[officedweller]

some more pictures of the grand on oak. the second pic definitely makes it look more inviting.

Thanks. The detailing (gables) in the second render is different (better) than the first.

[Rusty Gull]

Aecon and Scott Construction announce projects totaling over $300 million

VANCOUVER, Apr 2, 2008 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- Aecon Group Inc. (TSX: ARE: 97.07, -1.29, -1.31%) today announced eight new projects, awarded over the past several months, to be delivered by Scott Construction Group of Vancouver, totaling $337 million. Most of the projects will be delivered under construction management contracts, and have a total construction value of $337 million. Aecon holds a 49% stake in Scott Construction.

The projects include:

- A $200 million renovation and new construction project in downtown
Vancouver, involving restoration of the historic Georgia Hotel, and
construction of an adjacent 49-storey commercial/residential tower.
The expected completion date of the hotel renovation is November2009
and of the tower is November 2011.

- Construction of the Coast Hotel - a $48 million, 20-storey,
230,000 sq. ft. hotel with 220 rooms on the Vancouver waterfront. The
project is expected to be completed in November 2009.

- Expansion and renovation of the Sauder School of Business at the
University of British Columbia, including creation of new career and
business centres, and the rebuilding of a 5-storey lecture theatre
and library. The $45 million project is expected to be completed in
October 2009.

- The design-build development of a $17 million, 84,000 sq. ft.
corporate airline hangar and 2-storey office facility for London Air
Services (LAS) at Vancouver airport. This structure will utilize a
steel building system to facilitate the 366 ft. clear span required
for the movement and storage of LAS's fleet of jets. The completion
date for the project is set for October, 2008.

- The $17 million construction of Ginger, a 9-storey residential
building in Vancouver's Chinatown. The expected completion date of
the project is July 2009.

- A $3.7 million Scott design-build contract, to construct a new
10,000 sq. ft. dealership, showroom and service bays for Steve Drane
Harley Davidson near Victoria. The project broke ground in February
and is scheduled for completion December 2008.

- A $4.6 million steel fabrication, supply and delivery contract for
the "Enerplex" skating oval for the City of Fort St John in Northern
British Columbia. This is an Olympic training facility and comprises
two full size hockey rinks surrounded by the speed skating oval and a
running track suspended above.

- The $3 million Research Laboratory at the University of British
Columbia. This Design-Build project is a steel building systems
project to be delivered by October 2008>>

"These new projects showcase Scott's capabilities to take on diverse projects in Vancouver and throughout British Columbia," said John Scott, Chief Executive Officer, Scott Construction Group. "These projects represent a healthy backlog for Scott Construction, and position us well to take advantage of the expanding economy in Western Canada."

[officedweller]

A couple of renderings passed on by a friend of mine - institutional architecture comes through again!

Proposed new Centre for Hip Health and Prostate Research Centre at VGH

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/1603/centreforhiphealthandprzc2.jpg

BC Professional Frefighters Burn Fund on Main Street (across from Sun Sui Wah):

http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/6413/burnfundbuildingie0.jpg

[LeftCoaster]

No way! Those are too cool!

[vanman]

Thanks for those. The first one looks kinda fugly but I like it cause it's different and more daring then most Vancouver architecture. The second one looks good:simple and modern.

[flight_from_kamakura]

The $3 million Research Laboratory at the University of British Columbia. This Design-Build project is a steel building systems project to be delivered by October 2008.

a design/build, it's a little exasperating.

awesome pics officedweller! these are two very nice buildings. understated, design-forward and beautiful.

[djh]

A couple of renderings passed on by a friend of mine - institutional architecture comes through again!

Proposed new Centre for Hip Health and Prostate Research Centre at VGH


BC Professional Frefighters Burn Fund on Main Street (across from Sun Sui Wah):



Hmmm, I dunno. They look "cool" because they look "different", but they just remind me of that old 1970's formica furniture that your parents bought back in the day because it was so "cool" and different to the very sensible oak and teak traditional furniture before it. With a few decades of perspective it looks very dated. I think the same could happen to this two - although in general I'm all for progressive architecture (e.g., the BC Cancer Building at 10th & Ash is excellent)

[SFUVancouver]

^ Great finds OfficeDweller. I like them both a lot.

Any idea where in the VGH complex the Hip and Prostate centre would be located?

[officedweller]

Centre for Hip Health and Prostate Research will be built up against the Jack Bell building at Oak and 11th.
(it’s on the tiny parking lot north of the new ambulatory care (Diamond) building on Heather side of Jack Bell.)

[Delirium]

looks great! thanks Od.

speaking of institutional architecture, here's a shot from Feb.28 of the new ICORD (International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries) facility..
http://www.icord.org/images/bpfeb08.jpg

[Jacques]

thanks for the amazing rendition and the update on ACORD
Cool

[jlousa]

Interestingly City hall has reopened project#1978 which is the flats, it's under review again. I've included the below description which is what the city has listed for it. Hopefully we'll see some movement on the St. Pauls relocation out of this.

"False Creek Flats (the Flats) is an approximately 308-acre industrial area located just east of False Creek in the heart of the city, generally bounded by Main Street to the west, Clark Street to the east, Prior/Venables Streets to the north and Great Northern Way to the south. The City will be undergoing a long-term planning process to explore and understand the land use and transportation opportunities that exist in the Flats."

[mr.x]

The Hip/Prostate centre is awesome! same goes with ICORD and fire burn.

[officedweller]

Nice pic by Tafryn of the Crossroads. The office tower could be topped out(?).

http://www.seataf.com/blogs/canadaline/2008-03-28/images/KICX9220.jpg

[LeftCoaster]

Yes it is, there are still 2 or 3 more floors to go on the residental tower.

Tenant outfits should start soon for some of the retailers, but occupancy isnt expected until late fall.

[Delirium]

http://www.mysunset.net/images/opening.gif

[SpongeG]

A $4.6 million steel fabrication, supply and delivery contract for
the "Enerplex" skating oval for the City of Fort St John in Northern
British Columbia. This is an Olympic training facility and comprises
two full size hockey rinks surrounded by the speed skating oval and a
running track suspended above.


wow - a lot of great speed skaters actually come for fort st john - the speed skating club is really a good one

[SFUVancouver]

I noticed a development sign on Terminal Avenue from the SkyTrain weeks ago but I only got around to taking a photo tonight when I rode my bike home from work.

The location is 688 Terminal, about half way between the Home Depot and Main Street. The project is for a 150,000+ square foot office building and, apparently, the new brewery for Red Truck Brewing.

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/5375/688terminalofficebldgapfj8.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 7th, 2008.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/6465/688terminalofficebldgnoqu2.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 7th, 2008.

[hollywoodnorth]

Business in Vancouver April 8-14, 2008; issue 963

Census summaries

Vancouver workers using public transit more, driving less

Riding public transit is gaining traction with Metro Vancouver commuters, according to the most recent census data.

About 16.5% used public transit to get to work in 2006. That’s up from 11.5% in 2001. About 67.3% of workers living in the Vancouver census metropolitan area (CMA) drove to work, down from around 72.2% in 2001. Workers in the Vancouver CMA who travelled to work as a passenger in a car increased slightly to 7.1% in 2006 from 7% in 2001.

However, those walking and riding bikes to work declined.

Just 6.3% walked to work in 2006, down from 6.5% in 2001. Only 1.6% of people cycled to work in 2006, down from 1.9% in 2001. Another 1.1% used another mode of transportation in 2006, up from 1% in 2001.

Workers in the Vancouver CMA had a median commute of 7.4 kilometres in 2006, down slightly from 7.4 kilometres in 2001. The national median was 7.6 kilometres.

The majority had a commute of five kilometres or less (35.4%); 26.1% commuted five to 9.9 kilometres; 15.2% travelled 10 to 14.9 kilometres; 7.7% commuted more than 25 kilometres.

In 2006, 42.9% of workers whose usual place of work was in Vancouver used a sustainable mode of transportation – public transit, cycling or walking – compared with 35.7% in 2001.

For the suburbs, 12.2% of those commuting to Surrey used a sustainable mode of transportation (compared with 9.5% in 2001), 13.1% of those commuting to Richmond (compared with 9% in 2001) and 22.7% for those commuting to Burnaby (compared with 16.3% in 2001).

British Columbians slowly getting out of their cars

The proportion of British Columbians driving cars to work fell from 73.6% in 1996 with 71.6% in 2006, while 7.7% commuted as passengers in 2006, compared with 7.3% in 1996, according to the 2006 census.

But 10.3% used public transit to get to work, up from 8.8%; 2% cycled to work, slightly up from 1.9%; and 6.9% walked to work, unchanged since 1996.

Among the 33 CMAs in Canada, Victoria had the third lowest percentage of commuters driving to work (64.9%), after Ottawa-Gatineau (62.7%) and Toronto (63.6%).

Workers in Victoria were also the most likely to walk to work (10.4%) and most likely to cycle (5.6%) there. But workers in Abbotsford (93.2%) were the most likely to get to work by car, including driving or as a passenger.

B.C. has highest rate of mixed unions in Canada

Love sees no colour or creed in B.C.

The 2006 census counted 58,525 mixed unions (marriages and common-law unions) in British Columbia involving a visible minority and a non-visible minority or a different visible minority group, the highest proportion (5.9%) of mixed unions in Canada in 2006, up from 4.9% in 2001.

Ontario (4.6%) and Alberta (4.2%) trailed B.C. The national rate was 3.3%.

Among all visible minority groups, Japanese had the highest proportion of mixed couples in Canada. Although there were only 29,700 couples involving at least one Japanese person, 74.7% of these unions included a non-Japanese partner. Latin Americans (47%) and blacks (40.6%) were the next ethnic groups most likely to be involved in a mixed union.

Nationally, South Asians and Chinese were among the least likely to form a union outside their group. Of the 327,000 couples involving South Asians, only 12.7% were either in a union with a non-visible minority or with a different visible minority. Among the 321,700 couples involving Chinese, only 17.4% were mixed.

B.C. workers increasingly have no place to call work

British Columbia had the second highest proportion of workers with no fixed workplace address (13.1%) in Canada, according to the most recent recent census data.

Only Alberta (13.7%) had more.

This was up from 11.2% in 2001 and 10.8% in 1996 in B.C.

The increase occurred at the same time as employment rose sharply in the construction sector, an industry in which many workers have no fixed workplace address.

In addition, 9% of B.C. workers reported working from home in 2006, slightly down from 9.1% five years earlier, but up from 8.8% in 1996.

Nationally, 7.7% of workers reported working at home in 2006.

Complied by Andrew Petrozzi

[officedweller]

Good news on the Flats office building. I guess that's practically next to the new Long & McQuade building?

[Lindberg]

I just read that vacancy rates for offices in Vancouver are at 3%. I went to look for new big office tower projects (non residential) but couldn't find one. Where can I look at office tower p rojects for Vancouver?
thanks

[raggedy13]

^Vancouver developers are allergic to office towers.

But seriously, for such a tight office market there have been few official office proposals as of late. There are some "mixed use" buildings u/c that have some office floors in them (Hotel Georgia, Jameson House, etc), two proposed downtown office towers, and a few more rumoured ones that are said to be a bit larger. Outside of downtown there are a few smaller office projects and in the suburbs there are a few proposed office towers:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=145876
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=149021

The two proposed ones downtown aren't too big. You can see one of them in the "Downtown and City of Vancouver" sub-forum under the name "GM Tower": http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=138628
The other proposed tower will be a similar size but no renderings have been released for it so I don't think there is a thread for it yet.

There are two rumoured towers in the ~400-500ft range, but of course still nothing too significant by North American standards. Hopefully a new tall proposal will come along and surprise us.

[Lindberg]

Ok thanks.

I wonder why this shyness towards office towers?

In Montreal, we have a 7% rate in available office space, and several 30ish story buildings close to be launched. Very intriguing. :sly:

[vanlaw]

Good news on the Flats office building. I guess that's practically next to the new Long & McQuade building?

It's on the easternmost of the vacant lots, next to the NW Produce building.

[SpongeG]

does this vacany rate only count for the City of Vancouver or Metro Vancouver?

cause the suburbs are developing a lot of office space

[SFUVancouver]

I've solved a small mystery.

A couple of months ago someone took a picture of a barge in False Creek loaded with silos. At the time we couldn't figure out what they were for, but it turns out they are for beer.

Molson seems to be expanding its brewery on Burrard street and there are seven of these silos waiting for installation.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/3949/p1060400zt1.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 10th, 2008.

[SFUVancouver]

First is a mid-rise infill project (zoned C2) on 1st and Burrard. I believe it has topped out and they are only working on the mechanical penthouse now.

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/2219/p1060398ha9.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 10th, 2008.

[mr.x]

So those aren't missile silos for the Olympic Village? how dissapointing.

[jlousa]

That's only what they want you to think....;)
Good job though. :tup:

[deasine]

Lol

[SpongeG]

that old funeral home on broadway is gone making way for spruce

[agrant]

:previous: Funny you mention that, I just noticed that today. I didn't catch the details on the info board though. Any idea what will be going in there? My guess is another medium sized condo like the two just east of it.

[SFUVancouver]

^ Yes, Spruce will be a mid-rise tower of similar massing to its neighbours. An interesting design element will be individual exterior glass-enclosed spiral staircases that will lead up from the penthouse suites to private roof terraces on the building's roof. I'm pretty sure this one sailed through the UDP.

Ginger
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5967/gingervancouverapril102jn9.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 10th, 2008.

[jlousa]

Glad to see more progress on the Stanley Park restoration. The park will actually be improved when all the work is completed.

Prospect Point going green as parking lot on the move
Randy Shore, Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, April 15, 2008

VANCOUVER - The blacktop and parking lots that cover Prospect Point will be removed in a few weeks and rebuilt away from the popular Stanley Park viewpoint.
The work set to begin this month is based on a new hybrid design that combines elements of several plans presented for public input late last year.
Most of the area on the tip of the point and around the cafe is currently under a sheet of asphalt, but that will change for the better when the park board finally awards a paving contract this month to realign the road and create a new parking lot 100 metres further from the cliff's edge.
Severe winter storms in December 2006 flattened nearly a hectare of hemlock and Douglas fir on Prospect Point, creating space for a realigned Park Drive further from the narrow point, and removing a hairpin turn. Millions of people and thousands of tour buses stop at Prospect Point each year.
By the time work on the area is complete in September, visitors will have a very different experience.
The area between the relocated parking stalls and the point will be replanted to promote development of a natural forest setting and a picnic area added as well as a licensed patio on the north edge of the Prospect Point Cafe building, according to Stanley Park restoration manager Jim Lowden.
The floral medallion garden will be removed and replaced by a point-shaped planter and the viewing platform at the end of the point enlarged to permit views up Burrard Inlet. A signal deck will added to the end of the point referencing the signal tower built on that same spot in the early 1900s to manage ship traffic in and out of the harbour.
A set of stone columns recognizing donors to the Stanley Park restoration project will also be erected on the site.
Prospect Point will remain open to the public throughout the work.
The road and parking lot paving contract will cost about $900,000. A second $900,000 contract to remove the old asphalt and build new landscape features will be considered by the park board early in May.
rshore@png.canwest.com

[officedweller]

City hall mulls nine-storey social housing project
East Side building one of 12 city-owned sites to receive provincial funding

Mike Howell, Vancouver Courier
Published: Wednesday, April 16, 2008

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/282673bf-1acf-417f-ac0c-192ad0df93e0/cityhallmulls.jpg
The above artist rendition depicts a nine-storey project, which will offer 101 units for men and women at the southwest corner of Main and First Avenue.

The first of 12 projects identified last fall by the provincial government for social and supportive housing is slowly making its way through city hall for approval.

A brief progress report on the nine-storey project, which will offer 101 units for men and women at the southwest corner of Main and First Avenue, goes before council tomorrow.

It's the first step in a process that requires council to approve the rezoning of the site, which would trigger a public hearing in June. Council would then decide whether the project should go ahead.

If the project is approved, the Lookout Emergency Aid Society will operate the building and--with the help of B.C. Housing and Vancouver Coastal Health--provide counselling and health services to the residents. "This is for people who have a history of mental health issues and/or addictions and it's providing them with housing with supports," said Karen O'Shannacery, the executive director of Lookout.

O'Shannacery was on her way to a meeting Monday afternoon with the architect and city staff to discuss the cost of the project, which will be built "as carbon neutral as possible."

She couldn't provide an estimate but said it would be a multi-million dollar project and include retail shops on the main floor.

In November 2007, the provincial government announced it would pay the pre-development costs for social housing buildings on 12 city-owned sites.

The majority of the 12 sites were identified as part of the city's supportive housing strategy, which was approved by city council in June 2007. The strategy focuses on providing more safe, secure and affordable housing--with support services--in response to the city's homelessness crisis.

O'Shannacery said she expected the provincial government would pay for the cost of the entire project. Her expectation is based on earlier comments made by Rich Coleman, the provincial minister responsible for housing.

The progress report comes the same month as the 2008 Metro Vancouver Homeless Count found that the number of people without a home in Vancouver increased by 19 per cent since 2005.

More than 1,500 people are living on Vancouver streets, according to the homeless count. With the Main and First Avenue project not expected to be completed until March 2010, the number of homeless people could be even greater in the city.

That's why it's imperative to build more housing, said O'Shannacery, noting the Main Street project is one of 12 that will provide a combined 1,200 units.

"I personally believe very strongly that if we continue to invest in the creation of housing and provide people with appropriate supports, we can end homelessness, we can reduce the numbers of people who end up on the street."

Lookout was established in 1971 and has a long history of providing housing and services for homeless people with drug, alcohol, health and mental health problems.

The society operates the Jim Green Residence in the Downtown Eastside, the first social housing project in B.C. to serve people with a chronic history of homelessness.

The public can view a model of the Main Street project and learn more about the city's plans at an open house tomorrow at 555 Great Northern Way, from 4 to 8 p.m.

© Vancouver Courier 2008

[deasine]

That's great! But then again I hate the fact that it takes forever for City Hall to approve stuff...

[vanlaw]

Good to see this will go ahead before all the NIMBY's move into their $5M units at Olympic Village after 2010 - could you imagine - social housing within a few blocks of their "exclusive" neighbourhood. ;)

[jlousa]

As much as I'm glad to see social housing built outside of the DTES I'm not a big fan of this location, that land is worth a bundle and could've easily be traded for another larger piece plus a sizeable amount of money which could be used to build even more units.
At least the design looks good as that is a highly visible location.

[flight_from_kamakura]

As much as I'm glad to see social housing built outside of the DTES I'm not a big fan of this location, that land is worth a bundle and could've easily be traded for another larger piece plus a sizeable amount of money which could be used to build even more units.
At least the design looks good as that is a highly visible location.

exactly.

on the one hard, the design is nice, the mass is okay (i'd say it's on the low end of acceptable, but then, 1st marks the height boundary between city gate and fcs), social housing outside of the core/dtes is great, and it'll work as a nice spur to further reredevelopment (that's an awfully busy corner, and social housing isn't the worst use of it).

on the other hand, 9 floors is disappointingly low for such an important site, the city could swap that site for another + several millions in cash AND get all the amenity concessions that a quality project of height would bring, it's possible that a large building with so many deep core units would have a negative effect on further redevelopment, putting so many hard-to-house right next to the stations seems foolhardy from a revitalization perspective, and the neighborhood needs (a lot) more of the street level retail absent in precisely this type of project.

my conclusion - kick this project up a block or two south (someone's got to have something they'd trade up) and take the extra money and build something nice up there. then, allow the developer to build out this site to 20 stories and amend height restrictions for the areas to correspond with a gradual slope from 20 to the 7 or so allowed on and around the burger king site. require retail at ground level (on all sides), pull a huge contribution to the funds or a site specific concession in the form of a non-profit space for something like a gallery or a sales space for indie couturiers (this is, after all, the garment district). and there you are.

[SFUVancouver]

Crossroads

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/6112/p1060508xl4.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 19th, 2008.

The Rise

There are some interesting artistic metal grates for the parking garage air vents in front of The Rise.
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/1356/theriseartisticmetalgrabu1.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 19th, 2008.

[excel]

i was just down there today, didnt notice that.

[SpongeG]

There are some interesting artistic metal grates for the parking garage air vents in front of The Rise.
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/1356/theriseartisticmetalgrabu1.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 19th, 2008.

me and my friend were looking at those last week - he was thinking they would hurt if one was drunk and fell :haha:

[officedweller]

me and my friend were looking at those last week - he was thinking they would hurt if one was drunk and fell :haha:

That was my first thought too! Plus some of those openings are pretty big.

[dreambrother808]

i think they are intended to prevent homeless people from using them as a place to sleep.

[officedweller]

Clever - Thanks!

[deasine]

that looks very scary and cool. I dunno i have a thing with heights and air vents... always feel like I will fall down. The hole looks big =O and there is no metal grid below =O

[SpongeG]

you can see them here in the pic i took...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/DSC00190.jpg

[Cypherus]

^Hmm...They don't look very large at all like they were protrayed in the previous picture.

[officedweller]

Yeah, that other pic made them look huge.

[SFUVancouver]

Sophie (?) | Kingsway at 12th

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/2873/sophiekingswayand12thapvg7.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 21st, 2008.


King Edward Village | Kingsway at Knight

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/1884/kingedwardvillageno1aprce2.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 21st, 2008.

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/1304/kingedwardvillageno2aprpr7.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 21st, 2008.

I had to play around with these shots in photoshop to try and salvage them since the sun was at the wrong angle.

[raggedy13]

^Thanks for the pics. Looks like you managed to compensate for the poor sun angle.

I quite like the looks of King Edward Village. I like that it has a taller podium and the flatiron look of the tower is great. Looks better than a lot of downtown towers, that's for sure.

[vanlaw]

^Thanks for the pics. Looks like you managed to compensate for the poor sun angle.

I quite like the looks of King Edward Village. I like that it has a taller podium and the flatiron look of the tower is great.

Agreed - This project turned out 10x better then I had imagined. I think it looks great. Hopefully The Hills will be of same or better quality. It will be nice to have these two anchor either end of Kingsway from Knight - Nanaimo and then have the rest in between eventualy go the same way.

[SpongeG]

its a nice project but it looks so odd and out of place

the surrounding area is so low and cheap looking in comparison

[vanlaw]

its a nice project but it looks so odd and out of place

the surrounding area is so low and cheap looking in comparison

Exactly my point - hopefully this and The Hills (Eldorado) provide the impetus to tear most of Kingsway up and redevelop.

[SpongeG]

me and my friend are betting a starbucks takes the corner rounded unit

[quobobo]

Exactly my point - hopefully this and The Hills (Eldorado) provide the impetus to tear most of Kingsway up and redevelop.

That would be great, but we're gonna have to sort out this mess:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2379/2432564150_7efe0989b6_o.gif (www.flickr.com/photos/21468641@N04/2432564150/)

[mr.x]

king ed village is looking great!

[dreambrother808]

it's called Stella... Sophia is the development left unfinished beside it.


Sophie (?) | Kingsway at 12th

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/2873/sophiekingswayand12thapvg7.jpg

[dreambrother808]

me and my friend are betting a starbucks takes the corner rounded unit

Starbucks is taking a smaller unit within the centre of the village. The last I heard that outer corner is unleased so far.

[squeezied]

wow, king edward village looks sooooo good! it would fit rite into some posh neighbourhood. looks very european too. overall, very pleased:)

[squeezied]

btw, what's gonna happen to sophia anyways???

[osirisboy]

a couple of pics of H+H and Coopers lookout (pics by me)

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x89/osirisboy22/IMG_1972.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x89/osirisboy22/IMG_1964.jpg

[osirisboy]

oops just realized that my above post should be in the downtown updates. sorry.

[mr.x]

thx for the updates.


does anyone know if construction has begun on the Vancouver Aquarium expansion?

[SpongeG]

btw, what's gonna happen to sophia anyways???

thats the one that went under?

i remembering seeing on the news that it was 80% complete and they were saying a new builder would be stepping in and finishing it - but the people who had already bought would have to pay more for the units or something like that - it was so long ago on the news now

[danby]

RE: The vents at the rise look amazing.. is the RISE still going to be apartment rentals?? i heard they were orignally?


King Edward Village is impressive i really like the outcome of this! :yes:

[jlousa]

Sophia will be completed, there was another Eden group building whose name is escaping me right now that was canceled before construction. That one is probably dead in the water. Found it, the Elyse which would've been right around the corner.

[squeezied]

Sophia will be completed, there was another Eden group building whose name is escaping me right now that was canceled before construction. That one is probably dead in the water. Found it, the Elyse which would've been right around the corner.

also a townhouse project by the name of Montgomery something... this was the on the site of the now the grand on oak by concord

[zivan56]

I was bored the last couple of days, and while studying some nice Google Maps API, I came up with this way of keeping track of which construction project was what and the threads associated with them (if exists); along with some basic facts. It is neither complete nor 100% accurate, but the main goal is to link with threads and help people identify what is going on and where.
LINK (http://vancouver.iwdstudio.com)
Feel free to add more information if you are interested, just use the form on the bottom of the page.

[giallo]

^I'm a big fan of King Edwards too. I'd love to own a unit there. I imagine the views of downtown and the North Shore mountains are unmatched.

[vanman]

I like the scale and shape of KEV but a few things irk me about the finished product. First of all I think all of the mullions should have been one colour (black) as well as the balcony railings. It looks odd how they shift from black to white randomly. As well the "pillars" at the base of the building should have either been left as exposed concrete or clad in stone cause as of now they just blend blandy in with the rest of the building when they could have been a defining feature. More brick and less painted concrete would have also been nice.

[radacal]

^^ Vancouver Aquarium Expansion

no work has occurred on the design recently as funding as not been finalized.

[deasine]

That's great zivian! Maybe we can include more information like "under planning" as blue, under construction as green, and just completed as yellow or something... just an idea.

Too bad we can't incorporate google maps into these forums unlike what we can do with youtube. =P

[zivan56]

^^ Will look into getting that implemented...shouldn't be too hard. If the owner of the forum wants to have something like that, I will send them the data I have collected so far. Thanks to whoever added a couple of buildings.

[SLC]

RE: The vents at the rise look amazing.. is the RISE still going to be apartment rentals?? i heard they were orignally?


Yes, it's all rental live/work units, to be managed by Gateway Property Management.

http://www.therisevancouver.com

[jlousa]

Since a lot of you have been talking about the Hills development that will be at Kingsway and Naniamo but I haven't seen a pic of the final product here I figured I'd post one for you. :)

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p155/jlousa/mix_kingsway.jpg

[hollywoodnorth]

Since a lot of you have been talking about the Hills development that will be at Kingsway and Naniamo but I haven't seen a pic of the final product here I figured I'd post one for you. :)

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p155/jlousa/mix_kingsway.jpg


thanks! :) I figured you would hook it up sooner or later looks great btw!

when does presale start?

[jlousa]

Now that Holborns work on Little mountain is done, it should be soon, Rennie is busy with a few project sale launches over the next couple of weeks, so I'd imagine shortly after that.

[LeftCoaster]

Since a lot of you have been talking about the Hills development that will be at Kingsway and Naniamo but I haven't seen a pic of the final product here I figured I'd post one for you. :)

:worship:

[officedweller]

Thanks!

[SFUVancouver]

New VGH building

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/9493/vghbuildingapril232008sku4.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 23rd, 2008.

Crossroads Office Bldg and Canada Line construction
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/9696/crossroadsandcanadalineeq0.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 23rd, 2008.

[mr.x]

^ it definitely doesn't dissapoint!


but it is missing the province's trademark slogan.

[quobobo]

^ it definitely doesn't dissapoint!


but it is missing the province's trademark slogan.

It's probably on the sign that says "Funded by the BC government, blah blah blah...." (above the taxi in the photo). Something so essential wouldn't be missed.

[officedweller]

Nice! Thanks.

[tempel1]

anyone know what's happening at commercial/13th?
they tore down the mma studio a couple weeks ago, and have excavated the site.

[Jacques]

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/frenchcda/the%20CITY%20I%20LOVE/1754_1772-Pendrell.jpg
Pendrell street Proposal
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/frenchcda/the%20CITY%20I%20LOVE/Carrall-looking-North.jpg
Carrall at Pender looking North April 25
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/frenchcda/the%20CITY%20I%20LOVE/DenmanRobson-North.jpg
Robson and Denman North side development near completion
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/frenchcda/the%20CITY%20I%20LOVE/DenmanRobson-South.jpg
Robson and Denman street looking south est development
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/frenchcda/the%20CITY%20I%20LOVE/PenderGeorgia-east-view.jpg
Pender and Georgia Aimed at Shangri-La Awesome
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/frenchcda/the%20CITY%20I%20LOVE/Penderst.jpg
don't remember this tower's name but it is at Pender street next to the RITZ
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/frenchcda/the%20CITY%20I%20LOVE/Shangri-La-north-west-face.jpg
Shangri-La from Pender street view north face April 25
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/frenchcda/the%20CITY%20I%20LOVE/Social-Housing-site.jpg
Social housing development site next to ALTO at Davie and Howe April23
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/frenchcda/the%20CITY%20I%20LOVE/The-Ritz.jpg
The RITZ on Pender and Thurlow April25
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/frenchcda/the%20CITY%20I%20LOVE/ThurlowPender.jpg
looking up at 3 towers Pender and Thurlow April25

[danby]

That tower you don't know the name of is the flatiron.


Nice pics!

[Jacques]

thanks for the information. cheer

[SpongeG]

crazy to think that there is an old house in there, well incorporated into that

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/frenchcda/the%20CITY%20I%20LOVE/Social-Housing-site.jpg

[SFUVancouver]

Cross Roads

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7398/crossroadsapril302008smzt2.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken April 30th, 2008.

[deasine]

Delete Post

[excel]

thanks for the updates.

[SFUVancouver]

VCC Expansion (Phase I)

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/8927/vccexpansionmay52008smaaa5.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken May 5th, 2008.


Maple Leaf mini-storage in Southeast False Creek
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/2097/ministorageinsefcmay520wr4.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/) My photo, taken May 5th, 2008.

[LeftCoaster]

Wal-mart is finally coming to Vancouver... and as much as I would like to spite wal-mart I cannot yet reveal where the site is.

[mr.x]

Wal-mart is finally coming to Vancouver... and as much as I would like to spite wal-mart I cannot yet reveal where the site is.

Downtown? Marine Drive? Around the Renfrew Station area? The old Costco site at Boundary??

[deasine]

Wal-mart is finally coming to Vancouver... and as much as I would like to spite wal-mart I cannot yet reveal where the site is.

Oh dang it! Alright we'll wait patiently.

[jlousa]

As previously mentioned, it is now confrimed, Holborn will be redeveloping Little Mountian, Details will take some time to come out but here's an article on it. If he spent as much as some people are claiming then it's no wonder he won it.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=951b414f-a78e-479f-b4b4-60c4a1dfea1b&k=7666

Vancouver developer will listen to community
Frances Bula, Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, May 06, 2008

VANCOUVER - The developer selected to do a massive and potentially controversial makeover of Vancouver's oldest social-housing site says his first priority will be to pay attention to what the community wants for the site.
"If there is going to be a single message I have, it's that we will listen," said Simon Lim of Holborn Properties.
BC Housing will announce today that Holborn is the successful bidder from among more than 20 companies for the Little Mountain site in central Vancouver.
The deal, which the province hopes will be the first of many as it sells off old low-density social housing sites to generate new money for housing, will require Lim to replace the site's existing 224 social-housing units within the market housing he builds there.
Lim also said he wants to make the project as green as possible, learning from other projects around the region.
"I'm looking to improve on what has been done in the past."
Those attitudes were some of the factors, along with the price Holborn agreed to pay for the six-hectare property, that landed him the deal, said BC Housing CEO Shayne Ramsay.
"His proposal had a number of components that were attractive - the commitment to creating a new chapter for Little Mountain was important."
Ramsay said the price, along with other aspects of the deal, will only be made public once the legal transfer has happened, but observers expect it will be high. The city sold a six-hectare parcel in Southeast False Creek, the site of the Olympic village, for $193 million to Millennium two years ago.
This sale is the first of what Housing Minister Rich Coleman has said he hopes will be repeated in the province, with its old social-housing sites sold, redeveloped and densified as a way of generating money for new social housing. Current zoning allows 1,000 units on the site, but Coleman had talked at points about trying for as many as 2,000.
Lim and his team face a long, arduous process, between high expectations from the city, the need to build according to BC Housing requirements, a rezoning to go through in order to get increased density, and a built-in opposition group.
Mayor Sam Sullivan says he wants to see the development become a "model of sustainability and achieve some of the principles of EcoDensity."
A group of Little Mountain residents and housing activists has mounted a campaign over the redevelopment, saying the province shouldn't be selling public land to finance social housing and that BC Housing emptied people out of the units too far in advance of redevelopment.
"We hope the developer would show his commitment to listening by reopening the homes that are empty until construction actually starts," said Kia Salomons, a member of Community Advocates for Little Mountain.
BC Housing has resettled about 170 of the 224 original families in other housing projects and given them the right of first refusal in the rebuilt project.
Ramsay said all the original 224 families will be included in consultations about the redesign.
At least one of them says he'll be waiting to see how things go before he decides whether to move back in.
"Ourselves and the people we know are kind of sitting on the fence," said Gary Cross, who had lived there for 14 years. He and several others have been moved to a social-housing project in southeast Vancouver, which Cross said he chose to go to early because it gave him some certainty rather than scrambling at the last minute.
"There are things that we miss, but I think it will depend on the size of the units and how they're laid out. I guess that's up to the developer."
Actually, BC Housing sets the standards for its buildings, which are typically built to be more durable than private developments.
Lim was a little-known developer five years ago when he emerged as one of the partners in a bid for the Woodward's redevelopment.
He and Concert Properties didn't get the project, but Lim has since gone on to increasingly high-profile projects, including the Arthur Erickson "twisting tower" that will become a Ritz-Carlton on Georgia Street, a 330-unit project at Nanaimo and Kingsway, and a redevelopment of four hectares in the middle of Whistler Village.
He also bought the Bay parkade two years ago, where he is planning to build an office and condo tower, and has developed a couple of small condo projects in the Main Street area.
fbula@png.canwest.com

[worldwide]

thanks for the article. it would be great to have a streetcar on main to 49th once this is complete.

in other news, that old abandoned funeral home just east of hastings and slocan on the south side of hastings street has been demolished and excavation work is well underway. i assume the site is zoned as arterial mixed use so i'd imagine we'll see 3 stories of condo's/apartments with retail on the ground floor similar to other recent developments in the area. the hastings corridor is densifying at a fast pace, with developments like this popping up from lakewood east all the way to willingdon. hopefully the retail gets filled up unlike the building at hastings and renfrew thats been emty, or almost empty for a few years now.

[LeftCoaster]

Downtown? Marine Drive? Around the Renfrew Station area? The old Costco site at Boundary??

PS it should be a clue that I posted the news in the General Updates thread and not the Downtown Updates thread.

[hollywoodnorth]

usiness in Vancouver May 6-12, 2008; issue 967

Greater Victoria’s West Shore attracting major residential development projects

Colwood Corners plan includes 4.3 million square feet of commercial and residential space

Real estate roundup: Peter Mitham

Cornering the centre

The stage is set for a partnership between Victoria investment manager League Assets Corp. and developer Les Bjola (formerly of Bear Mountain Resort) to redevelop Colwood Plaza in the Greater Victoria community of Colwood.

An April 28 public hearing cleared the way for Colwood councillors to approve a rezoning of the 14-acre property within weeks that will allow Bjola to launch an ambitious $1.8 billion redevelopment of the site. According to the plan, 11 buildings with a total of 4.3 million square feet, split almost evenly between residential and commercial uses, will be built on the site over 15 to 20 years.

The Colwood Corners development will create a new city centre at Sooke Road and Goldstream Avenue for West Shore, an area whose population is projected to double by 2026.

The property developers are feeding into those expectations with a host of new projects for West Shore municipalities, including Colwood, Langford, View Royal, Esquimalt and Metchosin.

The success of Bear Mountain is the model others are seeking to emulate, with Colwood drawing many of the new plans brought forward in recent months.

In addition to Colwood Corners, the 563-unit Aquattro residential development is being marketed, while the Lookout delivered 30 townhomes to the area last year.

League acquired Colwood Plaza in February 2007 for an undisclosed sum with plans to redevelop it according to a strategy it has effectively implemented at other sites in B.C.

All told, League funds and manages roughly $2 billion worth of real estate projects across Canada. It also holds $200 million in assets through IGW Real Estate Investment Trust, a private trust League established in January 2007.

Steady appetite

A recent reference to explosive growth on the Vancouver restaurant scene prompted a call last week to Vancouver’s licensing department in an effort to cut through the hype.

Yes, there’s an active and admirable restaurant scene in Vancouver. And, yes, new restaurants come – but they also go.

But surely any “explosion” of restaurants worth the name would be putting upward pressure on lease rates for restaurant space in the city unless the supply of new space coming available was sufficient to accommodate the burgeoning number of beaneries.

Here’s what this columnist found: the number of new restaurants deemed to constitute an explosion in activity was 100, but Vancouver licensing records show that overall restaurant licences issued last year totalled just 1,521 – a mere handful more than the five-year average of 1,509 a year. The number of restaurants licensed to date for 2008 is just over 1,400 (some renewals are pending).

Where there has been explosive growth – again, measuring the bang in 100s of restaurants – has been in establishments with limited food service, such as coffee shops.

There were 1,281 such establishments in the city last year, versus 1,175 five years ago. With prime locations commanding top-dollar, however, Larry Kinash of Blenz Coffee Inc. (one of the operators most willing to pay top-dollar for its locations) notes that many independent shops are more likely to seek out secondary locations as a matter of simple economics.

Riding forward

This year’s development issues symposium hosted by the Vancouver chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties offered a timely update on regional transportation networks – public transit, that is, not highways.

A key interest for listeners, if a question about coffee shops at transit hubs during the question and answer period was any indication, was how much progress has been made toward developing retail at SkyTrain stations.

With efforts to lease the former Sheffield Tobacco stand at the Granville Street SkyTrain station ongoing and an Ethical Bean coffee stand recently opened at the Commercial Drive station, the question at NAIOP deserved a more elaborate answer from TransLink vice-president Phil Christie than a reference to the long-standing Starbucks at Main Street-Science World.

TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie directed queries regarding retail initiatives to SkyTrain head Doug Kelsey, who was unable to return calls prior to deadline.

However, Hardie said that under the province’s transit plan, new funding would be made available to incorporate new retail space as part of platform extensions at the Main Street, Broadway and Metrotown stations. •