Chinatown Updates Discussion

[Jimbo604]

Originally Posted by Changing City

It's been for sale since the beginning of the year. It's $23.88m. The building has to provide 19 social housing rental units, as well as then being able to build the 75 condos in the approved design.

As Sparrow, with 25 condos slowly completing a block away on Keefer still has 10 unsold after 5 years of sales, it's not a particularly attractive development prospect at that price. If it was less expensive, the Main Street site might make sense as a 100% rental project.

Corrected typo, thanks!

https://www.bcassessment.ca/Property...AwMDAwMVdCNg==

BC Assessment shows 796 Main St "Total value $10,990,500 2023 assessment as of July 1, 2022" so quite a difference (unless I'm missing something), though I'm not up on how closely Vancouver business property assessments are tracking to sale prices lately.

[Changing City]

The crane went up today on the 129 Keefer St hotel project.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Changing City

The crane went up today on the 129 Keefer St hotel project.

Link seems broken.

Is this still current?


https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/129-...uver-chinatown

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Link seems broken.

Is this still current?

Thanks - link fixed.

The design changed a bit, again.

[officedweller]

Thanks!

[jollyburger]

Some random hotel room on the second floor so they are callling for 53 rooms now

Primary Location: 123 KEEFER STREET, Vancouver, BC V6A 1X3


Specific Location: 123 Keefer St - Hotel and Office Lobby Address to the 2nd-10th Level
125 Keefer St - Retail (1st Level)

Address and suite numbers assigned as per approved plans for Fire and Emergency response. The address numbers are to be posted to the building to be visible from the street and the suite numbers are to be posted at the suite entries in accordance with the Building By-law prior to final inspection.


Work Description: To construct a 10-storey (9 levels Z&D) hotel consisting

1st storey - Retail use (shell only), hotel lobby, garbage room and loading bay,
2nd storey - Office use (shell only), indoor amenity space and one hotel dwelling unit,
3rd to 10th storeys - Hotel dwelling units, and
outdoor amenity at roof level,

all over one basement level of service rooms, storage rooms, and hotel back of house.

Total of 53 hotel dwelling units.
Separate building permit is required at shell tenant spaces.

This permit has been reviewed under the 2019 Vancouver Building By-law (#12511).
Building to be sprinklered to NFPA 13 requirements.
The building is within the designated floodplain area.
Radio Antenna System to be installed in this building.

STAGED CONSTRUCTION
Stage 1 - Excavation and Shoring - issued November 14, 2022

Stage 2 - Foundation up to Grade - issued December 20, 2023

https://plposweb.vancouver.ca/Public...ctId=141476440

[hollywoodnorth]

I guess they will use the Chinatown Parkade across the street for parking?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

I guess they will use the Chinatown Parkade across the street for parking?

Hotels aren't providing much, if any parking these days. The 393 room Seymour hotels has 59 spaces, the 464 room Granville proposal at Davie has 33 spaces and 302 Water Street doesn't have any parking.

[jollyburger]

Just one basement level.

- Underground parking level 2 deleted;
- Underground level P1 redesigned for storage and hotel back of the house - car elevator to underground floor removed - elevator car overrun at L2 removed and area added to office;
- north elevation revised to reflect the changes;
- unit substation moved to an alcove at LVL1;
- two class A loading and one HC parking provided at LVL 1 access from the lane
- Stairs are changed to reflect changes to underground level;

[Changing City]

From the restaurant thread a while back

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Weird the old Chinatown Starbucks on Main is being converted into offices.

It's an H&R Block office

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Hotels aren't providing much, if any parking these days. The 393 room Seymour hotels has 59 spaces, the 464 room Granville proposal at Davie has 33 spaces and 302 Water Street doesn't have any parking.

Yeah, for downtown hotels, you wouldn't need much parking with Canada Line access to YVR.
If you're visiting and need to drive, you'd probably be staying farther out closer to your destinations (i.e. wedding venues, suburban offices) where hotels do have more parking.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by Changing City

From the restaurant thread a while back

It's an H&R Block office

Perhaps only a temporary office for tax season.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by madog222

Perhaps only a temporary office for tax season.

Ah just found their old location was next to the Waves closer to Pender since at least 2009.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by madog222

Perhaps only a temporary office for tax season.

I think it's more permanent. They've had an office a block to the north for some years at 487 Main, so I think they're just moving to a newer building.

[Jimbo604]

Daily Hive
24 business sign awnings in Vancouver Chinatown to get a refresh
Kenneth Chan Apr 6 2024, 12:07 pm

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vanc...s-sign-awnings

[Changing City]

Another Chinatown hotel proposal, this one a conversion of the upper office floors of Wayfoong House, above the VanCity Bank at Main and Keefer.


[W T Leung]

[jollyburger]

It'll be interesting to see how a hotel does down here.

This existing 5 story office and commercial building at the SE corner of Main and Keefer Streets was built about 28 years ago wherein W. T. Leung Architects Inc. was also the Architect of the building. The original occupant of the building, HSBC, occupied the entire building up until about 6 years ago at which time HSBC relocated and downsized. The current occupants, Van City Savings occupies most of the Ground Floor and the entire Second Floor. Two small commercial tenants are also located on the Ground Floor. The property dimensions are 57’ on Main St. by 120’ on Keefer St.

Due to current and foreseeable very weak demand for office space, the current Owner is proposing to change the use of the upper 3 floors and add a partial new 6th Floor making these floors a limited service hotel. The portion of the Change of Use located in the existing top 3 floors will all be within the existing building shell with minimal exterior changes. Ground Floor entrances and Lobby will remain largely unchanged, yet will be able to function as hotel reception and bank access for the disabled. Due to limited space and access, we propose the existing underground parking to be left unchanged. An existing loading zone on Main St. in front of the building will serve as a drop off area for the hotel.

The Lane Elevation which is clad with brick veneer will have new window openings cut into it for the suites (2 per floor) facing the Lane. It is uncertain if any existing windows would need to be replaced, but if required, they would replicate the existing window design. Each of the 3 existing floors will have 9-10 suites. The north facing 5th Floor suites has an existing patio where privacy screens will be added to separate adjacent suite balconies.

There are no other exterior alterations to the existing building except a new top floor. A new 6th floor with a foot print 38% of the existing 5th floor roof is the large main floor of a 2 story suite (suite entry on the 5th Floor with stairs to the 6th Floor) and would be set back from the existing north and west roof parapets so the existing roof parapet is maintained as the primary crown of the concrete and brick building. Setting back the north façade of the new 6th Floor 5’ from the existing parapet will make that glazed façade recessive and subordinate to the principle building façade below. While the height of the 6th floor will be 13’6” above the existing roof, the architectural design of the structure and envelope will be a modern lightweight steel and glass departure from the existing building with minimal added visual mass. The existing elevators will not be extended to service this added floor.

Portions of the existing roof remaining as roof area which will be accessible from the 6th Floor suite will be changed to patio space with some areas of garden landscaping.

https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/610-main-st