Oakridge Park | 13 Towers | 154m | 52fl | 5M sqft | U/C

[fredinno]

Originally Posted by chowhou

One Pacific, Trump Tower, and Brentwood must be worthless properties due to the traffic and lack of waterfront then. Come on, they're as valuable as people are willing to pay for. All those properties you're talking about were lower because they were sold years ago; They were high at the time, and they're even higher now. No one's saying that middle class Canadians don't deserve to live anywhere or shouldn't live in these areas, but some areas are just going to cost more.



Don't hate the developer then. I fully agree that the City ought to relax zoning, but until then those properties are going to go to the highest bidder.

Well, the former two are DT, with all the amenities that come with that, and the latter isn't that luxury. Oakridge is kind of in the middle of nowhere. Even once it's built out, it's going to be the smallest of the inner suburb town centers.

[scryer]

Originally Posted by fredinno

Well, the former two are DT, with all the amenities that come with that, and the latter isn't that luxury. Oakridge is kind of in the middle of nowhere. Even once it's built out, it's going to be the smallest of the inner suburb town centers.

I think that you may be underestimating Oakridge's (the neighbourhood) potential in this post .

There's a lot of dense proposals going up around Oakridge right now. If they come through then Oakridge is definitely going to turn itself into a neat destination in South Vancouver.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by djh

I was talking to one of my retailer friends in the mall the other day. They said that people in the mall are really fed. The project is apparently on the 3rd set of developers (the previous 2 being fired), as the work is years behind schedule. They have changed plans and inconvenienced retailers by moving them around, which affected their retail business.

I didn't want to ask them too many more questions about this but does anybody have insight as to what's going on with changing the developmen teams and why?

Sprockets outlined the history, so maybe your retailer friends are mixing up and/or combining changes in developers and project managers/contractors.

We've seen that Westbank's contractors were replaced at Vancouver House, so maybe the same situation happened at Oakridge, and the retailer friends are equating that change with the change in developer resulting from Ivanhoe Cambridge's sale of its interest to QuadReal. That sale would probably have resulted in changes from IC's contractors to QuadReal's contractors retained for the commercial retail side of the project.

Do we know how/if the work is being split between QuadReal and Westbank at the site? I wouldn't necessarily expect Westbank to be in charge of the reconstruction of the commercial retail parts of the existing mall, since I would expect QuadReal to have more experience with larger shopping centre projects. But maybe Westbank is doing all of it?

[SpongeG]

I was there today, had to get something at Crate & Barrel, so the rest of the mall is mostly dead, Michael Kors is closed, Coach is closed and gone, Harry Rosen is closed up, but surprisingly there were a lot of people there, don't know what the appeal is. Crate & Barrel shuts at 5 pm, rest of mall no idea, at 5 pm there must have been 15 people lined up to get inside an already busy apple store.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by scryer

I think that you may be underestimating Oakridge's (the neighbourhood) potential in this post .

There's a lot of dense proposals going up around Oakridge right now. If they come through then Oakridge is definitely going to turn itself into a neat destination in South Vancouver.

Maybe in the way that Metrotown is a destination. I would like to see Kerrisdale built out more. There is already a great retail street to build around. Kerrisdale could be a Mount Pleasant level neighbourhood, or even better. It has a more historic feel.

[officedweller]

Agreed.
I always thought that would be a natural choice for a municipal town centre under the Regional Growth Strategy.
Could be due to westsiders in the CoV with an anti-density bias.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by logan5

Maybe in the way that Metrotown is a destination...

Oakridge will definitely get bigger, but part of Metrotown's growth is it being the only major commercial district in South Burnaby. There's a lot of competing villages in South Vancouver; a bigger Kerrisdale, for example, would poach foot traffic.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by logan5

Maybe in the way that Metrotown is a destination. I would like to see Kerrisdale built out more. There is already a great retail street to build around. Kerrisdale could be a Mount Pleasant level neighbourhood, or even better. It has a more historic feel.

Agreed. For the Arbutus Greenway plan, I suggested a plaza with the team I was with during the City-organized workshop event: even provided a sketch to show how it would interact with the future tramway/streetcar, mostly around the 41st/West Blvd intersection by the McDonald's . Hopefully they will incorporate that public square with the retail around 41st and the surroundings. and build more in the area, especially with higher density mixed-use development projects. This area had so much potential and used to be in the forefront for a high-density residential neighbourhood back in the days, but is so behind many other regions in the Lower Mainland now.

[Feathered Friend]

I went by the mall the other day, but unfortunately wasn't able to stop and take photos. That said, it's quite a sight to see. The northwest parking lot is now a fair sized hole, and there's a gap in a wall of the old Zellers too.

[Lexus]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

I went by the mall the other day, but unfortunately wasn't able to stop and take photos. That said, it's quite a sight to see. The northwest parking lot is now a fair sized hole, and there's a gap in a wall of the old Zellers too.

Took some photos. Will post later today!

[naota2018]

Originally Posted by djh

I was talking to one of my retailer friends in the mall the other day. They said that people in the mall are really fed. The project is apparently on the 3rd set of developers (the previous 2 being fired), as the work is years behind schedule. They have changed plans and inconvenienced retailers by moving them around, which affected their retail business.

I didn't want to ask them too many more questions about this but does anybody have insight as to what's going on with changing the developmen teams and why?

that is what westbank like to do. finish everything just by the due date.
The alberni and butterfly both will be complete at the latest completion time on the contract. as i know, the butterfly now is scheduled to complete in 2028.

[Klazu]

Did you make a typo there as 2028 makes no sense considering they are already building up.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Did you make a typo there as 2028 makes no sense considering they are already building up.

I mean read his posts, he seems to have some grudge against Westbank. He said Butterfly will finish in 2028 as well.

[ssiguy]

I really think this is an abomination of a development.

It is already being geared strictly to Chinese buyers and the prices are out of range of even upper middle class families. They might as well gate the damn thing. This is exactly the kind of development Vancouver doesn't need. What really pisses me off is that due to this being nothing more than a quasi-gated community due to the outrageous prices, valuable land right up against a SkyTrain station is being used to house people who are LEAST likely to take transit in the first place and none of them will be dependent upon it.

Bribed politicians and developers will hail it's virtues but Oakridge is going to go down as a poster child of how NOT to develop TOD.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

I really think this is an abomination of a development.

It is already being geared strictly to Chinese buyers and the prices are out of range of even upper middle class families. They might as well gate the damn thing. This is exactly the kind of development Vancouver doesn't need. What really pisses me off is that due to this being nothing more than a quasi-gated community due to the outrageous prices, valuable land right up against a SkyTrain station is being used to house people who are LEAST likely to take transit in the first place and none of them will be dependent upon it.

Bribed politicians and developers will hail it's virtues but Oakridge is going to go down as a poster child of how NOT to develop TOD.

I mean you could always leave.

[officedweller]

At least the Oakridge Municipal Town Centre has expanded to the other corners and surrounding blocks. There will be other developments there that will undoubtedly be less costly (but still pricey).

[TwoFace]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

I really think this is an abomination of a development.

Just think of all the new property taxes this place will generate. Anytime you can reconfigure a dead parking lot is a good thing.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

I mean you could always leave.

I agree with Jollyburger. Although I would like to point out all the jobs that will come with these developments as the "rich" that do buy into this place need people to clean there homes, be cashiers, collect garbage, operate the restaurants, work the front desk of the new community centre, operate the expanded library, work in the food court, maintain the pools, produce the beer in the new craft brewery, and secure the building. There are a ton of towers outside the main development that are coming down the pipeline too that will house people that will use the transit network as well.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

I mean you could always leave.

Or you could always leave as well.

That kind of response is pretty stupid no matter at whom it’s directed.

[logan5]

It's certainly an exclusive development, but without the pricey condos, the wholesale redevelopment of the mall doesn't happen, and the 600 units of below market and rental units doesn't happen. Malls are urban blight so let's keep redeveloping them.

Even if the units are crazy expensive new, they will depreciate like crazy.