[SpongeG]

VANCOUVER / Canadian Tire won a bid Tuesday to develop a big-box shopping complex on Marine Drive, two years after its original proposal was rejected by a previous Vancouver city council.

Council, which now has a majority of Non-Partisan Association members, voted 5-4 Tuesday to approve the complex, despite complaints from project opponents that it would leave a huge eco-footprint on the environment.

Critics objected to the development's size, which they said would be the equivalent of four and a half football fields.

http://media.canada.com/1ceaa7d7-3889-4f4c-9003-991895e62419/SUN1116%20Megastore.jpg
An artist's rendering of the megastore that Canadian Tire proposes to build on Marine Drive.


They also argued it would increase car traffic in the area and undermine other shopping districts in south Vancouver.

COPE Coun. David Cadman wanted the vote delayed, pending a final decision on council's EcoDensity policy, which he said is violated by big-box stores.

Also voting against it were Vision Vancouver councillors Heather Deal, Tim Stevenson and Raymond Louie.

"The majority on the council, the NPA majority, are completely hypocritical," said former councillor and project opponent Anne Roberts after the vote. "They say they believe in sustainability but they don't give a damn."

She said the decision will open the door for Wal-Mart to return with a proposal for a store in the area.

NPA Coun. Suzanne Anton pushed for the store, saying south Vancouver is short of retail and residents are travelling to big-box stores in the suburbs. NPA councillors Elizabeth Ball, Peter Ladner, B.C. Lee and Kim Capri also voted for the deal; George Chow was absent.

"Having business people stay in Vancouver and business stay in Vancouver is a positive thing," she said.

Canadian Tire has estimated that traffic in the area would increase by 7,500 vehicles per day on a weekday and 10,500 vehicles per day on a Saturday.

But it also says the 250,000-square-foot centre, which will include a Mark's Work Wearhouse store and other retail outlets, will be a model of sustainability and the "greenest store" in Canada.

The design - by Kasian Architecture Interior Design - is expected to reduce energy use by 45 per cent above the national energy code while efficient windows and skylights will cut energy use and provide natural light. The design also includes thermally reflective roofing and recycled materials.

The building is aiming for LEED gold status. LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a U.S.-based green building certification system emphasizing sustainable site development.

This is the second time Canadian Tire has tried to develop the Marine Drive site. Vancouver city council rejected its original application in 2005, along with a Wal-Mart application to develop an adjacent site.

The Marine Drive project is part of the retail chain's plan, announced last month, to open 60 to 70 new stores per year in the next five years.

ksinoski@png.canwest.com

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=1c464bf3-fe7b-4a35-827a-bc1e3da1e666&k=93088

[mr.x]

250,000-square-foot centre??????????

[djh]

I like how the artist has hidden the building in the rendering, as if to make it have less visual impact!:haha: Yeah, as if the developers can guarantee how many and what type of trees the city will plant to hide their building! Even so, it's all a bit dishonest, not just showing the building - it's almost as if they're ashamed of it and don't want you the viewer to see it.


All in all though, I think Vancouver Council is very hypocritical in this big box issue. They prevent Wallmart but allow Canadian Tire, Costco and Home Depot. That's just ridiculous. Either ban *all* big boxes or allow *all* big boxes, don't just target one particular retailer because of your personal politics.

[Hed Kandi]

It's ironic how the Canadian Tire approval comes just day after the new "Eco Density Initiative" is announced.


Some how Big Box and Eco Density don't seem to fit.

[Hed Kandi]

Canadian Tire has estimated that traffic in the area would increase by 7,500 vehicles per day on a weekday and 10,500 vehicles per day on a Saturday".

But it also says the 250,000-square-foot centre, which will include a Mark's Work Wearhouse store and other retail outlets, will be a model of sustainability and the "greenest store" in Canada.

The design - by Kasian Architecture Interior Design - is expected to reduce energy use by 45 per cent above the national energy code while efficient windows and skylights will cut energy use and provide natural light. The design also includes thermally reflective roofing and recycled materials.


So am I to understand that a few LED light bulbs and and thermal roofing are going to offset the pollution from 7,500 vehicles?

[jlousa]

Wow some people just don't get it. Those 7500 trips are being made regardless, at least now they will be able to go to a closer destination, so in fact there is a reducation in distance travelled. While you can hate big-box stores for whatever reason you want, it doesn't stop the fact thousands and thousands of people shop at them. They are at least trying to minimize their footprint, it is alot easier for them to do that then expecting small retailers to do it. I would venture it's less polluting for you to make 1 trip to a bigbox then 3-4 trips to smaller retailers across town even if you can walk to 1 or 2 of them.

[Hot Rod]

get em JL. ..

[clooless]

Wow some people just don't get it. Those 7500 trips are being made regardless, at least now they will be able to go to a closer destination, so in fact there is a reducation in distance travelled. While you can hate big-box stores for whatever reason you want, it doesn't stop the fact thousands and thousands of people shop at them. They are at least trying to minimize their footprint, it is alot easier for them to do that then expecting small retailers to do it. I would venture it's less polluting for you to make 1 trip to a bigbox then 3-4 trips to smaller retailers across town even if you can walk to 1 or 2 of them.

Yeah, I don't understand how council pushing all the large format retailers to the suburbs will help Vancouver city residents reduce their "ecological footprint" if those that could have made the trip easily by bus now have to consider driving because of distance or travel time. The eco-density initiative is a great idea, but I see nothing wrong with incorporating larger stores into the mix. A community needs a more diverse mix of retailers than coffee shops and 24 hour convenience stores.

[Stingray2004]

To frame the current decision, one must remember that Vancouver designated two areas for highway-oriented retail way back in 2001.

Those two areas were on Grandview Highway east of Renfrew while the other was Marine Drive from Manitoba to Fraser.

During 2005, COPE voted to freeze highway-oriented retail, for whatever ideological reason, which decision was rescinded a year later when the NPA returned to power.

And yeah, why should Vancouverites be inconvenienced and have to drive to outlying suburbs to shop at these big-box stores, consuming another 1/2 hour in travelling time as well as related greenhouse gases from vehicle emissions?

[NewfBC]

Yeah, I don't understand how council pushing all the large format retailers to the suburbs will help Vancouver city residents reduce their "ecological footprint" if those that could have made the trip easily by bus now have to consider driving because of distance or travel time. The eco-density initiative is a great idea, but I see nothing wrong with incorporating larger stores into the mix. A community needs a more diverse mix of retailers than coffee shops and 24 hour convenience stores.

I agree with you... I live downtown.. last weekend I rented a car.. went to Walmart in New West.. IKEA in Coquitlam, etc.. if these were in the city, with comparable sized stores, I wouldn't think twice about an adventure to the burbs to go to same.

[mr.x]

I agree with you... I live downtown.. last weekend I rented a car.. went to Walmart in New West.. IKEA in Coquitlam, etc.. if these were in the city, with comparable sized stores, I wouldn't think twice about an adventure to the burbs to go to same.

i've always thought that Ikea should set up at International Village or maybe at the old Storyeum underground site (afterall that place is bigger than 6 NHL hockey arenas; 104,000 sq. feet). There's also a huge parking lot above Storyeum.

[EastVanMark]

Wow some people just don't get it. Those 7500 trips are being made regardless, at least now they will be able to go to a closer destination, so in fact there is a reducation in distance travelled. While you can hate big-box stores for whatever reason you want, it doesn't stop the fact thousands and thousands of people shop at them. They are at least trying to minimize their footprint, it is alot easier for them to do that then expecting small retailers to do it. I would venture it's less polluting for you to make 1 trip to a bigbox then 3-4 trips to smaller retailers across town even if you can walk to 1 or 2 of them.

Perfectly said. :tup: Also, these nimby's don't seem to want ANYTHING built there. They just seem to want to let the buildings sit empty. Just wish I could have been there to see the look on former Vancouver councilor Anne "I'm opposed to everything" Roberts' face when the vote was taken. The only thing that would have been better would be if Walmart opened up across the street.

[SpongeG]

they had that one counsellor on the radio explaining why she is against it

most of it seemed unrealistic but her thing seemed to be she didn't like the way business is done today - buying cheap goods from china etc. she didn't seem so much opposed to the location as she was to busuiness practices

[EastVanMark]

Then she should go shop somewhere else, as is her right. As for trying to keep retailers out of a city based on her own personal views on their business practices....thats where she steps way over the line.