CBC Vancouver eyed for facility expansion and two condos

[mr.x]

CBC site eyed for new downtown condo tower

http://www.westerninvestor.com/articles/images/bcbriefsphoto.jpg

CBC proposal calls for 31-storey tower and
new production studio on Robson Street



Management memberes at the 32-year-old Canadian Broadcasting Corporation headquarters have applied for a temporary development permit with the City of Vancouver.

The Crown corporation wants to sell 32,000 square feet of parking lot and plaza space to Concord Pacific Group Inc. so Concord can build a 31-storey condo tower at the corner of Robson and Cambie streets and a 16-storey condo tower at the corner of Robson and Hamilton streets.

CBC will pump the proceeds into renovating its 270,000-square-foot production centre at 700 Hamilton Street, said Rae Hull, who is the CBC's regional director of television.

"The space will be a much more viable programming and work space than it is now," Hull said. "Times change, technology changes and so does the appeal of having studios below ground."

The proposed renovated production studio would be 248,000 square feet and have street-level glass so the public can view on-air TV and radio personalities, said Ken Golemba, who is the CBC spokesperson for the project.

He hopes the city will OK the project despite a recent moratorium banning residential development north of Robson Street.

Assuming that the city and the Treasury Board of Canada give the project a green light, construction could start as early as July 2006, he said.

Commercial developers are also eying the City of Vancouver-owned land at Cambie and West Georgia streets where the Queen Elizabeth Theatre plaza now sits.

Part of a planned $35 million renovation of the historic theatre complex could include a 14-storey commercial building where its concrete plaza now sits, said Rae Ackerman who is director of Vancouver Civic Theatres, which operates the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Proscenium Architecture and Interiors Inc. has drawn renderings of this 14-storey building and of a scaled-down three-storey commercial structure.

Developers may also vie for the 130,000-square-foot block of under-used City of Vancouver land across Cambie Street from the theatre. That paved block houses a single level parking lot but is zoned for 650,000 square feet of density, said the city's senior property development officer, Brian Sears.

City planner John Madden said current regulations bar residential development on that site. - Glen Korstrom/ BIV

http://www.westerninvestor.com/articles/articles_r.html


i love it. finally, the big block of concrete is getting a makeover.

lol, maybe the National could move here. :jk:



being serious, why does Global BCTV News insist on their Burnaby location? Why not move to a more attractive location, like building a new facility in downtown.

[Westcoast604]

Nice! That will really extend street life further down Robson past the library, having the street-front studios. I always thought MTV Canada should have moved downstairs into the old VTV streetfront studio on Burrard, but apparently MTV is getting the boot soon, and a new Chum Channel is replacing it.

Interesting to know about the plaza of the Q.E. too, that will be good, that part of Georgia needs density, it feels to open.

[VicHockeyFan]

How about pumping the extra moeny into nice retirement packages for all CBC staffers then close the damn thing permanently....

[mr.x]

How about pumping the extra moeny into nice retirement packages for all CBC staffers then close the damn thing permanently....

Are you insane?

[VicHockeyFan]

^ No. I can think of better uses for the $1B annually we give the CBC.

[mr.x]

^ No. I can think of better uses for the $1B annually we give the CBC.


If you read the article, CBC is selling its parking lot and those proceeds would be used to renovate and expand the studio.

[WinnipegPatriot]

How about spending the money on local newscasts that are actually decent, like prior to the stupid Canada Now...Ian Hanadinksing is so hideous to look at, and his voice is so annoying!

[VicHockeyFan]

I read the article, Mr. X. My point is, great, sell the parking lot, but don't put any more money into the CBC, it already costs us $1B per year...... let's just shut it down - its a waste of time.

[WinnipegPatriot]

^Yes! That money can go elsewhere...the government should not be in the broadcasting business. It can certainly fund cultural events, and Canadian films, etc...but the $1 billion can be better spent in other areas...

[Guerrero]

I wouldn't mind if there was some private sponsorship of CBC radio but I have to say it is the most intelligent radio around heads above CFAX Talk radio in Victoria and no stupid psycho babble in the afternoon. I love my cbc radio in the morning.

As for the building in Van. anything they do to that monster will be an improvement.

[Wonderwall]

Get rid of public schools while you're at it - they cost tons.
Police? who needs them. Corporations will fill the void. We don't need firefighters either. Firefighters just illustrate to people that it is okay to let their house catch fire. Zero tolerance is the way to go with that.
A federal election costs hundreds of millions of dollars. We should just have a totalitarian state to save money.

Yep, if the government charged less taxes everything would be perfect.

[WinnipegPatriot]

Well, if we are to be competitive...yes, the government needs to lower taxes. As well, why should the government take almost half my bonuses? Bad enough taxes on paycheques are very high, but why should I lose a good portion of the bonus money? The Canadian tax system needs to be overhauled, and, again, government does not need to be in the broadcasting business!

[mr.x]

I'm all for the CBC.....it's what keeps Canadian television culture alive, an alternative to American tv.

[Guerrero]

Not a big fan of CBC TV though some of th documentaries are amazing. I do love my CBC RADIO, if the ever even think about getting rid of the CBC there would be riots.

[VicHockeyFan]

Get rid of public schools while you're at it - they cost tons.
Police? who needs them. Corporations will fill the void. We don't need firefighters either. Firefighters just illustrate to people that it is okay to let their house catch fire. Zero tolerance is the way to go with that.
A federal election costs hundreds of millions of dollars. We should just have a totalitarian state to save money.

Yep, if the government charged less taxes everything would be perfect.

Well, every institution you mentioned, except schools, has no profit center.

But TV works very well in the public hands (See Global, CTV, CHUM etc.) thank you very much. The CBC is a waste of money.

[touraccuracy]

Get rid of public schools while you're at it - they cost tons.
Police? who needs them. Corporations will fill the void. We don't need firefighters either. Firefighters just illustrate to people that it is okay to let their house catch fire. Zero tolerance is the way to go with that.
A federal election costs hundreds of millions of dollars. We should just have a totalitarian state to save money.

Yep, if the government charged less taxes everything would be perfect.

You're basically saying that nothing is too expensive. Any government or institution would be fucked with you in charge.

Do you really believe that CBC is as important as school and police?

[crazyjoeda]

I'm all for the CBC.....it's what keeps Canadian television culture alive, an alternative to American tv.

Im for the CBC to but they should make better programing, they have great news but as for TV shows most of them suck alot. Even specialty channels have created better TV shows, and CTV is way better.

[WinnipegPatriot]

People bitch that CBC is needed, but then they tune into CTV and Global for American programming! Ratings say it all, and no one is watching the "people's network"! The government should privatize CBC, then it can offer some funding to produce Canadian programming so it would be economically viable for CBC, CTV and/or Global to air it.

[Wonderwall]

CBC allows us a media source that is not profit driven, which means it can focus on programming that is good rather than popular. If it were private, CBC would have shown footage of a helicopter following Michael Jackson's car around, like every other shitty "I can't believe it's not News" network. CBC costs 1 billion a year. The federal govt. spends more than 200 billion. Considering that the CBC is less than 1/2 of 1% of that budget, it is more transparent than the vast majority of that spending.

And easily, police and fire protection could be privatized. There was an article in the sun the other day about "Genesis Security" starting 24 hr. patrols through the westside (the most dangerous part of Vancouver).

[touraccuracy]

Good like curling?

"It is good but nobody likes it."

:sly:

[WinnipegPatriot]

CBC programming is far from good, especially mornings which are dominated by children's prgramming...HULLO! Besides, the corporation is wasting money by having affiliates since local programming is non-existent, and they can simply have all the shitty prgramming broadcast as a specialty channel, and sell the actual network!

[mr.x]

Im for the CBC to but they should make better programing, they have great news but as for TV shows most of them suck alot. Even specialty channels have created better TV shows, and CTV is way better.

I'll have to agree with that to some extent.


If there's something I hate about CBC News, its the graphics on newsworld. The ticker style and layout is really outdated.......the layout and style for the ticker on RDI is awesome. I love the spinning globe for the CBC logo and the sleek colours and spinning clock.

[Wonderwall]

Yes, let's get rid of it because they have outdated graphics. And really, isn't that what news is all about?
Given, nobody turns on to CBC for a riveting drama, but it's good news. And don't most canadian shows get government help anyway? If they were going to get rid of CBC they would get rid of all those grants for local programming too. I wouldn't shed tears for Canadian Idol, but some local programming is non-terrible. CBC TV has ads anyway. Is this about radio or tv?

Doesn't it make since to have kids shows in the morning? when would you put them?

If nobody liked CBC it would already be gone.

[WinnipegPatriot]

Doesn't it make since to have kids shows in the morning? when would you put them?

Not a full morning of it...7am until noon? Fuck that!

CBC is not "gone" yet because of bleeding heart s.o.bs that have permeated Ottawa for too long!

[stickynorth]

CBC is still a great resource, and in fact it deserves expansion. Sure CBC weekday mornings is clogged full of kiddy programming, but I was raised on it! If anything CBC should expand to at least 5 television stations.
1-CBC Kidsworld
2-CBC Newsworld
3-CBC Sportsworld
4-CBC Artsworld
5-CBC Main

Having 5 digital stations would help clear out the main network schedule so that the CBC may produce more mainstream commericially appealing daytime and primetime programming on all nights. For example CBC, could certainly use a couple of talk shows, game shows and soap operas. As for this specific example of CBC Vancouver expanding its studios, it can only be good for the network. Vancouver is probably the 2nd most important english language media hub in Canada right after Toronto as easily the fastest growing in importance. Its our Los Angeles after all.

[officedweller]

The Urban Design Panel rejected the design.

http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/udp/2005/minutes/jun8.htm