Central (1618 Quebec St.) | 18 & 19 st | Completed - Page 3

osirisboy · #41 Posted **Oct 14, 2011, 12:11 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrenegade

Vancity has wanted to buy the easypark lot next to McDonalds from the city for years. They've wanted to build a second office tower and connect it to their existing tower via a skybridge. The city keeps saying no.

Do you know why the city keeps saying no?

entheosfog · #42 Posted **Oct 14, 2011, 5:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrenegade

Vancity has wanted to buy the easypark lot next to McDonalds from the city for years. They've wanted to build a second office tower and connect it to their existing tower via a skybridge. The city keeps saying no.

So there is an appetite for office in the area, and I'm sure more will follow. Hopefully Rize Alliance's Containers project eventually gets moving.

That's interesting, thanks for the info on that site. It needs to have something built there quite badly as it's a major crossroads for the area. The Main street skytrain has been developed for such a long time, but south of Terminal has stayed status-quo. At least it's a parking lot and not an overgrown empty lot like the one on the other corner of Main.

I'm quite excited for Central not just because of the unique design, but this is just the beginning of huge changes this part of Main/Quebec will face, and with the exception of the social housing site at 1st, the first major building on Main in a while. Having worked in the area for over three years now, having more food choices and other retail choices than what's there now will be very welcoming and long overdue.
And I'm sure you'll get lotsa photo updates from me

hollywoodnorth · #43 Posted **Oct 14, 2011, 6:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrenegade

Vancity has wanted to buy the easypark lot next to McDonalds from the city for years. They've wanted to build a second office tower and connect it to their existing tower via a skybridge. The city keeps saying no.

wow that is very interesting ....... I can't believe how short sighted the city is being if they wont sell off those lots ....that corner needs to be filed and how! and Vancity what better tenant can you ask for?

jlousa · #44 Posted **Oct 14, 2011, 6:12 AM**

Believe the issue was the skybridge across Terminal which the city isn't keen on . Anyways the PEF has done well by hanging onto that property for as long as it has, it's certainly worth a chunk more today then it was a decade ago. I imagine it will be offloaded within the next 5yrs if SEFC keeps going at it's current pace.

officedweller · #45 Posted **Oct 14, 2011, 6:39 AM**

A [privately-funded] skybridge / pedestrian overpass across Terminal and arcing across Quebec would be just the ticket to link a future streetcar stop (west side of Quebec) to the Main Street Skytrain station.

Jebby · #46 Posted **Oct 14, 2011, 10:47 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Contaminated soil has to be disposed of in a very specific way. Disposing of contaminated soil is more expensive than just normal excavated soil so it needs to be seperated, and likely covered from the rain to prevent the contaminants from running off and leeching into the rest of the soil.

Damn costly environmental regulations. Honestly, I'd just put that soil on a barge, sail out 100km into the pacific and dump it there. The ocean would take care of it.

djh · #47 Posted **Oct 14, 2011, 5:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by galeforcewinds

Damn costly environmental regulations. Honestly, I'd just put that soil on a barge, sail out 100km into the pacific and dump it there. The ocean would take care of it.

I hope you're not serious. And I hope you don't eat seafood.

cc85 · #48 Posted **Oct 14, 2011, 6:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by galeforcewinds

Damn costly environmental regulations. Honestly, I'd just put that soil on a barge, sail out 100km into the pacific and dump it there. The ocean would take care of it.

This is the type of narrow-minded thinking that ruins the environment and our species that depends on it.

wrenegade · #49 Posted **Oct 14, 2011, 6:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by officedweller

A [privately-funded] skybridge / pedestrian overpass across Terminal and arcing across Quebec would be just the ticket to link a future streetcar stop (west side of Quebec) to the Main Street Skytrain station.

The skybridge Vancity wants would be for the office buildings, not for public use. And yes, Jlousa is bang on, the city doesn't like the idea of a skybridge and by not selling and letting the neighbourhood density they definitely are increasing the potential value of the PEF.

Quote:

Originally Posted by galeforcewinds

Damn costly environmental regulations. Honestly, I'd just put that soil on a barge, sail out 100km into the pacific and dump it there. The ocean would take care of it.

Ya that's generally not a good idea. However, in many cases the soil isn't really that contaminated. Often times it is just vapor. The soil is technically clean until it is disturbed (by say an excavator) and then it is dirty again. The soil is "farmed" (moving from the ground to some other part of the site for the vapor to disperse) and then moved offsite. Often times that soil is clean enough to be used as fill or preload. We did this exact thing for 33 & Main. Approximately 75-80% of the "contaminated" soil was clean by the time it was moved offsite and is now used as preload for on a site in richmond. The remainder was dirty and had to be properly (and expensively) disposed of. Heavy metals and/or petroleum contaminated soil is not something you want dumped in the ocean or dumped on another site where contaminated can leech out and penetrate the ground (and/or groundwater).

All that being said many of the environmental regulations are far too cumbersome. As we were farming the soil at 33 & Main the soil would become clean after the vapor was gone and while standing there with a reader a bus would drive by and technically contaminate the site. Temporarily of course, but still, there are a lot of buses that drive by the site

officedweller · #50 Posted **Oct 14, 2011, 9:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrenegade

The skybridge Vancity wants would be for the office buildings, not for public use. And yes, Jlousa is bang on, the city doesn't like the idea of a skybridge and by not selling and letting the neighbourhood density they definitely are increasing the potential value of the PEF.

Yeah, but there's no reason why it has to be private (nor does it have to be high up). Think of that one to/from Best Buy at Metrotown. Or, if they want a private enclosed link, the part across Terminal could be double decker.

hollywoodnorth · #51 Posted **Oct 14, 2011, 10:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by officedweller

Yeah, but there's no reason why it has to be private (nor does it have to be high up). Think of that one to/from Best Buy at Metrotown. Or, if they want a private enclosed link, the part across Terminal could be double decker.

totally I think the metrotown over to bestbuy one is a good example.

why not a tunnel then from lobby to lobby .... just an escalator down and your across. yes a major reno of the existing building would need to happen ... probably need the space the branch is in to do it.

jlousa · #52 Posted **Nov 18, 2011, 1:32 AM**

Just cleaning up the thread, sacrifice333 your post was only deleted because it referred to the previous one. Cheers

Locked In · #53 Posted **Dec 31, 2011, 1:22 AM**

I haven't seen this render posted yet - maybe it's a bit newer? The placement of the supporting pillars is different (they are in line), and the brick portion of the facade looks different - more like painted concrete. And there's a protruding box on the commercial podium!

Source: Onni's Central website

vanman · #54 Posted **Dec 31, 2011, 2:18 AM**

It could also be precast, but brick would look much better.

entheosfog · #55 Posted **Feb 6, 2012, 3:49 AM**

Lots of soil cleanup has been going on here for the past few months:

SFUVancouver · #56 Posted **Feb 6, 2012, 4:09 AM**

This is one of the projects for which I am really looking forward. It will transform that section of Main Street, bring to market some much needed new office space, plunk down a bunch of people, and hopefully help inspire more risk-taking architecture in the city.

Thanks for the photos.

entheosfog · #57 Posted **Apr 2, 2012, 2:33 AM**

Lately:

SFUVancouver · #58 Posted **Apr 2, 2012, 11:21 AM**

'Fantastic to see this move forward. Thanks for the extensive phototour, entheosfog.

hollywoodnorth · #59 Posted **Apr 2, 2012, 6:57 PM**

why is this posted as proposed? should this not be APPROVED or maybe even ... U/C?

or Excavation?

jlousa · #60 Posted **Apr 2, 2012, 9:55 PM**

It's Approved but approved isn't really a standard on the forum, it's Proposed, U/C and Completed.
U/C isn't in effect until after demo/excavation. Even then there is disagreement about it having to be above ground to count.
I could certainly change it to Approved but I'd rather wait just a touch longer and change it it to U/C.