Chinatown Updates Discussion

[logan5]

I wish the rest of the city would adopt this building form/style. The street wall and even retail wall have visual variation. An iportant eleent in drawing people outside, as opposed to the blank walls along Broadway.

[Vin]

Looks like the protesters of the Columbia/Keefer development had succeeded in scaring away developers in Chinatown. Nothing much happening there now, and that does not bode well for its future.

Tax payers will end up paying for this:


105 Keefer Street Chinatown developer suing City of Vancouver over rejection
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/105-...vancouver-2019

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by logan5

I wish the rest of the city would adopt this building form/style. The street wall and even retail wall have visual variation. An iportant eleent in drawing people outside, as opposed to the blank walls along Broadway.

Agreed. If we can have density AND character, why not?

[Feathered Friend]

Rising From The Ashes – Chinatown Grandfather Hopes To Spark A Cultural Connection

728-796 Main Street
There may only be a few weeks left until the December break in city consultation, yet I did not think it was cold enough that there would be plans for a new development in Chinatown. Frankly, neither Darren nor I thought we would see any growth here after the large opposition to 105 Keefer led to the down-zoning of the community plan last summer. However, as this application was submitted beforehand, it has been grandfathered under the old rules.

One might assume that is connected to the lawsuit launched by proponents of 105 Keefer, but this is actually a different applicant who’s project never experienced anywhere near that level of opposition. There were no jars of bed bugs sent to the developers; no death threats to the Urban Design Panel, and; its first open house was relatively tame, with only a small group led by Jean Swanson peacefully occupying a corner in the room.

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2019/1...al-connection/

[LeftCoaster]

Wrote in my support (as well as my criticism for chopping the building down 3 floors in the first place).

[Alex Mackinnon]

That render appears to be missing the 100' tall statue of Jimi Hendrix. That's unfortunate.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Alex Mackinnon

That render appears to be missing the 100' tall statue of Jimi Hendrix. That's unfortunate.

Maybe somebody finally researched the urban myth of the Hendrix connection? From the City's Chinatown Historic Area Planning Committee "Applicant has conducted heritage evaluation of 796 Main St. building (SRA), as well as the Main Taxi building - 207 Union St. (aka Jimi Hendrix shrine) where no direct connection with the history of Hendrix family has been confirmed."

[Feathered Friend]

Left May 2017 Application / Right September 2019 Revision


Left September 2019 Revision / Right May 2017 Application



Left May 2017 Application / Right September 2019 Revision



Left September 2019 Revision / Right November 2019 Alternative



Left September 2019 Revision / Right November 2019 Alternative



Above September 2019 Revision / Below November 2019 Alternative

Vancouver’s Planning Department Rebels Against Urban Design Panel Recommendations – A Seven Year Process Nears It’s End

728-796 Main Street
Some days it’s hard to believe it has been almost two years since Hannah and I started City Duo, but that pales in comparison to the seven years this applicant team has spent on this project. It seems that it first went public back in 2014, at a meeting of the Vancouver Heritage Commission, and then sat quietly as its historic merits were debated until its first open house in 2017. That meeting was uneventful, yet a separate one forced further delays.

Perhaps those former members of the Urban Design Panel were cautious due to the anger directed to the application at 105 Keefer as they requested resubmission of this proposal in 2017. However, it never received anywhere near that level of opposition, which is likely why city staff have allowed it to be grandfathered under the repealed rezoning policy. That decision proved uncontroversial at its most recent open house, and was supported in September by the Chinatown Historic Area Planning Committee.

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2019/1...nears-its-end/

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Feathered Friend

Left September 2019 Revision / Right November 2019 Alternative



Left September 2019 Revision / Right November 2019 Alternative



Above September 2019 Revision / Below November 2019 Alternative


https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2019/1...nears-its-end/

Thank you so much, Feathered Friend.

The alternate massing without setbacks and with the presence of a cornice is so obviously superior over the city-preferred massing with setbacks and no cornice.

Indeed, these city-mandated setbacks in contemporary Vancouver architecture are the worst development to emerge in Vancouver's entire architectural history and are indicative of the current idiocy within the city's modern planning department. That anyone could wish upon a city they profess to love the city-mandated setbacks over traditional and timeless massings with proper and proud facades is, I think, insanity.

I hope to god the alternate massing without any retarded city-forced compromises makes it through and maybe even becomes, once again, an archetype for proper design in the city going forward.

[Prometheus]

Feathered Friend,

Could you kindly clarify exactly what happened in the end regarding the fate of the alternate massing version. I am not sure I fully understand what you have written here:

The panel refused to support the concept shown in the model, and believed their recommendation would address any opposition to the second concept, but city staff pushed back. They were clearly concerned that option had been presented before they had a chance to fully review it, and that it resulted in a slight increase to the overall density. When the applicant revealed the increase was only about 100 square meters, the panel dismissed this concern.

The chair noted the extra density was well-handled, and staff could simply make the changes shown in the alternate concept a condition of approval when it went to a public hearing. The rest of the panel backed up this compromise when they voted unanimously to support the project at the rezoning stage.

What do you mean by the "compromise" that the panel backed-up? Are you referring to a design change to the alternate massing or just a change to the process of approval of the alternate massing?

[osirisboy]

OMG. Yes! The one with no set back and proper cornices is 1000 times better. Seeing it side by side really illustrates how stupid the set backs on the top floors are. Personally, it's not the set back specifically but that they are always done in some bland spandrel blob and don't relate at all to the rest of the building

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

OMG. Yes! The one with no set back and proper cornices is 1000 times better. Seeing it side by side really illustrates how stupid the set backs on the top floors are.

The city is currently taking feedback on this project. Please take one minute to write a comment regarding your preferred version: https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applic...n/feedback.htm

[Feathered Friend]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Feathered Friend,

Could you kindly clarify exactly what happened in the end regarding the fate of the alternate massing version. I am not sure I fully understand what you have written here:

What do you mean by the "compromise" that the panel backed-up? Are you referring to a design change to the alternate massing or just a change to the process of approval of the alternate massing?

The compromise was that the panel would support the current version with a recommendation that essentially asked for the changes shown in the alternate option to be incorporated.

Originally they were only going support the alternate concept, and not the application that had been filed.

Originally Posted by Prometheus

The city is currently taking feedback on this project. Please take one minute to write a comment regarding your preferred version: https://rezoning.vancouver.ca/applic...n/feedback.htm

For anyone that prefers the second option, I can't stress how important it is to send in your thoughts as it will need some strong support to be implemented.

[Jimbo604]

An Exciting Photo Essay on the two blocks of East Georgia Street west of Main Street:

























E Georgia St & Main St

Google Maps shows it as a dead-end in 2012. Google Maps shows the power poles were installed in 2012 or 2013.

Am I missing something, the wires for these power poles currently aren't even hooked up to anything... ? Odd. It would be nice if the ramp and the power poles could be replaced by the other side of the street and sidewalk, however, it looks like Hydro owns the land where the power poles are though, if I am reading Vanmap correctly.

Photocredit: me

[Feathered Friend]

https://shapeyourcity.ca/728-796-main-st

Public Hearing – February 9th, 2021 – After Years In A Purple Haze, Union Homes Comin’ Up To City Council Likely Not Going Down

February 9, 2021 Public Hearing
After nearly a decade, one could be forgiven for wondering if this proposal would reach city council before the end of time, but let me assure you it really will be heard at tomorrow’s public hearing. I promise I won’t make any more Jimi Hendrix-related puns, as there are serious issues that revolve around this property, and how it relates to Vancouver’s historic discrimination of its Black and Chinese Communities.

Backlash Expectations

Item 1 – 728 – 796 Main Street – Low
Some feel this area’s culture needs to be better honored, but this sentiment hasn’t led to any opposition letters.

https://cityduo.wordpress.com/2021/0...ot-going-down/

[mcminsen]

Re: Main and Union, I found this old pic that Jimbo604 posted September 21st, 2014. I haven't been by there for a long time so I have no idea if it still looks the same.

Originally Posted by Jimbo604

Main and Union current state...
Photo credit: me

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by mcminsen

Re: Main and Union, I found this old pic that Jimbo604 posted September 21st, 2014. I haven't been by there for a long time so I have no idea if it still looks the same.

It's completely unchanged, for now.

[jollyburger]

275 East Pender medical building

https://www.urbanyvr.com/275-east-pender-street/

Site sold in 2020 for $2.45 million

[jlousa]

Went to the Chinatown festival and I haven't felt this disenchantment with its future since I moved into the area over a decade ago. The booths occupied just one side of the street on only a single block on Keefer between Columbia and Carrall. Even arguable if you could call that Chinatown but let's let that pass. There was no booth that actually related to Chinatown, had a bunch of municipal parties, BC hydro, td bank, genesis security *sigh*. Even the Chinese cultural centre couldnt bother to open their doors. The Sun-Yat Sen park has its gates closed on both Columbia and Pender, you need to sneak in via a small mandoor along Carrall. Wish the festival would've brought in Chinatown merchants and been held within its current footprint to have broightnmore traffic to them.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by jlousa

Went to the Chinatown festival and I haven't felt this disenchantment with its future since I moved into the area over a decade ago. The booths occupied just one side of the street on only a single block on Keefer between Columbia and Carrall. Even arguable if you could call that Chinatown but let's let that pass. There was no booth that actually related to Chinatown, had a bunch of municipal parties, BC hydro, td bank, genesis security *sigh*. Even the Chinese cultural centre couldnt bother to open their doors. The Sun-Yat Sen park has its gates closed on both Columbia and Pender, you need to sneak in via a small mandoor along Carrall. Wish the festival would've brought in Chinatown merchants and been held within its current footprint to have broightnmore traffic to them.

The more important question how people actually bothered showing up?