[New West] The Shops at New West (Plaza 88) | Completed

[Spork]

Bonus shot.

[vanman]

These pics were taken over the last month in random order:

[flight_from_kamakura]

wow, excellent update!

wondering what's going on here, will this be a service lane? a plaza?

Originally Posted by vanman

half of me loves the massive wall hugging a major arterial roadway/highway like that, it looks neat, makes the drive feel more exciting, and reminds me of asia (which i like). and half of me finds it depressing, pretty much the sort of development that makes the current function of that stretch of columbia pretty much irreversible.

Originally Posted by vanman

[Spork]

Originally Posted by flight_from_kamakura

wow, excellent update!

wondering what's going on here, will this be a service lane? a plaza?

Tough to see from here: http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/1799/areaplan.jpg

[SFUVancouver]

I read in one of the real estate rags that there will be a multi-phased high density redevelopment scheme initiated in 2012 for part of the large strip mall adjacent to Plaza 88. The piece was very brief but it did say a high rise residential building would be brought to market.

I withdraw this. I cannot recall where I read it and it was not in the real estate rag (Westcoast Homes & Design) that I thought it was.

I was completely wrong. I found the note but it was about Station Square in Burnaby, the Anthem Group-Beedie Group joint venture that was mentioned somewhere else in the suburbs thread recently. I thought Station Square was the name of the strip mall beside Plaza 88. Full mea culpa.


I also heard anecdotally a little while ago from someone involved with the design of the Plaza 88 project that the commercial component was still being programatically designed as foundation work was under way. The Degelder guy really took advantage of leasing interest in the project and had the design team go back to the drawing board a number of times to squeeze in a new leasee while staying in the constraints of their development permit. He also is apparently pretty keen to proceed with the fourth tower once the build out of the commercial component is on track to wrap up. How's that for vaguely sourced second-hand information? We'll know more in a year or so on both counts.

[invisibleairwaves]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

I read in one of the real estate rags that there will be a multi-phased high density redevelopment scheme initiated in 2012 for part of the large strip mall adjacent to Plaza 88. The piece was very brief but it did say a high rise residential building would be brought to market.

I also heard anecdotally a little while ago from someone involved with the design of the Plaza 88 project that the commercial component was still being programatically designed as foundation work was under way. The Degelder guy really took advantage of leasing interest in the project and had the design team go back to the drawing board a number of times to squeeze in a new leasee while staying in the constraints of their development permit. He also is apparently pretty keen to proceed with the fourth tower once the build out of the commercial component is on track to wrap up. How's that for vaguely sourced second-hand information? We'll know more in a year or so on both counts.

I'm a little skeptical about the strip mall, if it's Columbia Square that you're referring to. They just finished building some of the units there. I suppose they could simply knock down a couple of the older buildings and build towers or something, but it seems odd that they would put in new one-story buildings if they were planning on doing a high-density redevelopment.

I hope that's true about the fourth tower. I think one of the models showed the parkade being extended over the Quayside Drive overpass. That would be pretty interesting to see.

[Spork]

Yes, the fourth tower seems like legitimate information. This is given that you can clearly see that the beginning renders and plans are not 100% spot on what they have built today. The theatre, for one, was added afterwards. As well, the long time that it took to get the thing started also makes that believable.

[invisibleairwaves]

Took a walk around it this afternoon. I really hope they put in a few more light fixtures in the bus loop area...it's very dark and enclosed, doesn't really seem like a place I'd want to go in broad daylight, never mind after dark. The retail spaces will help once they're finished and lit up, but it still has the makings of a very sketchy place. And the sound of multiple idling buses reflecting off all that concrete in a tight space will be deafening. I'm glad I don't have to take a bus from New West regularly.

[huenthar]

Yeah, I'm dubious about the underground bus loop too. The other underground loops in the city (Metrotown, Lonsdale) were both looking at being redone - and UBC rightly shot theirs down too. I don't think it helps attract people to take transit when you hide the busses in a small, dark, noisy, smelly enclosure - makes me feel like I'm hanging out in a parkade. I'm not convinced it isn't better to leave the busses out on eighth street where they're visible...

[Spork]

They've started putting framing for the walls up around the theatre (metal framed part). I'll grab some photos tomorrow.

[vanman]

These shots were taken last Wednesday:

[officedweller]

Great shots - thanks.
Thos lights in the bus loop do look underpowered.

[invisibleairwaves]

Originally Posted by huenthar

Yeah, I'm dubious about the underground bus loop too. The other underground loops in the city (Metrotown, Lonsdale) were both looking at being redone - and UBC rightly shot theirs down too. I don't think it helps attract people to take transit when you hide the busses in a small, dark, noisy, smelly enclosure - makes me feel like I'm hanging out in a parkade. I'm not convinced it isn't better to leave the busses out on eighth street where they're visible...

I wouldn't go as far as to move the buses back to the street. Being able to get between your bus and your train and be indoors the whole time isn't such a bad thing in our miserable climate. And while the current situation is bad, it's fixable. More and brighter light fixtures, some sort of acoustically deadening material on the ceiling (almost anything is an improvement over bare concrete), and encourage the retailers in the bus loop to stay open as late as reasonably possible (it looks like they'll be A&W's and Shoppers, so that shouldn't be too difficult). It's not a bad concept at all, just a very poor execution.

Thanks for the pics, Vanman!

[_static_noise_]

...thank you vanman, Great Update!!!

[vanman]

Thanks static noise. Welcome to SSP!

[_static_noise_]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DZYp...eature=related

and a March 24,11 update
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Rn9XogZp0

[vanman]

^Embedded the links for ya.

• Video Link

• Video Link

[_static_noise_]

Thank YOU! There are several more update video's, guess i will have to learn how to embed and post.
Again, Thank You Vanman!

[CoryHolmes]

I took a gander at the Marinus show suite yesterday and was decidedly unimpressed. It was their large, 1100 sq.ft suite and it just felt... small. The layout did nothing to wow me and seemed to include a lot of wasted space.

[officedweller]

Thanks for the videos.