[Distill3d]

Looks like this was approved back in October. thedjraw noticed a fence around the existing site (Lonsdale and 17) tonight and mentioned it in a previous thread. having seen the work going on myself, i did a little leg work and dug this up...

Scaled-down Extra Foods tower wins council approval
James Weldon, North Shore News
Published: Sunday, October 26, 2008


Central Lonsdale will be getting a new tower after all with the decision by City of North Vancouver council Monday to give the proposed Extra Foods site redevelopment the green light.

The building will only be 180 feet (55 metres) as opposed to the 240 feet (73 metres) specified in the original plan. The drop in height puts the development within the limits of the official community plan -- which caps highrises at about 18 storeys -- but also comes at the expense of a number of below-market rental units and community amenities included in the initial proposal.
"We walked past $6 million in private sector investment in affordable housing in the City of North Vancouver," said Coun. Craig Keating, who supported the amended proposal with some reluctance. "I still think it's sad"

Council had originally approved a version of the project Sept. 8 that would have seen the 25,000 square-foot grocery store at Lonsdale Avenue and 17th Street replaced with a 200,000 sq. ft., 24-storey residential tower that would have been 60 feet above the OCP limit.

In return for that added height, the community would have gained around 8,800 sq. ft. of affordable housing (about a dozen units) and a public plaza.
But the city changed course Oct. 6 when Couns. Bob Fearnley, Bob Heywood and Barabara Perreault, who had originally voted in favour of the project, switched their votes to no and joined Coun. Pam Bookham who had opposed the scale of the project from the beginning.

Community opposition and the need to amend the official community plan had motivated their change of heart, they said. They also voiced concerns over the entrance to the proposed underground parking lot, which would have crossed the sidewalk on Lonsdale Avenue, raising safety issues.
The rejection meant the project was bounced back to city staff, who were instructed to work with the developer to come up with something more palatable. Last week staff submitted a new recommendation with several different options.

On Monday, council voted to adopt Option 2a, which called for the height reduction and a changed parking lot design. The new plan would see cars cross the Lonsdale Avenue sidewalk on their way into the parking garage but not on their way out, when their vision is most restricted.

[excel]

thanks for the article. anyone have a render?

[officedweller]

Saw on the news that the roof of the Extra Foods collapsed under the weight of snow.

[SpongeG]

in north van?

in coquitlam part of the home depot collapsed - looks like just the front of the store not the actual store roof but the slanted roof at the front

[Distill3d]

Saw on the news that the roof of the Extra Foods collapsed under the weight of snow.

that wouldn't surprise me at all with that place.

[hollywoodnorth]

Saw on the news that the roof of the Extra Foods collapsed under the weight of snow.

wow crazy! its odd here in Vancouver we have record snow falls and no one thinks maybe they should shovel their roofs off.....smart.

[thedjraw]

I heard that a quarter of the roof collapsed... I wonder if they will fix the roof, or just start construction early?

[Distill3d]

I heard that a quarter of the roof collapsed... I wonder if they will fix the roof, or just start construction early?

i know where my vote is on that issue...

...too bad it wasn't the Safeways down the street....

[agrant]

wow crazy! its odd here in Vancouver we have record snow falls and no one thinks maybe they should shovel their roofs off.....smart.The way I look at it, people shouldn't have to. Roofs should be designed and built to carry this kind of weight.

[Metro-One]

:previous: I guess that is the lazy attitude. Buildings in general need maintenance and up keep and this event is one that is rare enough that people should simply get off their asses for a few minutes and clean the roofs (not to mention the sidewalks and the roofs of their cars before they drive) instead of spending needless money on engineering upgrades.

[agrant]

:previous: It's not a lazy attitude at all. I'm being a realist. Sidewalks are one thing, but a roof on a building is... Building codes would be made with that in mind - most roofs will not get cleared, therefore they should be built to take extra weight.

[Distill3d]

^i doubt that the building codes here are made with the snowfall we've had this last little bit in mind. at least not with it staying for any length of time like it has. we've had rather unseasonable weather.

that said, i don't disagree that they should be constructed with weight in mind. however, we're talking about a building built to older building codes anyways. the Extra Foods in question was built in the late 70's/early 80's (ar least is my guess judging by the looks of the place both inside and out).

i'm sure there's people here that remember the Save On Foods at Metrotown's roof collapsing in the late 80's. mind you that was because of the cars on the parking lot. building standards have improved since then because of that incident.

[agrant]

^i doubt that the building codes here are made with the snowfall we've had this last little bit in mind. at least not with it staying for any length of time like it has. we've had rather unseasonable weather. Well, who knows? It doesn't sound like anyone here is an expert. I just can't accept that they would build structures that would barely hold up one foot of snow. Anyway, we don't want every old fart climbing onto a roof...

[Metro-One]

Well it is a lot more than one foot, more around 3 feet along the base of the mountains. The Vancouver airport is only 2cm away from breaking its most snow during December record, and seeing how all this snow has fallen in the past week and a half with little chance to melt until now this is an anomaly.

[SpongeG]

they can't build houses here to deal with the cold

one week of almost -10 and how many frozen pipes happenned? crazy - nowhere else in Canada would that happen

not to mention all the houses built with crappy single glass windows that just blow the cold air in

people/builders cheap out - this kind of snow fall is pretty rare - once a decade i think we get a huge dump like this

so its justifiable that they don't build houses etc to sustain cold temps and rare snowfalls

[agrant]

Well it is a lot more than one foot, more around 3 feet along the base of the mountains. The Vancouver airport is only 2cm away from breaking its most snow during December record, and seeing how all this snow has fallen in the past week and a half with little chance to melt until now this is an anomaly.Yes, this has been an unusual period no doubt. Think of this though... earthquakes are anomalies too. We expect a big one within the next 200 years or so, yet we build for those anomalies because lives are at stake. I've done plenty of seismic bracing and strapping in my plumbing work just for that big one. Heavy snow falls are rare here too, as you've pointed out, but the fact that they can and do happen... I would expect, and hope, that our buildings are built above and beyond the max snow falls. Just the fact there is a chance people won't always be available to clear off roofs... we can't rely on that as a means to keep people safe.

[agrant]

they can't build houses here to deal with the cold

one week of almost -10 and how many frozen pipes happenned? crazy - nowhere else in Canada would that happen

not to mention all the houses built with crappy single glass windows that just blow the cold air in

people/builders cheap out - this kind of snow fall is pretty rare - once a decade i think we get a huge dump like this

so its justifiable that they don't build houses etc to sustain cold temps and rare snowfallsIf I'm not mistaken, the heating is only supposed to handle 98% of an average years temps. Meaning, during the coldest 2% of the year, the heating will have a tough time warming the entire place. That's when you're supposed to put on a sweater. The pipes should be fine though. Frozen pipes will happen when things aren't properly insulated, and/or when someone decides to turn off the heating for whatever reason.

[Distill3d]

Just the fact there is a chance people won't always be available to clear off roofs... we can't rely on that as a means to keep people safe.

the only real way to ensure that roofs are clearer is to build slanted roofs, but that presents its own problems (IE: cost, falling ice and snow)

[agrant]

:previous: Slanted roofs don't clear snow very well unless you have them sloped at a really steep angle. What they're good at though is handling the weight. It's usually the old flat (horizontal) roofs that are a problem.

[Distill3d]

it also depends what material slanted roofs are made from as well. a slanted metal roof will clear snow faster than a slanted shingled roof

[thedjraw]

Supermarket buckles in heavy snow

Extra Foods to remain closed until inspection, repairs complete

Stephanie Mosley, North Shore News
Published: Friday, January 02, 2009

North Vancouver's Extra Foods supermarket will be closed until further notice after heavy snow apparently collapsed part of its roof.

North Vancouver RCMP were called to the store at the corner of Lonsdale Avenue and 17th Street early Christmas morning to find it partially caved in and windows on the North side broken.

Fortunately, no one appears to have been inside at the time.

"We suspect that heavy snow and unco-operative weather caused the incident," said Tara Dudar, a spokeswoman for Loblaw Companies Ltd., in an e-mail to the News. "(Loblaw) will take all necessary steps to repair the premises and we are working to re-open the store as soon as possible."

Dudar did not comment on the state of the roof, and did not say whether attempts were made to clear snow from it prior to its collapse.

City of North Vancouver staff have inspected the premises, but so far have not come to a final conclusion with regard to cause.

A number of factors were likely involved, but it is too early to say for sure, said Gary Penway, a planner with the city.

Crews boarded up the store's windows in the days following the collapse, and a fence has been set up around the perimeter of the parking lot to keep people off the property. Inspectors have resolved to wait until the snow melts completely before conducting a final assessment.

The Extra Foods site has been the centre of controversy in recent months as plans to redevelop the site received mixed reviews from residents.

Loblaw was originally looking to build a 240-foot tower on the property, 60 feet over the official community plan limit. In exchange for the extra height, the city would have received roughly 8,800 sq. ft. of affordable housing.

City council approved the plan on Sept. 8 following a public hearing, but then sent the proposal back to staff a month later when three city councillors altered their support for the project.

An amended version of the proposal, which included a drop in the tower height and a loss of the non-market rental units, was adopted on Oct. 20. It is unclear whether the company's development plans, which are still in the works, will be affected by the Christmas Day incident.

http://www.canada.com/northshorenews/news/story.html?id=8f7e2fed-1711-4c71-9ce1-d88be7f5dce4

[srperrycgy]

The Extra Foods is a dump anyway. No big loss there. The Safeway isn't much better. I can't believe how small it is. Safeway could redevelop it's parcel with underground parking similar to the Kensington store here in Calgary. Just a thought.

[Distill3d]

The Extra Foods is a dump anyway. No big loss there. The Safeway isn't much better. I can't believe how small it is. Safeway could redevelop it's parcel with underground parking similar to the Kensington store here in Calgary. Just a thought.

i live less than a block from the Safeway and have suggested to store management and those at Safeway head office in Calgary (via email) several times that the store is outdated and in need of repair. i get the same cold shouldered reply every time. in fact, the best reply i have received from Safeway H.O is to shop at the either the Safeway on Mount Seymour Parkway and Mount Seymour Road or the Safeway at Lynn Valley Center if i want to shop at a cleaner and newer location.

the store is seriously suffering at the moment with keeping stock in because of the holiday, the weather, and the roof collapse of Extra Foods. at least, this is the excuse the in store management has given.

[Rusty Gull]

I'm sure Safeway has plans for that site. It is quite the valuable property... at a well-travelled intersection on Lonsdale... complete with sprawling parking lot.

And I agree with the assessments about the store environment. It is pretty awful. It's in huge need of redevelopment.

[dreambrother808]

The Safeway I currently shop at in the U of A area of Edmonton was slated for a redevelopment this spring, alas the economic downturn was indicated as a reason for canceling the plans. I'm sure that Safeway is taking such a cautious route with all of its stores.

[Distill3d]

The Safeway I currently shop at in the U of A area of Edmonton was slated for a redevelopment this spring, alas the economic downturn was indicated as a reason for canceling the plans. I'm sure that Safeway is taking such a cautious route with all of its stores.

are you talking about the Safeway on Whyte Avenue with the Shoppers Drug Mart in the same parking lot? if you are, that one is in the major league's compared to the Safeway we're talking about. the one on Lonsdale is like a Family Foods...

[dreambrother808]

yeah, that's the one. they were supposed to tear down the shoppers and liquor store, build on that end of the property, and then demolish the old store. currently the store is quite run down and ridiculously understaffed. the staff issue comes with the territory in alberta though. not much they can do about that.

the one in lonsdale must be pretty bad.

safeway, other than its canadian head office in calgary, is headquartered in california. the deeper nature of the american recession is the guiding factor here i think, which makes me believe that all such plans would be on hold.

[phesto]

The problem with the Safeway at Lonsdale and 13th is that Safeway only has a 50% interest in that site. The fact that they haven’t renovated the store probably indicates that there is interest in redevelopment, but I don’t think we’ll hear about any plans until the Central Lonsdale Planning Study is complete; maybe in 2010 or 2011. In any event, I’d say it’s more likely that the site will be sold to a developer like Anthem, who would build a new, more ‘urban’ Safeway, with additional retail, and possibly office or residential.

Hopefully they can assemble that odd little restaurant that fronts on 14th…

[Distill3d]

we've gone way off topic here, i think this should just be changed to the Central Lonsdale thread or something. everyone (present party included) is going off on the Safeway, and forgetting that the Extra Foods site development.

that said, it'd be nice to see a new mixed use complex put on 13 Street and Lonsdale that includes an more modern safeway and perhaps incorporates some of the other buidlings around.

[c4c]

Anyone know when the sales centre is to open?

What about the food store is there a set date for when it's to close their doors?

[wrenegade]

Sales Centre previews start November 6th.

[Distill3d]

I happened to stumble on this accidentally:

http://www.localonlonsdale.com/

Gives out more details on whats going on site. Couple renderings as well.

Looks like they're selling the view and that its going to be 20 floors.

[phesto]

25 sales on the first weekend (of 175 units). Not earth-shattering, but pretty strong.

Other developers including Onni (Safeway site) and Wesgroup (Lonsdale and 13th) will be watching sales of this one closely to see how/when they will proceed on their towers.

[wrenegade]

Can someone amend the title here? "Local on Lonsdale", 20 floors, approved (height is unknown, at least to me).