Pacific Metropolis

A Few Quick Hits

With torrential rains, snow and plunging temperatures taking up the headlines these days, there have been a few interesting development-related stories that seem to have slipped under the radar of late.

First of all, last Friday, Bombardier announced that it had been awarded a USD $99 million contract to supply 34 new MKII cars for the Expo and Millenium Skytrain lines, with an option to build 38 more vehicles in the future. Delivery of the first 34 cars is expected to occur by 2009.

Second, on Monday night, the Parks Board approved the Vancouver Aquarium's expansion project, which now looks like it will go ahead. Further details on the construction start date and the project's timeline are still to come.

Meanwhile, over at the Development Permit Board, several high-profile projects have recently been added to its agenda, and are now scheduled for review over the coming weeks.

First among them is 1153 West Georgia (aka 1133 West Georgia - the 'twisting tower'), which is set to undergo its final review on December 18th.

Next up will be design plans for parcels 3, 6, 9 and 10 of the Southeast False Creek lands, which are scheduled for review on February 12th and 26th, 2007.

And finally, design plans for 699 Howe/801 West Georgia (the Hotel Georgia site) will also be up for review on February 26th. 

BC Construction

In the third quarter of 2006, there was a record $109.9 billion in construction projects underway in BC, according to the provincial government's Ministry of Economic Development.

In total, 783 major capital projects were under contruction in the province, as compared to 650 projects worth $82 billion during the same period one year ago.

Among new starts in the Lower Mainland, the five largest projects to begin in the region were the following, by dollar value:

• Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel - $350 million
• Azure Towers/Plaza 88, New Westminster - $300 million
• Olympics Speed Skating Oval - $178 million
• Cypress Mountain Expansion - $70 million
• The Falls Golf and Country Club, Chilliwak - $70 million

The BC government's quarterly report provides a comprehensive list of construction projects throughout the province, including lists of recently proposed and completed projects.

You can find a copy of the November 17th press release on the Ministry's website here, and a copy of the September 2006 report here (link to pdf).

CBC Development/TV Towers

If you want to look in on the latest construction at the CBC redevelopment project, aka TV Towers, you can check out a webcam on the CBC's website here.

This camera looks down on things from the Library Square Tower.

Photo taken on Monday, November 20th.

Whitecaps Stadium Update

This past July, Vancouver City Council asked for additional studies to be done on the proposed Whitecaps Stadium on the Gastown waterfront, which will likely delay the project for another two years. (Link to the city's stadium website here, and a pdf copy of the Initial Review here).

Among the issues that still need to be resolved are the following:

• Improve the stadium's fit with the Gastown neighbourhood
• Resolve concerns regarding the stadium's impact on Gastown's livability
• Resolve the future status and potential development of the remaining port lands
• Ensure adequate street access to the stadium
• Deal with concerns about hazardous cargo moving under the stadium

As a result, the initial review urged the Whitecaps to participate in the City's Central Waterfront Hub and Rail Lands Study, which will be completed in 12 to 18 months' time. This report aims to develop a "detailed Urban Design and Transportation Plan for the Hub area", covering the entire waterfront lands from Howe Street to the foot of Cambie.

It's worthwhile to note that an earlier study from 2005 has already determined that the CPR railyards "are critical to the economic function of the Port and must be retained."

While the Whitecaps said that they were happy with the results of the initial review, some observers believe that the team will have a tough time going ahead with their plans.

As for our opinion, we're coming out against the stadium proposal for two significant reasons.

First, although some of the standard NIMBY arguments are indeed quite weak (ie: noise and crowds will disrupt the neighbourhood), there is merit to concerns that the stadium will have a negative impact on Gastown's revitalization.

While stadium supporters argue that it will bring people into the area, it's well known in urban planning that stadiums create dead zones, sucking life out of neighbourhoods when they're not in use, and forming barriers that discourage pedestrian traffic between lively areas.

(Click on photo for larger picture.)

Indeed, with only 30 potential matches during the summer soccer season, the stadium zone would likely become quite dead during the winter months, when outdoor concerts aren't likely to be booked. It would even be lifeless on most summer days, if events are scheduled in the evenings.

Second, and more significantly, it's worthwhile to consider whether a soccer stadium would be making the best possible use of these prime waterfront lands.

A 1994 study proposed a mix of office and residential buildings in addition to park space over the Port lands. Without question, there is a need for more office space downtown, which could be met by new buildings over the railyards.

Furthermore, the combination of new office buildings, condominiums and park space would probably create a more aesthetically pleasing skyline rather than another box-like structutre along the Gastown waterfront.

Although it remains to be seen what the eventual design and location of the stadium would look like, it's difficult to imagine how such a large, wide structure would be able to integrate with the surrounding neighbourhood and extended seawall walkways.

That's our two bits, anyway. We're interested in hearing arguments to the contrary, since there is a lot of public support for the stadium out there. 

The Don

Apparently Vancouver is getting yet another boutique hotel - except with the Donovan, "there's no checkout time." This is presumably because you live in it, not because the building will kill you. (The marketing is somewhat unclear on this point).

Regardless of whether the Donovan is named after an actual person or an evil presence, the structure itself actually looks quite sharp.

Located at 1055 Richards (between Nelson and Helmcken), the Donovan will come in at 18 storeys (168 feet), and include 152 new condos. Completion is scheduled for 2008.

Although it doesn't contain any more information about the building's name, you can have a look at the Development Permit Staff Committee Report here (link to pdf).

As for our best guess as to why the developer went with 'The Donovan', we think it has something to do with the name's Gaelic origin, which means 'majestic'.

RAV Line: Cut and Cover

For an update on RAV/Canada Line construction in the City of Vancouver, check out the GVTV.ca home page for a story about the cut and cover tunneling work.

Apparently, more than one quarter of the 'cut and cover' portion of the RAV line has been completed since construction began in October 2005.

There's also some information about the above-ground changes being made to Cambie Street, which will be redesigned to better accommodate bicycle and pedestrian traffic, and to create a 'grand entranceway' into the downtown area.

What Exactly is Triangle West?

It's definitely not Bayshore Gardens, and it's not quite Coal Harbour (although that doesn't stop realtors from saying it is), so what exactly is the Triangle West neighbourhood?

Well, according to planning guidelines from the City of Vancouver (link to pdf), Triangle West is roughly located to the west of Bute street, to the north of Alberni, and to the south of West Hastings. A sort of northerly hypotenuse stretches from Cardero street up to West Cordova, forming a border along the Coal Harbour lands.

When the City planning department considered the area in 1990, it decided to take an incremental approach to new development, rather than designing the area with a master plan. It did, however, seek to encourage the creation of a commercial 'high street' along Bute between Melville and West Cordova, which would provide shops and services to local residents. (Click on map for a larger version).

Among the new buildings that are currently going up in and around this neighbourhood are the Melville, the Ritz, the Cielo, the Flatiron, and the Sapphire. In addition to these five, there's also a proposed two-building development for 1409 West Pender, which is currently going through the approval process.

Meanwhile, in answer to the call for more local amenities, a new Urban Fare is set to occupy the ground floor of the Cielo (at West Hastings and Bute) when it's completed in early 2007. For further details, have a look at this article from the Vancouver Courier here.

For maps and pictures of the Triangle West neighbourhood, check out page 14 of this (link to pdf) planning document.

Costco Opens, Fatties Rejoice

Much to the joy of the morbidly obese, the new downtown Costco store finally opened this past weekend, putting bulk food items within easy waddling distance of most Vancouver condominiums.

Located on Expo Boulevard between GM Place and the Georgia viaduct, the store makes good use of what might otherwise be wasted space beneath Concord Pacific's 4-building Spectrum development, which should be finished by the middle of next year. Apparently, one of the construction cranes will be left behind after the project is completed, so that residents will be able to hoist pallet-sized purchases directly up to their own apartments. (Not really.)

More accurately, the new Costco does provide easy access to the Stadium Skytrain station. And for those tubbies who prefer to haul their tubs of barbeque sauce by car, there's ample parking, with 700 spaces located above and below the 127,000 square-foot store.

According to this article from the Vancouver Sun, much of our citizenry is thrilled with the new Costco, which has already become 'an instant hit.' No kidding - we've been gorging ourselves on a case of frozen chicken wings for the past two days.

Vancouver Time Lapse

Although this video may be a little long at just under six minutes, it has some great time-lapse pictures of Vancouver that someone has taken from their Yaletown condo.

The best shots include those of the clouds rolling past Wall Centre, and a freighter being moved by the tides out in English Bay. Worth a look.

Fishy

Over the past few months, the Vancouver Aquarium has been moving forward with its proposed revitalization and expansion project, which aims to upgrade the current facilities and increase exhibit space.

Among the project's major developments would be larger outdoor pools for the animals, the addition of new pools and improved public spaces (walkways and plazas) in the old zoo area, a new restaurant, and a revamped entranceway facade for the main aquarium building.

Of course the expansion is not without controversy, as there's been some concern about the aquarium's proposal to remove and replace 32 trees in Stanley Park (23 of which have trunk diameters of 12 inches or less).

Opponents argue that this would set a dangerous precedent for further commercial development, however that assessment seems a little over-the-top - it's not as though developers will suddenly get to build hotels or condos inside the Park.

As for the 'no whales in captivity' argument, it's worthwhile to note that the Vancouver aquarium no longer keeps orcas, while the expansion would provide additional space for those animals that currently live there. Furthermore, important conservation, education and scientific work is also done at the aquarium, which in turn benefits animals in the wild.

In what appears to have been a way to sidestep calls for a referendum on the expansion, a public consultation just wrapped up at the end of October, the results of which will be reported to the Vancouver Parks Board by this December.

For more information, visit the official Aquarium public consultation website here. Detailed plans for the expansion project can be found here (link to pdf). As for the project's critics, you can find one of the key opposition sites here.

Update: According to this article from the Vancouver Sun, a survey conducted on behalf of the Vancouver Aquarium found that 85% of Vancouver residents support an aquarium expansion in Stanley Park.