Site 10A | Parq Vancouver | Complete

[Klazu]

Okay, time to create this project its own thread. This is what we know.

http://www.site10a.com/

"Site 10A is the official City of Vancouver site designation for Vancouver’s new urban resort, which will be adjacent and complementary to BC Place, facing the Cambie Street Bridge. It will feature two luxury hotels, a variety of restaurants and lounges, rooftop greenspace, conference facilities, shopping, spa and will be the new home of the existing Edgewater Casino"

• Video Link

[Klazu]

From the website:

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Construction of the underground parkade is underway, to accommodate a project schedule that will help minimize inconvenience for guests accessing and attending events at BC Place.

This will result in the closure of Terry Fox Way and changes in access to BC Place:

Traffic changes:

1. Terry Fox Way will be closed to vehicle traffic permanently. Vehicles can access Pacific Blvd eastbound, by turning left at Nelson Street.

2. The left curb lane of Expo Blvd will be closed to traffic from Griffiths Way to Terry Fox Way to allow for construction vehicle access and staging for Site 10A. Vehicle traffic will continue using the remaining open lanes.

Pedestrian changes:

1. In the interest of safety during construction, the public will not be able to access BC Place beyond Gate H on non-event days. Pedestrians wishing to access Expo Blvd can do so via Griffiths Way

2. Similarly, there will be no access underneath Gate F which was previously the gate designated for people with disabilities. BC Place has made temporary access arrangements in Impark Lot 457, directly off Pacific Boulevard. Guests may request special wheelchair assistance upon arrival by informing staff at the gate. Please note all other stadium entrances are wheelchair accessible, with Gate C closest to Impark Lot 457. For more information, please click here.

The parkade will provide parking for guests of BC Place, two new hotels, conference space, shopping, spa and the relocated casino. The new urban resort will generate approximately 4,500 new construction jobs and 2,000 ongoing jobs including the 650 employees of the existing Edgewater casino.

Construction of the parkade will evolve into construction of the resort casino, and is expected to be completed for opening by the end of 2016.

[Klazu]

Some picks from the FAQ:

The City of Vancouver has issued a letter stating our Development Permit Application has been approved, subject to Council approval of the final form of development. In the meantime, the Site 10A team have received approval to begin construction of the underground parkade, to accommodate a project schedule that will minimize inconvenience for guests accessing BC Place.

Currently a permit has been issued for the excavation and remediation of Site 10A.

Site 10A will provide new retail shops, restaurants, hotel and meeting space. It will also be home to Vancouver’s existing Edgewater Casino. This development will bring people and vibrancy to a currently underused and vacant space. 10% of all employees working in the complex will be hired from the downtown Eastside, Chinatown and downtown Main Street corridor. We will share more plans on this website as they progress.

The land is being leased, not sold. PavCo is expected to receive revenue from the lease of land for this development, once it has been completed. The revenue is estimated to be $3 million per year.

[osirisboy]

Thx for starting the thread klazu. I'm confused on the hiring 10% of employees from downtown east side etc. Since when is it legal to hire someone based on their address within the city?? its blatant discrimination. How about hiring people who are best qualified.

[red-paladin]

Thanks for creating a strong and comprehensive thread. We'll direct any further discussion of this site in the BC Place thread here now.

[spm2013]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

Thx for starting the thread klazu. I'm confused on the hiring 10% of employees from downtown east side etc. Since when is it legal to hire someone based on their address within the city?? its blatant discrimination. How about hiring people who are best qualified.

Well technically it's not their address.

Ultimately, once the new urban resort is open, 10% of our resort staff will be hired through a program that helps marginalized individuals prepare to enter and succeed in the workplace, developed and proven by Paragon in other communities.

And if you read the BC Human Rights Code:

Special programs
42 (1) It is not discrimination or a contravention of this Code to plan, advertise, adopt or implement an employment equity program that

(a) has as its objective the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups who are disadvantaged because of race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, physical or mental disability, or sex, and

(b) achieves or is reasonably likely to achieve that objective.

(2) [Repealed 2002-62-23.]

(3) On application by any person, with or without notice to any other person, the chair, or a member or panel designated by the chair, may approve any program or activity that has as its objective the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups.

(4) Any program or activity approved under subsection (3) is deemed not to be in contravention of this Code.

http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/...0_01#section42

[Pinion]

The current Edgewater has the same policy. Led to some real shady employees when I worked there a long time ago, which caused me to leave quickly (along with feeling like shit about working for a casino period) but was a good way to get them working.

[osirisboy]

Ok it's one thing to create a program to help marginalized people. They should say that versus signalling out certain neighbourhoods as if everyone in those areas are welfare cases

Walked by site today. The screen is all gone although the framing for it is still up. Otherwise nothing has happened yet.

[Spork]

I know somebody that is working on one of the engineering components for the building and says that it has been an absolute uncoordinated mess with constant changes and poor communication across the project team. He is very convinced that it will be behind schedule, but can't point the finger at who is specifically causing the problems.

[city-dweller]

A couple thoughts:

1) Any hiring program that targets the local poor is a great asset. Just think of how many people will work at this place. 10% is huge, if they can achieve it.

2) I noticed the One Pacific project was not included in the video, but was in the photos of the model. I completely understand it would obscure the camera angles they were using for the frontage of the building. Let's be honest though, there will be a strong street enclosure created by the two projects along Smithe. I would love the two projects to corrodinate for a higher design standard for the dead-end street they share. Better features like pavers, planters, and even bollards. Like the space between the Shaw tower and the Fairmont downtown or even the Village at SEFC.

3) I can't resist relabelling the red closed lanes as "future streetcar lane". You can always dream.

4) At a more practical level, I think it will be interesting to see non-event traffic is affected that much by the lane closures. West-bound on Expo it forces merging to occur earlier. Pacific won't really be affected as the light at Carrall St. is really the only thing that slows traffic from racing. My point being that it shouldn't change much. Event traffic is a whole different story. At this point, event traffic is hectic. I don't see how this will make a major difference when it is already painful to leave by car. A extra few minutes won't really make a difference. (also why are you driving to the stadiums?)

5) I look forward to seeing more specifics like building materials. Will the coppery front facade of the "resort" be custom milled metal? What type? etc..

6) The other details I look forward to our the landscaping and art details. Having public usable spaces will diffuse the "gated amenities for gamblers" mentality. I am not saying the anti-casino crowd can be appeased at all. I am just arguing for a more versatile programming of space from day to night and of course during events.

7) Overall, this is much better than the original proposal.

[SFUVancouver]

Thanks for starting the thread, Klazu.

I'm going to be solidly in the "wait-and-see" camp to see how this turns out in practice. The UDP tried hard to ensure north-south pedestrian permeability for the site, ideally a continuous high-quality pedestrian access around the stadium perimeter à la a Georgia Steps to the south, but that just didn't happen and I'm disappointed that we didn't get traction on that. The street-level activity along Pacific Blvd was also a large concern that I don't think has been addressed. During the NEFC workshopping stage, there was serious talk from Pavco at the UDP about eventually reno'ing BC Place to have continuous retail along the west side of Pacific Boulevard (to match the expected at-grade retail in the Metro-Can development on the east side on the Plaza of Nations site) and this was intended to be carried through the potential BC Place office building at the foot of the Georgia Steps and the Site 10A (casino) site. My recollection from the iterations of the casino that came through was that there was a limited amount of retail planned for that stretch of Pacific Blvd, but I'm not sure if that has survived through to the approved final version. I just think that section of Pacific Boulevard between (former) Terry Fox Way and Abbot is going to feel awkward and lacking in pedestrian life. Moreover, the one-time intention of this being a new "entertainment district" for the downtown core (the anti-Granville Street) is dead and buried.

[officedweller]

Thanks for the thread, Klazu.

I hadn't seen the close-up of the irregular fins before - that should be interesting.

WRT Pacific Boulevard retail, I can only see that proceeding after there's critical mass in the neighbourhood
- i.e. after the Plaza of Nations has been redeveloped. I think there's currently some office space under the concourse along that stretch, so extension and conversion probably wouldn't be too difficult.
I could even see 2 level restaurant spaces with entries and patios on the concourse level and seating at the Pacific Boulevard level.

WRT stairs, there will be stairs from the concourse down to the Smithe St. Extension roundabout (parallel to Expo Boulevard) as well as stairs through the building atrium.
I think in future, there won't be much need to circumnavigate the stadium because the two pedestrian bridges will be removed, so the stairs will lead to the new route across Pacific Boulevard via crosswalks.

[PeterAKer]

I must say this building design is awful they should have used the original design.

[officedweller]

I think this design will have impressive interior public spaces (big atrium).

[cairnstone]

I like the look of it. Gone is the typical style of Vancouver. My concern is that you wont notice the building as much as the concord project will block out parts of the site line

[logan5]

If this turns out like the rendering, this will be my favorite modern building in the city. This blows away the Telus building (going by render only of course). You don't get a view of the west side of the building. I hope the copper coloured glass wraps all the way around.

[Joat]

Yes I definitely prefer this design over the old one. Nice and sleek. Not a typical vancouver building at all. Disappointing it won't get the extra table and machines but still better than nothing.

Has there been any mention of any possible lighting effects/art components?

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by logan5

...You don't get a view of the west side of the building. I hope the copper coloured glass wraps all the way around.

Wraps around just a bit - check out 2:14 of the video above.

Originally Posted by cairnstone

...
My concern is that you wont notice the building as much as the concord project will block out parts of the site line

Yeah, it looks like One Pacific will block a lot of it from the Cambie Bridge perspective.
The sharp colour should allow it to stand out though.

Originally Posted by Klazu

[Vanelevatorman]

Can't wait for this project to get started!!

[Pinion]

Back into the "maybe not happening" stage

Viability of Paragon’s Vancouver casino-resort development in question

The government regulator in charge of monitoring gaming in B.C. is reviewing whether the company behind the $535-million Edgewater Casino resort development in downtown Vancouver continues to meet the conditions of its registration, The Province has learned.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch’s (GPEB) “examination” of Edgewater Casino ULC’s designation as a gaming services provider is part of the same review announced in July into the duties of Michael Graydon, the former head of the B.C. Lottery Corporation, who is now president of PV Hospitality, which is an affiliate of Paragon Gaming, the Las Vegas-based company that bought the Edgewater Casino in 2006 through one of its divisions, Paragon BC, ULC. That company later joined with a numbered company to form Edgewater Casino ULC, according to corporate records.

GPEB’s review of Graydon was announced in the wake of a separate provincial government investigation which concluded Graydon had been in conflict of interest when he began negotiating with Paragon Gaming in December 2013 for a new job while he was still head of the B.C. Lottery Corporation.

In addition to determining whether Edgewater Casino ULC continues to meet the conditions of its registration, the GPEB review, which is being conducted by the agency’s Corporate Registration Division, will attempt to determine whether Graydon is required to be registered as a gaming worker.

David Eby, the Opposition critic for gaming, said news of the expanded review raises serious questions about the entire project.

Eby first learned of the review’s extended scope earlier this month after receiving a letter from the GPEB in response to questions he had sent concerning Graydon’s role at PV Hospitality.

A copy of the response letter was provided to The Province and was used as the basis for further queries to the Ministry of Finance.

“This is clearly an expansion of what we had asked for — our original letter was to ask the regulator to review Mr. Graydon’s conduct in violation of provincial conflict of interest policy,” Eby said. “And now in this letter, the regulator says they are not just investigating Mr. Graydon, but they are also investigating the gaming service provider, who we understand to be Paragon.

“Certainly, if Paragon is under investigation, that is a major issue for this entire development.”

Eby questioned whether the review includes a look at the financial problems of Alberta’s Eagle River Casino, a joint-project between the Alexis First Nation and Paragon Gaming.

In January, the casino, saddled by tens of millions of dollars in debt, went into bankruptcy proceedings. Court records show that the casino was placed into the receivership of Alvarez and Marsal.

“The casino was losing over a million dollars a day at the conclusion,” said Eby. “So when you have a casino operator that is bankrupt, then that raises questions about their solvency generally, and their ability to manage very sensitive business in the province. So it would be perfectly reasonable and appropriate to me that GBEP would be investigating Paragon in light of this bankruptcy.”

More: http://www.theprovince.com/news/Viab...729/story.html