Railtown

[amor de cosmos]

I think this is the old Japantown area that existed before WW2, or at least overlaps it:

Could Railtown be Vancouver's next Yaletown?
Gentrification feared as creative professionals flock to former industrial area east of Gastown
CBC News Posted: May 02, 2014 11:32 AM PT



It's attracting entrepreneurs, artists, new businesses, and a lot of attention.

Railtown, an industrial corner in downtown Vancouver east of Gastown, is transforming itself into a thriving scene for creative professionals.

The old warehouses and factories are giving way to restaurants and furniture shops, fashion studios and offices for high-tech firms.

Price is a big part of the attraction. According to Colliers International, prime office space in Railtown goes for between $14 and $22 per square foot, almost half of the price of Gastown where office spaces rent for $24 to $34 per square foot.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...town-1.2629880

[Bcasey25raptor]

This is BADLY needed.

[scryer]

I like, I like.

[spm2013]

Big difference, Yaletown isn't located next to the DTES. And I read the article and I didn't read a single line that tells me why it's the next Yaletown and what that would entail. Whoever wrote the title of that article needs to go back to school.

[Pinion]

That area will never be nice as long as longshoremen and sailors keep pouring out of Heatley and Main every day. They like their hookers, drugs and cheap strip clubs nearby.

[hollywoodnorth]

if anything the article should read .... IS RAILTOWN THE NEXT GASTOWN?

[Tetsuo]

Isnt a large chunk of that the un official red light district

[spm2013]

Originally Posted by Tetsuo

Isnt a large chunk of that the un official red light district

No it's moved online.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

if anything the article should read .... IS RAILTOWN THE NEXT GASTOWN?

Exactly! More in common both in history, location and character than with Yaletown, IMO.

Originally Posted by Tetsuo

Isnt a large chunk of that the un official red light district

... after they went over to Mt. Pleasant (what an ironic name) after being booted out of downtown?

Originally Posted by spm2013

No it's moved online.

Online?! What's the listing?
_______________________
Seriously, I still think this is a part of town that could be an eclectic mix of income brackets - and should include social housing too.

[leftside]

Yes "The Next Gastown" would be much more appropriate.

[WarrenC12]

What makes Yaletown (in part) is the seawall and uninterrupted water access.

Railtown could be the next Gastown, or could be the next DTES.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

What makes Yaletown (in part) is the seawall and uninterrupted water access.

Railtown could be the next Gastown, or could be the next DTES.

I agree there's a gamble here, but given, despite the surrounding social context, that "Railtown" is nevertheless attracting higher end businesses (and no doubt creating a market for
higher end residential as well), we seem to have no choice but to go forward, to flow with it.

In order that it NOT become another DTES, taking proactive measures, such as ensuring a range of income-related housing, from upper scale lofts and townhouses to a sufficient degree of social housing, well dispersed and integrated into the community to avoid "poor-ghetto" syndrome, and a range of social services adapted to the needs of the community ..... and anything more ... this could be an urban renewal success story.

[spm2013]

Almost all of these "hip" companies are right on the waterfront. Go up to Hastings, Cordova and even Powell and it's pretty much no mans land.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by spm2013

Almost all of these "hip" companies are right on the waterfront. Go up to Hastings, Cordova and even Powell and it's pretty much no mans land.

True, yes. But isn't Railtown in its very early stages? Is it not possible that Hastings and Cordova may evolve? Or not?

[spm2013]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

True, yes. But isn't Railtown in its very early stages? Is it not possible that Hastings and Cordova may evolve? Or not?

Here's the local area plan that was unveiled a few months ago which includes Railtown:

https://vancouver.ca/home-property-d...area-plan.aspx

Will it look much different in 10 years? Except for some more social housing development (there's already a few moderately sized towers being built right now) I don't think it will be radically different.

[logan5]

My prediction is that "Railtown" will drastically deteriorate in the coming decade. Most of the DTES will be redeveloped, with a lot of high density development along the Main Street corridor and the Hastings corridor. The areas that will most likely not be redeveloped are the Oppenheimer Park area and the industrial area, so we will probably see all the activity associated with the DTES concentrated in the Oppenheimer area and the Railtown, just to the north.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by spm2013

Here's the local area plan that was unveiled a few months ago which includes Railtown:

https://vancouver.ca/home-property-d...area-plan.aspx

Will it look much different in 10 years? Except for some more social housing development (there's already a few moderately sized towers being built right now) I don't think it will be radically different.

Originally Posted by logan5

My prediction is that "Railtown" will drastically deteriorate in the coming decade. Most of the DTES will be redeveloped, with a lot of high density development along the Main Street corridor and the Hastings corridor. The areas that will most likely not be redeveloped are the Oppenheimer Park area and the industrial area, so we will probably see all the activity associated with the DTES concentrated in the Oppenheimer area and the Railtown, just to the north.

what a colossal disappointment

[djh]

They were saying this exact same thing about Railtown in 2000-2001. I had just moved here and was looking for creative/studio space, and all of the realtors were telling me that there's a boom in that neighbourhood - citing buildings like The Edge building (Alexander Street), Railtown Studios, and a few other loft buildings along Alexander, as well as "cool" restaurants and bars like The Alibi Room. All of this was their evidence that Railtown was the new Yaletown, and the place to be.
I think Gastown itself started having a bit of a renaissance around that time or not long after, with a few cool shops and bars going in. That wave then died off, the area went quiet again, and then a few years later, another wave came along, and the same talk began again.

All of this to say: newspaper articles and realtor gossip are not enough to make a neighbourhood self-sustaining. High population density is probably the main ingredient, because without it you just can't keep the retailers going year-in, year-out. I think the Woodwards Building was the first permanent change in Gastown because it brought hundreds of residents and students and employees. Something similar needs to go in in Railtown for the same to happen there.

[GMasterAres]

Real-estate speculation to drive up prices. Why would they want to be the next "Yaletown" anyway? As much as I like going to the restaurants in Yaletown once in a while, the area is grossly overpriced for everything from the food and retail to the housing prices. And there are far too many tiny yappy dogs for my liking.

I don't know why areas can't just be themselves and stand on their own. That's what irked me about Tien Sher in Surrey when they started selling Quatro as "the next Yaletown" and then Urban Village did exactly the same thing when they started. It's a pile of BS and it is only a developer's attempt to jack up the prices in the area on hope and speculation then cash in and cash out before everyone realizes it is a pile of bunk.

As djh pointed out above, they've been saying the same thing since 2000. If they can't make it happen in 14 years, it won't happen.