May 4th:


https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV

[Feathered Friend]

Strike Three! Urban Design Panel Throws The Book At Latest Version Of SkyTrain Focused Housing

5163-5187 Joyce St
It’s ironic that buildings around the Joyce-Collingwood SkyTrain station are prohibited by the similarly named area plan from exceeding the Telus Boot’s height, as four high-rises are now planned there. While Burnaby debates which structure will become the region’s tallest, on this side of Boundary Road, opponents decry this development as the new 105 Keefer. They fear displacement of the existing businesses could erase the community’s Filipino culture, and some described the planned public library as another part of gentrification.

That seems to be happening anyways, as an Associate Professor at UBC’s SCARP demonstrated at a recent town hall attended by Councillors Boyle, Fry, and Swanson, as well as MP Don Davies. That educator planned to eventually move from their West Point Grey home, and retire here, assuming no further towers were approved. An Executive VP of the BCGEU echoed that developers have made enough money in Vancouver, and suggested a working class movement was needed to repeat Chinatown’s success.

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2021/05/10...est-version-of-skytrain-focused-housing/

[rofina]

Originally Posted by Changing City

That sort of argument can be made for many parts of the Lower Mainland. It was made by a number of people who commented to Council about the project. Interestingly, a lot of them didn't live in Vancouver, and they also commented that the development will spoil their view - so I'm guessing they were Burnaby residents.

And the argument should be made.

As it comes to the view, tough luck. Not much sympathy there.

Again, just like the cars exiting the parkades, 500 people will not all be crossing the road on the same traffic light. Some of them might be travelling towards Burnaby - so they won't need to cross the road at all. Some will probably chose to cross at the Boundary Road light. (The entrance to one of the towers is on Boundary). If there are any cars waiting to exit Kootenay, or any other pedestrians waiting to cross Hastings, the light is going to change anyway - so no congestion is added.

If the project was another Brentwood with 500 apartments in each tower, and 10 towers planned, there could be a problem. But 300 units in total on the entire block doesn't seem excessive.

I hear your perspective and appreciate it as always.

But I do still completely disagree. Clearly I'm in the minority, as this is going ahead.

I would file this under; poor Vancouver planning decision is going to punish adjacent municipalities. Its not at all surprising that opposition would be from Burnaby. If you commute from North Burnaby, or even as far out as Port Moody this is going to have a very significant impact on the commute.

I very much disagree with your view that simply cycling the walk sign on Kootenay wont have a material impact, I think that alone will be a game changer for the worse.

Many here think East Hastings is the obvious future route for future transit investment. If the development was limited to condos on 5 storeys as the current zoning permits there would be as many, or more cars, and once transit gets developed there would be complaints that these sites had been underbuilt with condos and had been a missed opportunity.

Much like most things in the region, I also object to even thinking this way.

Other global Cities have far better transit funding model. First comes the transit, then comes the expansion. You borrow to build, you pay off selling land off around the transit nodes. No need to reinvent the wheel, this is how transit should be funded. The carrot of future transit, to me, is a silly one to use to justify development.

[GenWhy?]

Each new development pays a "TransLink Tax". Last time I did a calculation on it for rental we got dinged $1,200 per apartment. Maybe $100k for one regular Vancouver low-rise.

RapidBus is a great ROI. Biggest issue I see (and faced as a renter) is where the TOD areas become unaffordable for the majority of transit users. It's a funny game to play.

[Coldrsx]

It would be nice to see architects consider future costs when they design towers.

Imagine that Strata in 20 yrs...

[Feathered Friend]

Is Vancouver growing too fast? The moderate income rental building at 445 Kingsway certainly isn’t. First revealed in May of 2019, these 233 homes won council's approval in June 2020, might receive a development permit by 2022, & won’t be occupied until at least Dec 2024

https://twitter.com/City_Duo/status/1391943649554952194?s=20

[rofina]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Each new development pays a "TransLink Tax". Last time I did a calculation on it for rental we got dinged $1,200 per apartment. Maybe $100k for one regular Vancouver low-rise.

RapidBus is a great ROI. Biggest issue I see (and faced as a renter) is where the TOD areas become unaffordable for the majority of transit users. It's a funny game to play.

That's little or nothing, versus the funds that could be gathered selling off sites around future transit nodes.

Translink should be acquiring parcels all around stations at bottom dollar, and selling off after disclosure is made where the stations are going for future rezoned value.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by rofina

That's little or nothing, versus the funds that could be gathered selling off sites around future transit nodes.

Translink should be acquiring parcels all around stations at bottom dollar, and selling off after disclosure is made where the stations are going for future rezoned value.

Depending on the specific city that station is in and the affordable housing policies that city has in that area or develops, that could work. Then again, there is the issue of speculation still.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Yeah, I suspect anything that fuels the "TRansLInk iS COrRuPt" lobby is a no-go.

[s211]

Originally Posted by rofina

Translink should be acquiring parcels all around stations at bottom dollar, and selling off after disclosure is made where the stations are going for future rezoned value.

That ship sailed a LONG time ago. Not really an option within Vancouver proper, at a minimum.