Vancouver, Canada



Canada's most beautiful city has more in common with San Francisco than Toronto. Despite it being very wet it's a prime location for Hollywood film shoots -the setting is spectacular. Ocean and mountains form a dramatic backdrop to the gleaming commercial towers of downtown where you'll find spectacular restaurants and cafe's after a 'swim-in-the-morning', 'ski-in-the-afternoon' day. Trace the city's history in Gastown and Chinatown, savour the wilderness only blocks from the city centre in Stanley Park and dine on superb ethnic or Pacific Northwest cuisine before sampling those clubs and bars.

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/7383/vancouver.jpg





Private Residences at Georgia
Estimated Completion: 2012
Status: Under Construction
Height: 517ft
http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/2668/447147487.jpg





The Rolston
Estimated Completion: 2012
Status: Under Construction
Height: 249ft
http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/5585/rendering4.jpg





The Mark
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Under Construction
Height: 403ft
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/8200/ljkhilugyf.jpg





175 Robson
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Under Construction
Height: 205ft
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/3489/p1040443a.jpg





Ritz Carlton Vancouver
Estimated Completion: 2014
Status: Approved
Height: 616ft
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.luxist.com/media/2008/10/ritzvancouver.jpg





999 Seymour
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 206ft
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg140/scaled.php?server=140&filename=9992q.jpg&res=medium




Bentall 6
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Approved
Height: 306ft
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/9179/bentall61.jpg





Rogers Tower East
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 343ft
http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/65/capturefrb.png





Rogers Tower South
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 334ft
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/3640/capture2ok.png





Rogers Tower West
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 343ft
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/691/capture4b.png





Panorama
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Approved
Height: N/A
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/8866/img1107h.jpg





Alexandra
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Approved
Height: 210ft
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg41/scaled.php?server=41&filename=20111115051431ext2.jpg&res=medium






1754 Pendrell
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 190ft
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/648/hhhhhz.jpg





MNP Tower
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Approved
Height: 470ft
http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/2818/20110704vancouver800.jpg




Panparama
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: N/A
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/5132/10terryfoxway1.jpg





Burrard Gateway
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Approved
Height: 547ft, 371ft, 184ft
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/4996/p1020895p.jpg





Telus Gardens
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Approved
Height: N/A
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/1470/webpropertyte1346947cl8.jpg





The Harwood
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 277ft
http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/9039/p1040290rc.jpg





The Maddox
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Approved
Height: 323ft
http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/6346/p1020233.jpg





1305 Burrard
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 154ft
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/3807/p1050044eg.jpg





Salt
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Approved
Height: 320ft
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/6426/saltae.jpg





1265-1281 Howe St
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 375ft
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/623/p1040523lc.jpg





800 West Pender
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: N/A
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6421/asasass.jpg





960-882 Howe
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 200ft
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/64/howestofficemodel.jpg




1134 Burrard
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 175 ft
http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/3794/66804507.png





1300 Richards
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 400ft
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/861/jamre.jpg





Glesner Group Tower
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: N/A
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/8854/jamx.jpg





320 Granville St
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 390 ft
http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/5056/capturemrc.jpg





901 Pacific
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 280ft
Rendering Currently Unavailable





1278 Granville
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: N/A
Rendering Currently Unavailable





99 West Pender
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: N/A
Rendering Currently Unavailable





401 Helmcken
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 253ft
Rendering Currently Unavailable






1155 Hornby
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: 292ft
Rendering Currently Unavailable





Creekside Park
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: N/A
Rendering Currently Unavailable





1235 West Pender
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Approved
Height: 282ft
Rendering Currently Unavailable





1157 Burrard
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: N/A
Rendering Currently Unavailable





728 Pacific Blvd.
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: N/A
Rendering Currently Unavailable






480 Broughton
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: N/A
Rendering Currently Unavailable





431 Beach Crescent
Estimated Completion: N/A
Status: Proposed
Height: N/A
Rendering Currently Unavailable











Last Updated: February 2, 2012

alot denser then i though... almost like hong kong

Wow those are some nice projects. 1133 W.Georgia is one I haven't seen before and could be great if the facade is done right.

Great developments! :cheers:

An impressive group of developments for sure. I had no idea Vancouver had such an extensive list of projects.

"Hed Kandi" as in "Music and Wine" Hed Kandi?

Also note that there is a lot of office building proposals under development right now as Vancouver is very much in need of office space. Currently vacancy rates in Vancouver sit around 3% and the number is expected to decrease by year's end.

The new Vancouver Convention Center - to be completed in 2008!

http://www.vanconex.com/expansion/img/10.jpg

http://www.mcmparchitects.com/img/photos/VCCEP%20Comp%20Img%20(night).jpg

An impressive group of developments for sure. I had no idea Vancouver had such an extensive list of projects.

"Hed Kandi" as in "Music and Wine" Hed Kandi?

Good Guess ! ;)

too dense...too 'Asian' Is it progress?...I don't know...

Great pics, thanks for sharing. :)

too dense...too 'Asian' Is it progress?...I don't know...

Is asian a bad thing?..is density a bad thing?

That's gonna look great! Hongcouver it is!

Vancouver still has bit of a small town culture and has to shake that off before it can become a world city. And most of the Highrises dt are condos.
There is no real industry in the city, thus it is heavily relying on the 2010 WINTER games for economic growth.

Still, the skyline does look nice for a city with barely 600,000 people.

WOW, so many great projects.

very nice and dense.......a few supertalls would hurt though:)

Never seen a future skyline render of Vancouver. Can someone make a future skyline render from this picture if there is'nt any

- Vancouver in 2004 -

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/5315/falsecreekskylineduskpr2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Nice projects but Vancouver needs more height I think

vancouver is gigantic. yes Medo more height would be great. some towers between 200 and 300m, they shouldn't be to tall i think.

Vancouver has height restrictions and view cone requirements.

This article is a good place to start reading:

http://www.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/970407/sp1.htm

Amazing. Simply and purely amazing. I'd be so happy to have 1/4 of these projects in the Twin Cities.

WOW! So many awesome projects! :uh: :uh:
Where are the influx of people coming from that will be moving into these nice high-rise condos/apartments? :?

WOW! So many awesome projects! :uh: :uh:
Where are the influx of people coming from that will be moving into these nice high-rise condos/apartments? :?


All over. There is a large influx of immigrants from Asia. As well as eastern Canada and from Europe, primarily the UK. As for myself, I will be moving to Van from Alberta!

Vancouver isn't Dubai and unfortunately doesn't have the amount investment to build towers without being sold first . The city follows the economic rules of supply and demand! :)

HOLY SHIT ORGASM! I love, LOVE Vancouver. Thank you for this thread, Hed Kandi.

double post, sorry

very cool projects. Soon to become the Hong Kong of NA?

^^NYC already IS the hong kong of NA. But Vancouver is Canada's answer :D.

Vancouver is my favorite city, period.

^^NYC already IS the hong kong of NA. But Vancouver is Canada's answer :D.


Nope, you got that wrong. Toronto is more like NYC and Hong Kong. Vancouver is better than them all.

Yes Vancouver is amazing. This should be the Vancouver Worship thread.

Wowwww Nice projects, what's really impressive to me is truly amazing Vancouver!!!

TV Towers, Woodwards Building, 1133 W Georgia, and especially Jameson House are looking great. though its been said before and I'll say it again, most buildings really need to be higher. a lot of the buildings just look too short and stumpy. but I'm curious to know.. I'm well aware of the height restrictions, but to they vary from place to place?

Vancouver still has bit of a small town culture and has to shake that off before it can become a world city. And most of the Highrises dt are condos.
There is no real industry in the city, thus it is heavily relying on the 2010 WINTER games for economic growth.

Still, the skyline does look nice for a city with barely 600,000 people.

Small town culture? city with barely 600,000 people? well you are right on the second one (just over 600 to be precise), but keep the boundries in mind. its only 114 km² for those 600,000 people. 2.2 million live in the metro, and at least a million in the direct area around the city (Burnaby, Richmond, North Vancouver, etc.), so no, its not all that small, and I fail to see any "small town culture" looking at Vancouver.

It's a nice city. But for some reason it feels disconnected from the rest of the world.

You're not going to find even near the amount of excitment of London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Montreal, Toronto or even new comer Dubia in Vancouver.

Vancouver is in the ranks of Seattle and maybe San Francisco.

These three cities are beautiful in their own right, but let us not get carried away and compare them to giants like Tokyo or New York.

Well you're right, it is ridiculous to compare Vancouver to New York or Paris, but it is in the ranks of Seattle and San Fransico - two very nice and decently sized cities. maybe not the busiest city out there either, but it is fairly dense (which equals more crowds), and still very urban.

Nope, you got that wrong. Toronto is more like NYC and Hong Kong. Vancouver is better than them all.
toronto doesnt have that many skyscrapers, its just the CN tower and a bunch of other buildings...
Toronto has al ong way to go to be new york or hong kong

toronto doesnt have that many skyscrapers, its just the CN tower and a bunch of other buildings...
Toronto has al ong way to go to be new york or hong kong

Do you even know what you're talking about buddy? We still have over 1600 and adding more fast. not Hong Kong's 7500 or New York's 5500 but its still more than most cities.

Wow... very nice!

:)

Do you even know what you're talking about buddy? We still have over 1600 and adding more fast. not Hong Kong's 7500 or New York's 5500 but its still more than most cities.
but theres a huge difference between 1600 and 5500 or 7500 bro

nah? you think?

It is alot more however, than "just the CN tower and a bunch of other buildings..."

Is asian a bad thing?..is density a bad thing?

sometimes - yes.

sometimes - yes.


Okay let's stop with demographics/xenophobic discussions. I'd like this thread to remain open.

updated

awesome projects... great thread

Updated with new renderings!

Updated with new rendering of Vita !

It doesn't need more height. Calm down already.

:eek: Great!!! :)

"...too dense..."
:rofl:

Updated October 11

New Rendering of Erickson

go vancouver!!! this is one of the greatest skyline in north america

Very nice

To be honest most of these look like average residential towers :(
Vancouver has already too much of them.
However some of them look really cool, e.g. The Ritz, The Melville or Bentall 5.
While I'm not a big fan of Living Shangri-La's design, it will form a nice (and imo needed) pinacle for Vancouver's skyline.

I liked most of the projects.They may not be very tall but have a good quality and design.Bentall 5 is my favourite of them all.

Very dense city... I like!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally this thread has been revived!

Updated!

woot

great proyects for vancouver,

HOLY SH*T

very dense and modern!!

Nope, you got that wrong. Toronto is more like NYC and Hong Kong. Vancouver is better than them all.


:hammer: :hilarious :hahano: :hahano: :hahano: :hahano:

The buidlings that are going up in Vancouver are mostly residential, and are more or less similar to what's already built in the city, so I am not too excited.

And the reason these towers are going up? That's because house prices have risen quite dramatically in the past two decades and most young families can no longer afford a house with a backyard in urban areas. You either move to the suburbs and commute hours everyday to work, or you buy a smaller place in the city to save the hassle.

OMG! I love going up to Vancouver when I havent been there in a wile and seeing what is new. That is such a great city. Good work man :cheers1:

Wow! I like every single design in that list, out of a list that large i usually dislike at least a few. Great job Vancouver!

How come Vancouver has such a dense highrise skyline, for such a small city? Is it because it doesnt have a big sprawl like other N American cities?
A great loking city btw

nice skyline and great projects. :)

harberk- Vancouver isn't that small- however, the main reason why the city is so dense, is because it is an island, like Manhattan- thus the high concentrations of condo towers.

p5

Updated No. 14

nice

i think thatit a bit weard that one of the towers are named The Homer.

I'm not sure the title of this thread makes sense. Will all these projects make that much of a difference? It looks like vancouver will have even more of what it already has.

How come Vancouver has such a dense highrise skyline, for such a small city? Is it because it doesnt have a big sprawl like other N American cities?
A great loking city btw

Sprawl still dominates most of Vancouver, though the extent of it is not as extreme as say Pheonix or Houston.

The following are sprawling pics of Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver...

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/6923/58695276ece0a21ee9b7lq.jpg

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/315/58695602bc0e67574cb9tl.jpg

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/2156/5869538713a9c8c3ddb9gv.jpg

You could access more pics of Vancouver via this thread:
http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=199193

The skyline photos show only downtown Vancouver. It's a peninsula that measures around 6-9 square km in size (that includes Stanley Park), and the immediate vicinity contains only 5-10% of the Lower Mainland's total population.

Updated - Added Hotel Georgia

Updated - Jan. 19

Wow great projects for Vancouver! Congratulations for winning the 2010 Winter Olympics hosting!!! :banana: :banana: :banana:

harberk- Vancouver isn't that small- however, the main reason why the city is so dense, is because it is an island, like Manhattan- thus the high concentrations of condo towers.

p5

Vancouver is not an Island. It is a peninsula. The reason for its density is mainly because of smart city planning.

Holy Cow, that is a hell of a lot of projects, can't wait to see Vancouver in 2010.

Vancouver wont look much different in 2010. Most of the projects are unremarkable little buildings the likes of which the city already has too many of. There are a few very exciting projects underway and proposed, but Vancouver needs a lot more before it will make a real impact.

I just have to say that the first photo of the cityscape is absolutely breath taking. I need to visit sometime in the near future!

Updated - Feb 22

updated with new rendering of atelier

Nice list of projects the only thing that Vancouver needs is a couple of super talls office ones of course. But stills have a bery nice density for the city. I visited Vancouver last year and I loved. Is a little big city.

Vancouver is almost like Brisbane in Australia

btw wonderful city!

^^ ^^ ^^

but with not so good weather

^^ ^^ ^^
Yes here in brissy it's 28 degrees celcius and sunny cant be that for over a third of the year

Canada's most beautiful city has more in common with San Francisco than Toronto.

Whoa! Whoa! Don't get exicted there!

updated march 12

Any one have any recent construction pics of all these wonderful towers?

Any one have any recent construction pics of all these wonderful towers?

Pomaria
http://www.lestwarog.com/pomaria/images/building.jpg

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/2150/dsc01569si0.jpg

Firenze
http://www.lestwarog.com/618abbott/images/building.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Downtown%20Chinatown/100_7337.jpg

2 Harbour Green

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/4584/376130ku4.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Construction/100_7374.jpg






Cielo

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/1017/buntitledpe5.png

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Construction/100_7371.jpg






Shangri La

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y287/jtredger/alberni_robson.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Construction/100_7380.jpg

Thanks for the updates.

That's gonna look great! Hongcouver it is!

Hongcouver!? Rock on.

Vancouver has a very nice skline. This city proves that you dont have to have 5 or 6 1000ft buildings for a nice skline. Having a dense and growing skline of 500 to 700 footers will look just as good.

Vancity rocks, baby!!

Vancouver need only look to what's happened on The Gold Coast to see what a landmark tower can do. A couple of landmark towers in the downtown cluster would help to define the business district and provide visual interest. BTW what are these lions I read so much of in the council reports?

Updated with new building " The Patina"

but theres a huge difference between 1600 and 5500 or 7500 bro

after the boom, tehre will be arround 2100, just as a testiment to the economic activity in cities like toronto , ******* and HK, but vancouver is definately growing, much more than most people realise, amazing ****, .. awesome.

can anyone tell me why all the C.I.T.Y and U.R.B.A.N related words are being starred out (like this ****) A.p.r.i.l f.o.o.l.s maybe ?

Updated May 7

Added Coast Hotel

I LOVE VANCOUVER BC!!! Good thing Vancouver is only three hours north of my beautiful city, Seattle! :) I can go there when I can! :)

Updated May 26

updated

Update:

VCCE
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00950.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00951.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00948.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00949.jpg

Melville:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00971.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00970.jpg

Cielo:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00966.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00963.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00958.jpg

HG2:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00960.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00959.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00961.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00957.jpg

Fairmont Pacific Rim:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00956.jpg

Loden:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00969.jpg

Shangri-la:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00977.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00976.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00975.jpg

^^ Wow! Great pictures of these beautiful skyscrapers! :)

^Thanks! Here's some suburban condos taken on the same day:

Park360:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01004.jpg

Plaza88:(will be fully integrated with the New West skytrain station)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC01000.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00998.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00999.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00996.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00995.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00994.jpg

A shot of the Point (Left) and some Bosa building (middle)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00997.jpg

Legacy towers:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00993.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00992.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00991.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00985.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00983-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/vannmann/DSC00981.jpg

Shangri-La seems to be progressing nicely. When does ground break on 1133 Georgia?

Demolition of the existing structure on the site is underway. Ground breaking is scheduled for early 2008 I believe.

Updated

Updated

awesome thread. the legacy towers are my favorite. they look great in person

Updated.

wow these are Awesome building.

January 15th, 2008

L'Hermitage ( mixed-use condo, hotel, social housing, grocery store, and retail, Robson and Richards)
http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/5451/p1050059lo4.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Raffles on Robson (mixed-use condo and retail, Robson and Cambie)
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/387/p1050091ww0.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

TV Towers (2 towers, mixed-use condo and retail, Robson and Cambie)
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/7879/p1050093ps0.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Atelier (mixed-use condo, retail, office, daycare, Robson and Homer)
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/1923/p1050088pk8.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

H+H (mixed-use condo and retail, Homer and Helmcken)
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/7541/p1050081mg2.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Yaletown Brewing Office Addition (Mainland and Helmcken)
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2288/p1050080fm2.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Renos on an office bldg at Homer and Nelson
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/6842/p1050083ze4.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

The Donovan (condo, Richards and Nelson)
http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/3384/p1050077xp4.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

1022 Living (mixed-use condo and office, Seymour and Nelson)
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/9437/p1050074yg3.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Dolce & Vita (2 towers, mixed-use condo and retail, Seymour and Smithe)
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5799/p1050069gg2.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Capitol Residences (mixed-use condo, music school, and retail, Seymour and Robson)
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/3888/p1050057ii6.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Ritz-Carlton (600ft twisting tower, mixed-use hotel-condo, Georgia and Bute)
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/1830/p1050015rl2.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Shangri-La (650ft tower, city’s tallest, mixed-use hotel-condo-retail-gallery, Georgia and Thurlow)
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/6646/p1050010wz2.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Flatiron (mixed-use condo and retail, Pender and Melville)
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/8872/p1050004tv5.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6049/p1040999jn2.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)
North elevation as seen from West Pender St.

The Ritz (mixed-use condo and retail, Pender and Bute)
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/9692/p1040995qx5.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

The Coast Hotel (Hotel, Pender and Bute)
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1605/p1040989km7.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Jameson House (Norman Foster-designed mixed-use condo and office tower, Pender and Howe)
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/7404/p1040977up6.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Fairmont Pacific Rim (mixed-use hotel and condo, Burrard and Cordova)
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/2485/p1040971ot5.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion (Burrard and Canada Place Way?)
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/426/p1040966cb5.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Canada Line Waterfront Station (Granville and Cordova) (I had my camera on panorama mode and thus the vertical horizontal distortion)
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9223/p1040931cx0.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Woodwards (2 towers, mixed-use condo, Simon Fraser University campus, office, retail, and social housing, West Hastings and Abbot)
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/2134/p1040903yv0.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/9247/p1040898jb5.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/1188/p1040928wj5.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

33 Pender (condos, Pender and Abbot)
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/3889/p1040897um1.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Espana (2 towers, mixed-use condo and retail, beside the Stadium-Chinatown SkyTrain stn)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/3918/p1040895rd1.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Bowman Lofts (?) (Beatty and West Pender)
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/5417/p1040896gf8.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Cooper's Quay (4 towers, condos, Cambie Bridgehead)
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/6341/p1040851bw2.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Olympic Village (16 buildings, mixed-use condo, retail, community centre, social housing, senior’s housing, marina, streetcar line, grocery store, etc., etc., Southeast False Creek)
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/4994/p1040849hg9.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Foundry (condos, Southeast False Creek)
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/8128/p1040843sz3.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

The Rise (mixed-use condo and large-format retail, Cambie and 7th)
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/4526/p1040828kp3.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Crossroads (mixed-use office, condo, restaurants, large-format, retail, Cambie and West Broadway)
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/1279/p1040817sy1.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Stella (mixed-use condo and large format retail (auto dealership), 12th and Kingsway)
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6504/p1040806yi9.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

One Kingsway (mixed-use community centre, retail, and rental apartments, Kingsway and 7th)
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/7857/p1040803xf0.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Now walking back along Broadway to Cambie and then down to the Olympic Village.

West Broadway and Main Street, looking North.
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/3271/p1040808dj3.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

West Broadway at Quebec street, looking west. The SkyTrain Millennium Line will be extended in phases under Broadway to the University of British Columbia (UBC) over the next 12 years. Central Braodway is ahead and it is the second densest concentration of jobs in British Columbia after the downtown core.
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/8381/p1040811jd1.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Looking south up Quebec street. The articulated diesel bus is part of the #99 B-Line bus rapid transit line that runs along Broadway out to UBC from the major transit hub at Commercial Drive and East Broadway. The #99 B-Line exclusively uses 120-passenger articulated diesel buses with as little as two or three minutes of headway. It currently carries in excess of 70,000 passengers per day and it will be replaced in phases by construction of the above-mentioned extension of the SkyTrain Millennium Line next decade.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/2392/p1040814wh5.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Looking north down Quebec street for a glimpse of part of the downtown core.
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/4604/p1040812no6.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

West Broadway and Cambie Street looking south, just north of City Hall. The enormous construction project is part of the new SkyTrain Canada Line that will connect the city of Vancouver to its southern neighbour Richmond and to the Vancouver International Airport.
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/5236/p1040824ef4.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Looking north along Cambie Street towards downtown Vancouver. The pit in front is part of the abovementioned SkyTrain Canada Line.
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/153/p1040815ng9.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

West Broadway experiences a major bottleneck at Cambie street due to the SkyTrain Canada Line construction. It goes from a total of six lanes down to two. The bus-only lanes are forefitted in the intersection and the buses must merge with regular traffic. The bus to the left is one of our new 77-passenger electric trolley buses.
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/3575/p1040825fm4.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Because of the construction on Cambie it is easier to walk a block east or west of the street when heading north towards the Cambie Street Bridge and downtown. This is at Yukon and 7th. The second building to the left is called The Rise and it is a mixed-use building housing three large format retailers (Home Depot, Winners clothing, and Save on Foods), and a number of rental condos on the upper floors. The building further ahead on the left is also a new building. It houses two large format retailers, Canadian Tire and Best Buy.
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/3382/p1040826ux4.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Another shot of The Rise.
http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/4214/p1040828ix9.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Ivy is being encouraged to grow up a blank cement wall of the Canadian Tire building. Every new building is expected to have a landscaping plan and the developer pays for the public realm improvements associated with construction of a new building. Some of these improvements include new wider sidewalks, new street trees, etc.
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/3071/p1040831ww8.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Looking south along Cambie Street. The Rise is on the left and the new public realm it is supplying is taking shape. In the centre up the street is the Canada Line construction. The building on the right is called Crossroads and it is a mixed-use building incorporating a medium-sized office building that will be the corporate headquarters for Yoga wear maker Lululemon, 88 condos, a Whole Foods grocery store, a Royal Bank, and a number of restaurants.
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/4372/p1040834za6.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

The Cambie Street Bridge is down to two lanes from its previous six in order to make room for the construction of the Canada Line. Pedestrian and cycling access is unaffected.
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/3084/p1040833rb0.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Looking east at Second Avenue and Cambie towards the Olympic Village construction precinct in Southeast False Creek (SEFC). Most of the Olympic Village surrounding SEFC neighbourhood will be built to about the same approximate height as the building on the right in this photo, which is about 90 feet in height. There will be a number of buildings that reach slightly taller and others, obviously, will be shorter.
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/7075/p1040840do4.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Another shot of the Southeast False Creek neighourbood, this time looking east from the Cambie Street Bridge deck. The brick building on the right is being restored and converted to lofts. A streetcar line, Vancouver's first in more than 50 years, will run down First, below, and connect to SkyTrain to the east and Granville Island to the west. Additional phases are planned.
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/8452/p1040841oy0.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

A couple of shots of the Olympic Village showing the mass of cranes.
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/8947/p1040845vu4.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/4994/p1040849hg9.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

These folks (below) across False Creek in Yaletown are getting some new neighbours to the east of the Cambie Street Bridge.
http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/9831/p1040853lh5.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

These new towers are being built by Concord Pacific in the Cooper’s Quay precinct. Behind them is BC Place, home of the BC Lions football franchise and the site of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/2973/p1040850ot3.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

Things are moving along for the Olympic Village itself. Construction continued through the worst of winter without disruption. The weather is fine again, the snow has melted, and the first flowers are starting to bud. It has become a pretty busy place. 12 tower construction cranes are building the 16 buildings, the first of which is about three storeys above ground. The remainder is all below- or at- grade.

The following several shots of the new man-made marine habitat island. The very small bay to the left is where the daylighted stream will empty into False Creek. There are dozens of streams running under Vancouver, all of which were filled in or buried in sewers more than a hundred years ago. One is being daylighted and deeply integrated into the landscaping of the Olympic Village. The elementary school will be right beside it and children can be expected to play on its banks and run across its pedestrian bridges.

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/6084/p1040858mx2.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6166/p1040865ji4.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)


The new Seawall features separated pedestrian and bicycle/wheeled vehicle paths, a number of boardwalks that feature recovered wood from the old industrial piers on the site, and an inlet with pedestrian bridge adjacent a piazza and the community centre. A marina for non-motorized boats (Dragon Boat war canoes, kayaks, etc.) will be adjacent.

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/1744/p1040867nu5.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/9053/p1040874sy4.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/429/p1040871ig6.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/7209/p1040876xa4.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/7118/p1040873gp9.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/1919/p1040862rw5.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/6365/p1040868jj8.jpg
(My photo, taken January 15th, 2008)


February 4th

The Ritz
http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/9216/p1050381kz9.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

The retail podium is turning out quite nice. Is there a specific term for the small "rims" of concrete that protrude out above and beside the window? I like it. I also the like the sloping glass on the second floor and the crisp cornice line it creates. Also, note that the wrapping is being taken off of the red panels. Some of the wrapping was torn off of the building during our last wind storm to reveal a sort of ruddy red colour but thankfully the real red is better.

Red panel detail and that nice glass on the Pender elevation.
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/7751/p1050383fs2.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

The retail podium along Bute. Imagine living in the condo beside those big HVAC units on the roof of the podium. I bet that "view" was not in the sales brochure.
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4496/p1050385de5.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

Lastly, a shot of the Ritz and the Flatiron. It isn't the greatest picture. I don't know how to get the most out of my camera on days like this when it is bright outside but overcast.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/5517/p1050384nh6.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)


Flatiron
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/3752/p1050376gy0.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)


Woodwards' W43 Tower
Looking east from the pedestrian bridge at Granville and Cordova.
http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/3884/p1050354lm8.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/6184/p1050356aj9.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)


Jameson House
Pender street elevation. The two heritage buildings are fully braced now. The cream coloured one on the left is only having its facade preserved while the old mining museum building beside it is being saved in its entirety.
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9859/p1050361ky2.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

Detail of the bracing and I guess a nice promo BelPacific (For all your excavation and shoring needs, call BelPacific today!)
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/2094/p1050364hb1.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

Why is BelPacific on site? Because there is excavation underway. Finally. For real this time.
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/7194/p1050363jb8.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)


Shangri-La
Looking south on Thurlow.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1723/p1050367od6.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

The "box" near the top of the tower now has glass on two of the two-storey floors.
http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/5719/p1050369uo4.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

The now-classic flatiron view.
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/668/p1050386yn7.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

Looking south from Harbour Green Park. The other two buildings under construction are The Ritz and The Flatiron.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/7002/p1050372kg2.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)


Fairmont Pacific Rim
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/2959/p1050359yj6.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)


Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion
From Canada Place.
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/870/p1050358ny0.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

Looking north from the driveway of the Shaw Tower. The Fairmont Pacific Rim is to the right.
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/2853/p1050365aj4.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

Looking northeast from the walkway to Harbour Green Park.
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/9819/p1050370qb0.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

Looking east from Harbour Green Park.
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/3708/p1050374ab2.jpg
(My photo, taken February 4th, 2008)

For comparison, I took the following picture in late spring last year.
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/9706/habourgreenparkandvcecpff1.jpg
(My photo, taken June 29th, 2007)


February 13th

Pure
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/1907/purefeb132008p1050400lb5.jpg
(My photo, February 13th, 2008)


Patina
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/2458/patinapitno3february132od5.jpg
(My photo, February 13th, 2008)

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/2237/patinapitfebruay132008plc1.jpg
(My photo, February 13th, 2008)

That's a deep pit. The guy at the bottom gives one a sense of scale.


Shangri-La
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/5011/shangrilaburrardandhelmek0.jpg
(My photo, February 13th, 2008)

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/7236/p1050413ew4.jpg
(My photo, February 13th, 2008)

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/5862/p1050417fp9.jpg
(My photo, February 13th, 2008)


Canada Line Waterfront Station Switch
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/3373/canadalinewaterfrontstaow6.jpg
(My photo, February 13th, 2008)


Woodwards
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/9123/woodwardsfebruary132008wk4.jpg
(My photo, February 13th, 2008)

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/6773/woodwardszoomfebruary13bk5.jpg
(My photo, February 13th, 2008)


Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion
http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/9925/vccepno1february132008pzi9.jpg
(My photo, February 13th, 2008)


Fairmont Pacific Rim
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/5568/fairmontpacificrimfebruoh8.jpg
(My photo, February 13th, 2008)

WOW! Thanks for explained about every projects that are happening in Vancouver BC. I love these projects. I wish that they would change the code so these skyscrapers can be more colorful. I think these existing skyscrapers are fine but all they can just add some colors on it.

Do you have the rendering of Winter Olympic Game 2010 site? I don't think I seen it before.

Thanks for the positive feedback. The photo tour is far from exhaustive and it only covers what is going on in the downtown core and part of West Broadway. There are still a whole lot of towers and mid-rises going up at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the City of Richmond, Surrey, Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, White Rock, and the half dozen municipalities up the Fraser Valley. I would figure I managed to photograph a fifth or maybe a sixth of the projects that are underway in Metro Vancouver, not including low- and mid-rise residential and commercial buildings. It is quite the boom.

The Olympic Venues:

Vancouver Athlete's Village (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=534328)

Olympic Speed Skating Oval (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=549060)

UBC Winter Sports Facility (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=146115) (links to SkyScraperPage.com)

Olympic International Broadcasting Centre (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=385677)

BC Place Stadium (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=144435) (links to SkyScraperPage.com)

SkyTrain Canada Line (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=286568) (ready in time for the Olympics, not an explicitly Olympic project)

^^ Thanks for the links! Canada Line is looking great! Wishing Seattle would have excellent public transit system as Vancouver BC too.

Updated March. 7

Vancouver is a wonderful city.
Too bad it's always raining there...

Vancouver is a wonderful city.
Too bad it's always raining there......in the winter. :cheers: Enough about weather please!

Updated June 11

harberk- Vancouver isn't that small- however, the main reason why the city is so dense, is because it is an island, like Manhattan- thus the high concentrations of condo towers.

p5

unfortunately that isn't quite correct. Richmond, the city just south of Vancouver is an island, but Vancouver is actually on the end of an peninsula.
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/socialplanning/newtovancouver/part1/images/GREAT-VAN1.jpg

Don't know if you guys are aware of these Wikipedia articles...
List of tallest buildings in Vancouver & future towers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Vancouver

However, Vancouver's tallest building is only 25th in Canada :( We're beaten by Calgary for heaven's sake :O http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Canada

True Calgary has some taller buildings but Vancouver has the better skyline (IMHO) for the moment at least...

vancouver's doing a lot of building,, which is definitely good:okay:

but i have to ask....do they have any greenery? parks? social space?

Updated August 24

Updated August 24

vancouver's doing a lot of building,, which is definitely good:okay:

but i have to ask....do they have any greenery? parks? social space?

There is plenty of greenery and parks but the city could use some improvement when it comes to large plazas/squares. The city's premiere square is Robson Square. It is a space with a lot of potential but because of a somewhat poor design it doesn't work so great at providing space for large events/gatherings despite being in a very high pedestrian traffic area. Essentially it is an over-landscaped space that looks great but doesn't provide the large, visible, flexible area that the city really requires of it. Some improvements are being made to it at the moment however which should help but likely won't be too radical. And related to yet separate from Robson Square is the Georgia Street plaza out front of the Vancouver Art Gallery:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/2630051138_529b1ac974_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3078/2630051732_7250517db4_b.jpg

Some other larger plaza space would be part of the Vancouver Public Library. It has a great interior courtyard, and a north and south plaza outside. The south one is a great space but not really big enough to serve as a major city square. The north one is a good size and flexible space but the area surrounding it is a little underutilized in terms of development so it doesn't generate a ton of use itself. I'm sure that'll change somewhat as parcels surrounding it get redeveloped into forms that generate more traffic.

Aside from those two areas that come immediately to mind, there are various other, smaller spots as well - like the BC Place concourse, Granville Square, the Harbour Green Park plaza and waterpark, and probably some other obvious spots I can't think of at the moment. And of course the seawall that wraps around downtown and beyond is a great public space that gets a lot of use.

VPL south plaza:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2539074365_a28bd413ba.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3110/2539068157_38eff6c9fd.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2418/2539075305_cb1a6a5899.jpg?v=0

Granville Square:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2629220935_5eec45ff46_b.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Aug%2023%202007/100_9073.jpg

Harbour Green Park:
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Downtown%20Summer%20Beaches/100_6093.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Downtown%20Summer%20Beaches/100_6090.jpg

There will be a nice new waterfront plaza as part of the convention centre expansion. It should be a great space and being tied into the seawall it should get some decent pedestrian traffic. Another potential new plaza could be along False Creek - tied into the upcoming waterfront Vancouver Art Gallery development. We'll also be getting a new plaza with the Olympic Village currently u/c that will form the heart of the up-and-coming Southeast False Creek neighbourhood. The Woodward's development in the Downtown Eastside will also have an interior courtyard.

Convention Centre:
http://commons.bcit.ca/greenroof/download/convention_centre.jpg
from bcit.ca

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/nighthawk07/Vancouver/VCCEP03.jpg

http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/bc/vancouver/2008/vch2008_440.jpg
from globalairphotos.com

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/2830261450_5eceeab368_b.jpg
by ttcopley at flickr.com

Art Gallery concept:
http://media.canada.com/1ceaa7d7-3889-4f4c-9003-991895e62419/sun0516%20stadium.jpg
from timescolonist.com

Olympic Village:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3233/2815863217_8c0006d8ef_b.jpg

If you want to see any images of the many parks/greenery around downtown just let me know.

uh, what about Stanley Park? Isn't it the largest urban park in N.A.?

^^ Stanely Park doesn't really fit the plaza/square criteria, which is what he was referring to.

uh, what about Stanley Park? Isn't it the largest urban park in N.A.?

What ^he said. Also, it is somewhat of a common misconception that it's the largest. It's definitely one of the biggest in NA but I believe there are a few larger ones. But yes I would've got into the parks/greenery aspect but I felt my post was big enough as it was. I can post some info on the parks a bit later. No time now. :)

Beautiful City!

Last Updated: September 07, 2008


Vancouver, Canada

Canada's most beautiful city has more in common with San Francisco than Toronto. Despite it being very wet it's a prime location for Hollywood film shoots -the setting is spectacular. Ocean and mountains form a dramatic backdrop to the gleaming commercial towers of downtown where you'll find spectacular restaurants and cafe's after a 'swim-in-the-morning', 'ski-in-the-afternoon' day. Trace the city's history in Gastown and Chinatown, savour the wilderness only blocks from the city centre in Stanley Park and dine on superb ethnic or Pacific Northwest cuisine before sampling those clubs and bars.

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/1395/cxxcxclf8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Wow ! Vancouver is Amazing

^^ Stanely Park doesn't really fit the plaza/square criteria, which is what he was referring to.

I believe he said 'greenery, parks, etc...'

Not sure if you meant to sound condescending, but that is how I interpreted your remark. Perhaps you should be more welcoming to those visiting the site of your beautiful city. :)

^^Nope. Not trying to be condescending. Just pointing out what raggedy was talking about. Just read his last post... :)

I didn't get the impression he was being condescending. He was really just helping me out. But anywho, no hard feelings all around I hope? :)

Anyways, I thought I'd post some info on parks/greenery now. I'll just focus on the downtown peninsula otherwise this could be a very long post... but I'll just add that the city and metro has small and huge parks interspersed all through it from urban pocket parks to effective nature preserves. Also, as soon as you travel about 30 mins north of downtown you're essentially in open wilderness as there are undevelopable mountains that stretch on and on complete with bears and every other form of native wildlife which often wander into the northern suburbs. Even just a month ago in the southern-most suburbs (South Surrey) I saw a deer wandering through a decades old subdivision. Other common wildlife that can be spotted within the city and metro are raccoons, coyotes, opossums, beavers, and a ridiculous amount of bald eagles.

Alright, now back to downtown. The largest green space by far on the downtown peninsula is Stanley Park. It rivals the built-up area of downtown in size and contains things from man-made attractions like the Vancouver Aquarium to dense conifer forest and beaches. It is one of the largest urban parks in the world, and is definitely one of the largest that actually abuts a downtown (it actually borders one of the densest urban neighbourhoods in North America - The West End).

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/344098625_1cb23edcb8_b.jpg
by crazyscot @flickr.com

Aquarium entrance
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/86/240193897_b4b0ea33ca_o.jpg
by hobbes8calvin @flickr.com

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1092/710403659_a48dc6c48c_b.jpg
by moknits @flickr.com

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Spring%20Downtown/100_5043.jpg
by me

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Spring%20Downtown/100_5063.jpg
by me

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Spring%20Downtown/100_5076.jpg
by me

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Spring%20Downtown/100_5082.jpg
by me

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Downtown%20Summer%20Beaches/100_6176.jpg
by me

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2618080164_95834efcc4_b.jpg
by me

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Downtown%20Summer%20Beaches/100_6188.jpg
by me

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Downtown%20Summer%20Beaches/100_6225.jpg
by me

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Downtown%20Summer%20Beaches/100_6231.jpg
by me

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Downtown%20Summer%20Beaches/100_6236.jpg
by me

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Downtown%20Summer%20Beaches/100_6239.jpg
by me

The Second Beach Pool
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Downtown%20Summer%20Beaches/100_6249.jpg
by me

Second Beach
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g296/raggedy13/Downtown%20Summer%20Beaches/100_6253.jpg
by me

I'll post on some smaller downtown parks a bit later.

but i have to ask....do they have any greenery? parks? social space?

Vancouver residents have, by far, the easiest access to green space of any city I've ever been to. A quick walk away from downtown and you can stand among thousand-year-old trees. The downtown peninsula, including Stanley Park, is ringed by a 14-mile waterfront walking/cycling path -- nearly as long as Chicago's lakefront path, but instead of lying next to a big stinking freeway, it's right in the backyard of all those glittery condos. The path links to North America's second-largest network of "bicycle boulevards," after Portland.

Half an hour north of downtown (by car or $3.25 ferry+bus) you're at the edge of civilization. I don't recommend it, but you could hike through the mountains from there up to the Arctic Ocean (1,500 miles away, about the distance from Baltimore to Denver) and meet very few people along the way. You might meet Bigfoot, though! What I do recommend is taking the bus to the ski slopes just above North Van. And half-hour southwest of downtown is, well, a nude beach, something else not found in most other cities.

Closer to home, Vancouver is a fairly young city, which steps down to single-family houses (with overgrown-by-Canadian-standards gardens) just outside downtown. The glassy towers don't cover much ground -- indeed, it sometimes feels a little *too* wide open at street level, with every single complex having an elaborate garden and ornamental pond outside. The larger developments are required to have public parks, like the popular David Lam Park in the middle of Concord Pacific's development.

There aren't many showstopper parks in Vancouver as of yet -- even Stanley feels a bit slapdash, with many attractions scattered about the edges of its wilderness -- but give it a little more time to "grow up."

^^ It's so true! Every word, when I lived there I noticed particuarly the public parks. Stanley Park was a showstopper for me!

Updated Jan. 3

Here is a bit of a construction update done by Delirium at SSP:

here's a bunch of pics i took this morning. crappy lighting outside.. sorry bout that.

1022 living. i like the dark glass on the commercial podium.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture111-2.jpg

vita
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture115-1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture116.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture117-1.jpg

Atelier. i love the podium. it's huge and has a big impact along homer..
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture121-1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture122.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture123.jpg

woodward's
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture129-1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture133-1.jpg

cbc redevelopment
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture137.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture138.jpg

tv towers
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture140.jpg

i like the grey stone being installed. this will be a waterfall when complete
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture141-1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture143.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture146-1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture147-1.jpg

Raffles - robson street frontage
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture144.jpg

Raffles - cambie frontage
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture151.jpg

renovated building in yaletown
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture154.jpg

Donovan
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture155-1.jpg

notice the balcony railings? blah. but the stone base is nice. didn't expect that.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture157.jpg

looks like reno's are starting at the best western on granville
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture159-1.jpg

granville street
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture160-1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture161.jpg

on a sunny day..
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/Picture068-1.jpg
all photos by me

We've also got a another (our 4th) metro ("SkyTrain") line starting up construction:

Thanks to deasine for the following info...
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2400/79/110/537325252/n537325252_5961362_4353134.jpg

What is the Evergreen Line Project?
The Evergreen Line is a new rapid transit line that connects Coquitlam Town Centre to Vancouver via Port Moody and Burnaby, starting at Lougheed Town Centre Station in Burnaby and ending near Douglas College in Coquitlam.

The Evergreen Line will be a fast, frequent and convenient SkyTrain service, connecting Coquitlam Town Centre through Port Moody to Lougheed Town Centre in approximately 13 minutes. The Evergreen Line will seamlessly connect to the current SkyTrain network, including the Expo, Millennium and Canada Lines, and will integrate with regional bus and West Coast Express networks.

The Evergreen Line is an essential element of The Provincial Transit Plan and the federal Building Canada Plan.

http://evergreenline.gov.bc.ca/images/ObliqueAlignment_Feb%2019.jpg

Route Alignment
The Evergreen Line will run north from Lougheed Town Centre on an elevated track along North and Clarke Roads, before entering a tunnel in the vicinity of Como Lake Avenue and emerging near Barnet Highway north of Clarke Road in Port Moody. Through Port Moody, the route will travel at-grade on the south side of the Canadian Pacific (CP) Rail lines before transitioning to the north side near the Port Moody/Coquitlam boundary. The Evergreen Line will continue next to the CP Rail lines to the West Coast Express Station in Coquitlam and will then run on an elevated track along Pinetree Way, ending near Douglas College in Coquitlam.

http://evergreenline.gov.bc.ca/images/station_map_sm.jpg

Stations
The Evergreen Line will have six primary stations: Lougheed, Burquitlam, Port Moody/West Coast Express, Ioco, Coquitlam/West Coast Express and Coquitlam City Hall/Douglas College.

These stations will drive system ridership growth by serving major destinations, connecting existing population and employment centers, and integrating with the existing transit network.

These station locations will promote use by ensuring the line is fast, convenient and competitive with other travel choices.

Up to two additional station locations along the Evergreen Line may be considered based on their ability to shape land use, stimulate increased system ridership through transit oriented development, and be affordable.

Project Goals

Provide fast, frequent and convenient rapid transit from Coquitlam to Vancouver
via Port Moody and Burnaby

Provide rapid transit for the communities of Burnaby, Vancouver, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra


Improve the transportation network throughout Metro Vancouver

Integrate travel modes and provide connectivity to the wider transit network
Seamlessly connect with the current SkyTrain network


Increase transportation choice

Support a reduction in auto use by providing an alternative to single occupancy vehicles
Increase transit mode share
Increase transit capacity in the Northeast sector
Ensure speed and reliability of the system
Support growth management


Support municipal growth management targets established by the region’s Livable Region Strategic Plan

Contribute to community building by stimulating future concentrated and mixed-use development
Support existing development and provide support for a positive business environment


Support environmental sustainability initiatives

Support provincial environmental goals by reducing regional car trips
Meet regional and local environmental objectives to preserve green space
Encourage pedestrian traffic along corridor

Source: Evergreen Line Website, Ministry of Transportation

http://evergreenline.gov.bc.ca/images/transit_map.jpg

PROJECT OFFICE OPENING LAUNCHES EVERGREEN LINE
COQUITLAM – Construction of the Evergreen Line is taking a major step forward with the opening of the Evergreen Line Project Office, announced Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Kevin Falcon, federal Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Minister James Moore and TransLink CEO
Tom Prendergast today.

“The Evergreen Line will vastly improve transit options for people in Metro Vancouver’s northeast quadrant,” said Falcon. “It will also be a big boost to the region’s economy, providing over 8,000 direct and indirect jobs.”

“The Evergreen Sky Train extension will improve the quality of life of Tri-City residents by creating more transportation choices, cutting traffic, and by reducing pollution,” said Moore. “Our government is proud to be a partner in this project.”

Using SkyTrain technology, the 11-kilometre Evergreen Line will link neighbourhoods in Burnaby, Port Moody and Coquitlam and be fully integrated into the existing system, connecting directly onto the Millennium Line at Lougheed Station.

“Not only is the Tri-Cities area growing, we know that it’s the destination for a third of the commuters that today drive across the Port Mann Bridge from the South of Fraser,” said Prendergast.

“The Evergreen Line, linking to a new RapidBus service from Highway 1 at the Lougheed Station, has huge potential to attract substantial numbers of people from cars to rapid transit.”

The Evergreen Line will provide fast and frequent service to downtown Vancouver – improving the transit network throughout Metro Vancouver and facilitating economic growth and regional job creation. The Project Office will advance the Evergreen Line Project through design and construction
and will provide the public with the opportunity to learn more about the project, meet with staff, and give feedback and input as design and construction proceeds. Construction of the Evergreen Line is scheduled to begin in late 2010 and be completed in late 2014.

The Evergreen Line is jointly funded by the Government of Canada (up to $416.7 million), the Government of British Columbia ($410 million) and TransLink ($400 million). Approximately $350 million of the federal contribution is from the Building Canada Fund. The $1.4-billion project is a key component of the Provincial Transit Plan.
Source: The Government of British Columbia - http://evergreenline.gov.bc.ca/documents/NewsReleases/nr_ELPO_final_Feb28_09.pdf

Video Articles
Global TV BC: http://canwest.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/canwest-globalbc-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=globalbcallvideo&maven_referralPlaylistId=24845d5c80768d2d50c292ff8e60a971d5a69e38&maven_referralObject=3738868

In August, our third metro line will be opening - the Canada Line:

Thanks to mr.x2 for posting the following pics in the transportation subforum...
http://www.richmond.ca/__shared/assets/Canada_Line_Route_Map13452.gif

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/SkyTrain2009.png/800px-SkyTrain2009.png

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/1677/60266842ma4.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3208/3060969639_b1b0a60774_b.jpg

http://www.seataf.com/blogs/canadaline/2008-10-06/images/KICX5029.jpg

That's great! :) Is Vancouver ready for Winter Olympic Game 2010?

That's great! :) Is Vancouver ready for Winter Olympic Game 2010?

All olympic venues/projects are either completed or are ahead of schedule.

Updated first page on April 10 to reflect new proposal for David and Bidwell

it looks like a very nice city

The tower which will stand at 115 metres is designed by renowned British architectural firm Fosters and Partners in conjunction with Walter Francl Architects Inc.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2092NoWhiskeyAtFostersJamesonHouse_pic1.jpg

Proving that old and new can be mixed the project includes the restoration of the A-listed 1921 Ceperley Rounsfell Building and the retention of the facade of the B-listed Royal Financial Building, dating from 1929, as well as the new tower.

The tower is set on a squared, ten storey podium base which compliments the existing art-deco style building surrounding the tower. This will house office spaces, cafes and the all important retail spaces that no tower should be built without.

Above this the tower loses it rectangular form and thanks to an undulating façade when viewed from the side, seems to consist of four round shaped towers that all terminate with flat peaks. These will house a series of balconies and at the top, sky gardens, with wide views for the occupants to enjoy.

This upper section of the tower will house luxury condominiums with membership to the adjacent and very exclusive Terminal City Club which offers its members use of a 25 metre long lap pool, spa, squash courts normal and informal dining facilities and a plethora of other luxury services no tower dweller should be without.

Constructed from steel the tower has a fully glazed façade that has been designed to allow for open balconies and natural ventilation. Extensive green spaces feature throughout the tower and it will also have Vancouver's first central cogeneration plant which is planned to run on bio-diesel as primary fuel and will be combined with an absorption cooling plant.

link: http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2092

Update first page June 30

Updated July 31

Updated first page - August 22

Howdy! This is my first post so I hope it's relevant. I was very curious what would happen at the last large Expo sites, and through some research last night, I found a cool concept plan that has been approved. The Concord area on the west side refers to one of the five additional towers planned by Concord Pacific. It looks as though the towers might be completed before the park unfortunately.

Creekside Park Concept Plan (http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/nefc/pdf/creeksideconceptplan.pdf)
Source Page (Has some additional info.) (http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/nefc/creekside.htm)

And I found this very interesting as well.
Northeast False Creek High Level Review (http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/nefc/context.htm)

Cheers!

Updated first page Aug.28 - Added rendering of Cosmo.

A new take on suburbia: high density
Mosaic's Tatton project in Coquitlam brings the Georgian housing style to an area more accustomed to isolationist tract housing
11 September 2009
The Globe and Mail

The Vancouver suburb of Coquitlam has many charms. The Pitt River runs through it, the North Shore Mountains nestle around it and greenery abounds. But edgy urban planning is not yet one of the bucolic community's strong points.

This is still very much a commuter's hub, where the mall is the retail option of choice and single-family housing is the norm. But there are signs of a slow sea change. The neighbourhood around city hall boasts a new café and a fledgling pedestrian area amidst new high rises and shopping centres. And the old Riverview mental hospital that runs along the highway next to the CPR line is poised between new condo development and a return to a residential facility, because let's face it, the suburbs can be calming.

But depending on how well planned they are, they can also pose a challenge to one's mental health. The ugly isolationist model is well represented along a stretch of the Lougheed Highway, where planners have erected a huge concrete barrier in front of cookie cutter suburban tract housing complete with plywood siding and faux hacienda-style tile roofing. Blink and you could be in a kinder, gentler Baghdad.

But hope is on the horizon. There is a better way, and it's cloaked in a Georgian row house exterior. That's right, Georgian row houses have come to Coquitlam, in a project called “Tatton,” developed by Mosaic and designed by architect Bob Worden of Ramsay Worden Architects.

For the West Coast, it's a relatively new housing type. It's advantage, explains Mr. Worden, is that it's a flexible, surprisingly cost efficient way to maximize space.“It was the pre-car, pre-urban sprawl solution to high density living,” he notes, and most importantly, in contrast to the typical single family suburban home, “it can build a sense of community.”

The front stoop becomes an important social space, where neighbours can meet and greet, and the close proximity fosters a feeling of collective responsibility for landscaping and upkeep.

Mr. Worden is a keen student of traditional row house forms, having spent years sketching them in both London and in Amsterdam. The Dutch version, he notes, is differentiated by its larger window frames, that “optimize the grey winter light,” a feature that he's happily incorporated into the Tatton homes.

“Bob was a natural choice as our architect,” says Luciano Zago, chief design manager at Mosaic, a company with a thing for Georgian row houses with similar projects in Vancouver and Surrey.

Modernists may look askance at such a traditional exterior, but before you can say “Prince Charles would love this,” consider the contemporary interiors of the Tatton homes. The 13 units, the first of a multi-pronged project, sits opposite a park and elementary school and embraces the slope of Burke Mountain. They may be Georgian on the outside, but inside they are essentially light filled modernist boxes.

What makes the Georgian row house modern, contends Zago, is its simplicity. The understated exterior makes for a flexible and extremely livable space. Like a good suit, he maintains, “you can dress it up or down with different accessories.”

The three-story houses are available in two models: a 15-foot wide 3 bedroom one (the dressed down version) and a 20-foot wide 4 bedroom one (the dressed up). Both units feature a ground floor with aflexible front facing space that could be a bedroom or office, a bathroom and a garage at the back with bedrooms on the third floor. The smaller units maximize space on the second floor with a fluid living, dining and kitchen area. From the East facing bay windows to the West facing patio, the light and the nine foot ceilings create an unexpected sense of airy spaciousness one would not anticipate in a 15-foot wide home. But the different spaces are delineated by a framed archway along the wall of the central dining area that offers a stylish transition into the kitchen on one side and living area on the other.

“We walk mayors and city planners through here regularly,” explains Mr. Zago, who cites the many by-law challenges in introducing urban design in a suburban area, “and they can't believe it's only 15 feet wide.”

Still, Mr. Zago relates that he had to work tirelessly to resolve issues such as density in a single family zone as well as regulations stipulating 2.2 parking units that were needed for each dwelling. This was partly solved by enlightened local plannershow? and by the building of public roads around the project – a considerable cost but one Mr. Zago clearly thinks was worth the price.

“Community building is always a goal at Mosaic,” he contends, citing the firm's mantra of “thoughtful, urbane densification.”

While it may be some time before Coquitlam becomes “urbane,” it's certainly easy to imagine how pedestrian-friendly amenities may soon build up around the Tatton project. Many of the homes have been sold to buyers with home offices who don't commute into the city but plan to live and work locally.

“Just imagine,” says Mr. Worden, gesturing to the empty lot across from the 13 newly built units, “ in a year from now there'll be kids riding their bikes up and down this street and playing hockey.”

Indeed the surrounding forest, creek and park playground would seem to make the site a potentially promising future neighbourhood.

Rather than that slow panic that starts to build when one stays too long in certain suburbs, there is a sense at Tatton that you might want to stay a while, chat with a neighbour on the stoop, before settling down in your calm, light filled living room. And if all goes according to Moasic's optimistic urbanist plan, residents may never have to experience rush hour again.

The Ritz-Carlton might start again, taller this time (http://www.cknw.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocal/Story.aspx?ID=1139948)

That's great news! Too bad it won't be finished for the Olympics though, uh uh.

Sirconga thank you for these news. Very excited that Vancouver will eventually build a huge skyscraper (possibly downtown???) this will be the new Vancouver landmark...

Let's hope for something around 250 m.

Wow, I'm so glad to hear that they are resurrecting the Ritz Carlton project downtown! It was such a beautiful design and is going to be a tribute to the designer Arthur Erickson as his last building.

I personally think that the developers were pissed when they found out Shangri La (only a block away) had beat their height design by a few floors. I think they wanted to bring it back as 100% the tallest building in Vancouver.

If you are thinking of living there, think again:

Mr. Tiah would not speculate on final prices, but conceded that no unit would be available for less than $1-million. The original $500-million proposal had contemplated units costing more than $2,000 a square foot and a penthouse suite priced at more than $20-million.

Updated first page of thread, October 6

BC Place's new roof is back on (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-place-to-get-retractable-roof/article1314612/)

Vancouver office vacancies rising fast
22 September 2009
Vancouver Sun

Office vacancy rates in Vancouver are rising faster than in most cities across the country, according to a report released Monday.

The overall year-over-year vacancy rate for both downtown and suburban markets climbed to 8.9 per cent from 5.4 per cent in the third quarter, CB Richard Ellis said in a trends report. Sublet space (as a percentage of total vacant space) went from 8.9 per cent to 18 per cent.

The sluggish economy and an oversupply of new office buildings are blamed for a sudden jump in vacancy rates across Canada, to a level not seen since 2005, according to the study.

Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto recorded the most noticeable increases.

However, the report also noted that limited new development in the downtown office market has helped steady conditions in Vancouver, making it one of the more stable markets.

CBRE said the national vacancy rate is projected to rise to 9.4 per cent at the end of the third quarter of this year, a sharp jump from the 6.3-per-cent rate a year ago.

Nowhere has the upward trend been felt more acutely than in the boom/bust economy of Alberta, where just two years ago, tenants were scrambling to find 20,000 square feet of contiguous space. Today, they can have their pick. Vacancy rates in Calgary, Alberta's largest city, have climbed to 13.1 per cent from 4.7 per cent.

Much of the country has been hit by the double whammy of a decrease in white-collar jobs coming at the same time as an increase in office supply.

"Canada's downtown office market is doubly burdened by a surplus of space, with buildings currently under construction and a swell of inventory that will continue to be added to the market," said John O'Bryan, vice-chairman of CBRE, adding much of the new inventory has yet to affect the vacancy rate.

"These conditions of burgeoning space are expected to negatively impact vacancy rates for some time, at least until economic fundamentals are restored and employment figures resume in sectors that typically occupy downtown office space."

CBRE expects vacancy rates to climb well into 2010.

"We are 100 per cent in the driver's seat," says Stan Krawitz, president of Real Facilities Inc., which represents tenants.

Ah well damn economy.

Updated first page of thread - Nov. 14

I´ve been to pretty much all the major cities in Canada (Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Quebec and Halifax) and by far my favorite cities are Vancouver and Montreal.

Very nice projects!

Updated first page Jan. 4

Updated first page Jan. 4

Impressive boom rundown. Thanks for updating the list.

Real estate market expected to remain strong in first half of 2010
7 January 2010
The Canadian Press

TORONTO - Canada's residential real estate market is expected to remain unusually strong through the first half of this year after a strong finish to 2009, according to a survey published Thursday by Royal LePage.

The Royal LePage analysis is consistent with other recent reports on the state of the Canadian real estate market, which has rebounded over the past 12 months after sales dried up in late 2008 and hit a multi-year low in January 2009.

The Canadian market's sudden plunge was sparked by a credit crunch that originated in the U.S. housing and lending industries _ eventually spreading globally, causing a worldwide recession in the late summer and early fall of 2009.

However, the Canadian real estate market has been much quicker to recover than its American counterpart, in part because of a more stable banking industry, historically low interest rates and improving consumer confidence.

Royal LePage executive Phil Soper says Canada's real estate market enters 2010 with ``considerable momentum from an unusually strong finish to the previous year.''

The stimulus effect of low borrowing costs has contributed to a sharp rise in demand that has driven activity to new highs, he said in a statement.

Royal LePage says house prices appreciated in late 2009, with fourth-quarter price averages higher than in the fourth quarter of 2008.

The average price of detached bungalows rose to $315,055 (up six per cent), the price of a standard two-storey home rose to $353,026 (up 5.2 per cent), and the price of a standard condominium rose to $205,756 (up 6.4 per cent).

Regions that saw the strongest declines during the recession are now showing marked gains. Those regions include Toronto and the Lower Mainland, B.C.

Vancouver, which is frequently Canada's most expensive real estate market, experienced a particularly robust quarter, with home prices rising across all housing types surveyed.

``No other sector of the economy has been as highly affected by economic stimulus as housing,'' said Soper.

``As consumer confidence has improved, Canadians have shown a lingering reluctance to acquire depreciating assets such as consumer durables, but have embraced the opportunity to invest in real property.''

Royal LePage estimates that Vancouver's real estate prices will rise a further 7.2 per cent this year, although February may be soft because of the Olympic Winter Games that will be held in the city and nearby Whistler, B.C.

Detached bungalows in Vancouver sold for an average of $828,750 in the fourth quarter, up 11.4 per cent from the same period last year. Standard condominiums in Vancouver went up 11.8 per cent year-over-year to an average of $452,750. Prices of standard two-storey homes in Vancouver rose 9.6 per cent year-over-year, selling at $917,500.

In Toronto, the average price of a standard condo rose 2.9 per cent to $309,316, detached bungalows rose 9.9 per cent to $446,214 and standard detached homes increased 3.5 per cent to $564,175.

In Montreal, the average price of a detached bungalow rose to $245,125 (up 3.1 per cent; a condo increased to $216,667 (up 16 per cent) and a two-storey house increased 12.3 per cent from a year earlier to $345,789, Royal LePage said.

The Greater Montreal Real Estate Board reported Thursday that the number of sales last year increased 41,802, up three per cent from 2008. The median price of a single-family home was $235,000 last year, up four per cent from 2008.

``Although sales decreased the first four months of 2009, Montreal's real estate market rebounded and finished the year on a positive note,'' said Michel Beausejour, the Montreal board's chief executive.

The group that represents Toronto-area realtors reported Wednesday that there were 87,308 transactions last year through the Multiple Listing Service, a 17 per cent increase over 2008.

In December, there were 5,541 sales in the Greater Toronto Area (average price $411,931), up from 2,577 sales in December 2008 (average price $361,415), according to the Toronto Real Estate Board.

The Toronto board also said the number of sales of existing homes rebounded in the latter half of 2009 after a slow start at the beginning of last year.

Royal LePage's average price estimates for other Canadian cities include:

_St. John's, N.L.: Detached bungalow, $217,167 (up 14.3 per cent); standard two-storey house $298,833 (up 14.1 per cent).

_Halifax: Detached bungalow, $238,000 (up 10.7 per cent); standard two-storey homes, $265,333 (up 1.8 per cent).

_Charlottetown: Detached bungalow, $160,000 (up 1.9 per cent); standard two-storey $195,000 (up 3.7 per cent).

_Saint John, N.B.: Detached bungalow, $228,000 (up 1.3 per cent); standard two-storey $299,000 (up 1.5 per cent).

_Moncton, N.B.: Detached bungalow, $152,300 in the fourth quarter (up 1.5 per cent); standard two-storey home, $131,000 (up 4.0 per cent)

_Fredericton: Detached bungalow, $182,000 (up 12.3 per cent); standard two-storey, $210,000 (unchanged).

_Ottawa: Detached bungalow, $332,417 (up 3.4 per cent); standard two-story home $331,917 (up 3.7 per cent).

_Winnipeg: Detached bungalow, $241,650 (up 9.9 per cent); standard two-storey home $275,500 (up 10 per cent).

_Edmonton: Detached bungalow, $299,286 (down 0.7 per cent); standard two-storey home, $340,557 (down 1.2 per cent)

_Calgary: Detached bungalow, $412,478 (up 0.5 per cent); standard two-storey home, $427,067 (up 2.3 per cent).

harberk- Vancouver isn't that small- however, the main reason why the city is so dense, is because it is an island, like Manhattan- thus the high concentrations of condo towers.

p5
vancouver is'nt an island

Downtown Vancouver is a peninsula. They are starting to develop the east side. The whole land area of the peninsula not including stanley park is only the size of midtown manhattan, much smaller than manhattan island itself.

Updated Feb. 25

The Ritz-Carlton might start again, taller this time (http://www.cknw.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocal/Story.aspx?ID=1139948)

The good news is this project is back on and the additional height has been approved. It is now set at 616 ft / 188 m. The latest news is that construction is set to restart June 2010.

Updated first page April 24

A long way yet for city to find gold in Olympic village deal
17 May 2010
Vancouver Sun

We love our open houses here in Vancouver, a chance to drop into a stranger's house, even if you're not really in the market, and find how much someone might get for a home in the land of stratospheric real estate prices.

Now we're about to see how high, or low, things can go thanks to the most anticipated open house in years.

I'm talking about the Olympic village, of course, that $1-billion development that's been a financial and political quagmire for the City of Vancouver.

Before the Olympics, when the market was good, 263 of the total 737 units were sold. The first of the remaining units were put on the block over the weekend and it's now the moment of truth: Will the City of Vancouver and its taxpayers ever make back their investment?

The man at the centre of this high-stakes game is Bob Rennie, Vancouver's uber condo marketer. It's his job to sell the remaining 474 units at the highest price the market will bear.

I found Rennie as upbeat as ever on the weekend (what do you expect from a guy who at the height of the financial crisis stuck artist Martin Creed's neon sign over his private art museum that advised, "Everything is going to be all right"?)

In the first 48 hours, some 12,000 people toured the show suites Rennie has on display in the Olympic village. The Condo King was ecstatic. He made 36 sales in two days, the highest a $4.75-million waterfront pad.

"I'm happy," he said. "Really happy. We're ahead of schedule."

But in this project, quick sales and high-octane marketing may not be enough.

Construction overruns, the credit crunch following the great recession and a recovering local real estate market that's nowhere near the prices the Olympic village's builders hoped for in 2010, have left the original business plan in tatters. Vancouver, which had to take over the project's management and offer $750 million in taxpayer-backed loans, remains in a financial vise.

Inside city hall, officials are encouraged by the interest in the Olympic condos. But privately they express fears the city won't recover the $170 million it is owed for the land on which the Olympic village stands.

Taking the land costs out of the equation, there may be the prospect for break-even, or a slight profit, on the construction price tag. But some serious challenges remain for this star-crossed real-estate deal.

The first is the HST, which will be applied to the new condos July 1.

Early buyers will no doubt be spurred on to make a deal before Canada Day, to escape the added HST costs. But the post-HST world could dampen buyer interest.

Vancouver city hall certainly thinks so. Officials have been lobbying the provincial government for an HST holiday, to help the city minimize the $1-billion project's losses. The province has responded with a flat no.

The other challenge is the time frame of the Olympic sales plan.

It's anticipated that sales of the remaining 474 condos will be stretched out over two years, to ensure there is no glut that might push down prices. The problem is the rising cost of credit.

The Bank of Canada is widely expected to begin raising the prime interest rate later this year; what many are calling the end of cheap money.

Mortgage rates will continue to rise, too, cooling the real estate market and making it significantly more costly to buy into what has become one of Vancouver's most expensive real-estate gambles.

Our Olympic lesson? Development is a risky game. Next time, the City of Vancouver should take the money for its land and leave the rest to the pros, not city pols and bureaucrats playing real-estate mogul.

Updated July 10. Added 777 Pacific Boulevard

nice!! i didnt know about that stuff

Updated projects list on first page!

City hall houses seven empty floors
Entire engineering department was moved last year to a leased space at a cost to taxpayers of $48 million
Vancouver Sun
23 August 2010

http://www.vancouversun.com/City+hall+houses+seven+empty+floors/3430571/story.html

For nearly 75 years, the imposing grey art deco city hall building at the corner of 12th and Cambie has been a symbol of civic government in Vancouver.

But for more than a year, city hall has harboured a secret, one created in the confusion of a growing and independent bureaucracy and complicated by changing politics and the 2010 Olympics. The upper seven floors of the 11-storey tower, built in 1936, are completely empty.

Last summer the entire engineering department moved into a newly built 86,000-square-foot commercial space at Cambie and Broadway that the city has leased for $41 million over the next 10 years. The city spent another $7 million to outfit and move the department. The move came in the same year the city laid off 158 people and raised taxes by 2.26 per cent to cover a $61-million shortfall in its $961-million budget.

That move, and another one this summer involving the social development, housing and cultural affairs departments moving into three city-owned floors of the renovated Woodward's heritage building were done in the absence of any master plan, something city manager Penny Ballem says can't happen again. She has now put a stop to departments making their own lease arrangements and wants to consolidate services back into a few city-owned buildings.

"I have never, ever, in my whole career -- and I've worked in many public sector organizations -- been in an organization where every department got to go out and lease their own space and make those kinds of decisions," she said.

"I am not criticizing people that went before. They made their plans and some of them have been put in place over the last year and a half. But at this point looking forwards, we are only a billion-dollar organization and we can't afford every department doing their own space planning and leasing their own space."

Ballem said the two moves were done for valid reasons at the time -- city staff have long complained about inadequate facilities, and the Woodward's move was a result of a deal made with the provincial and federal governments to provide coordinated governmental services in the Downtown Eastside. The city spent $300,000 on tenant improvements.

But she said she's unhappy that city services are scattered across at least half a dozen leased and owned buildings.

"Under my direction, what I have said is consolidate back, get rid of all the space we are paying for that we don't actually need. Bring it all back here," she said. The Woodward's move and the engineering lease are excluded from her directions.

When they left city hall, the engineers left everything, including desks, chairs, filing cabinets and boardroom tables. Now, the only services in the heritage building are the council chambers, mayor's and councillors' offices, city manager's office, a public counter and a handful of small departments on the first three floors. The Vancouver Services Review team is in temporary quarters on the fifth floor.

As part of the reorganization, the city quietly closed the fourth-floor offices of the working media, turning them into a storage room for the protocol department. It has promised the media new offices elsewhere.

Plans for the now-vacant floors aren't complete and the city hasn't approved a budget for repopulating at least five of the seven empty floors. But Ballem acknowledged that her office will move from the third floor to the sixth this fall, allowing Mayor Gregor Robertson to expand his offices into her existing space. The city will also create a dining room and meeting area in part of the mayor's old offices for the elected councillors who, Ballem says, now have no suitable place to eat. She said Robertson's space is too cramped and he has no private office.

Those renovations are expected to cost $260,000 and will be done later this year. They come in addition to more than $817,000 spent last year on new carpets, washrooms and public accessibility on the third floor for the Olympics. The city has put aside another $200,000 to renovate one floor that the sustainability department will occupy, and expects to spend upwards of $1 million on capital repairs, including new piping, electrical wiring and accessible washrooms, and removal of asbestos in the rest of the tower. But beyond that, plans for turning the upper floors into working departments again are in limbo while the city undertakes a review of future needs.

The renovation plans were delayed last year in part because of the Olympics, an exhaustive review of all services and the fact key staff are tied up with six federal infrastructure projects that have a deadline of next March, Ballem said. The public won't see any lavish decoration of either her or the mayor's offices, she insisted.

"My hope is [the public] would see it as responsible, and they have every right to know if we are putting gold-plated toilets in or beautiful cashmere rugs," she said. "When they come in, they will find it is pretty practical and there is nothing fluffy going in here. It is pretty basic."

Updated Oct. 1

Added new proposal to first page: 1075 W Hastings

Updated first page projects - Oct. 21

99 W. Pender tower looks stunning :cheers:

Added Burrard Gateway proposal
Oct. 26

Updated first page. Oct 28

It's like a mini-Sydney. Would be nice if Vancouver had something like Sydney's proposed new Barangaroo development though.

Housing starts up in Metro Vancouver over bleak 2009
By Brian Morton, Vancouver Sun
November 8, 2010
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/real-estate/Housing+starts+Metro+Vancouver+over+bleak+2009/3796785/story.html

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/real-estate/2456203.bin
Housing starts fell more than expected in October, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said Monday.
Photograph by: Vancouver Sun files .

VANCOUVER -- Metro Vancouver has seen a sharp increase in housing starts this year, but the numbers are deceiving because 2009 was particularly bleak, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

“We’ve seen some improvement, but it’s a modest improvement,” CMHC senior market analyst Robyn Adamache said in an interview Monday of the latest housing starts figures.

“Although the numbers look strong, you’re comparing them to last year, which was an unusually low number [of housing starts] year.”

According to CMHC, there were 1,447 housing starts in October in the Vancouver

Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), a 62-per-cent increase compared to October 2009; and 12,584 starts year-to-date, a 93-per-cent increase over the same period in 2009.

Adamache said Metro Vancouver is on pace to have between 13,000 and 14,000 starts this year, far less than the 20,000 per year experienced in the three years leading up to the recession.

For the city of Vancouver, housing starts totalled 382 in October, up from 53 in October 2009; and 3,409 year to date, compared to 1,173 over the same period last year.

The pace of new home construction was also up in October in the Abbotsford CMA. There were 67 housing starts last month, compared to 52 starts during the same month last year. For the first 10 months of the year, total housing starts in Abbotsford reached 418, compared to 298 during the same period last year.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of total housing starts in B.C. edged down to 24,000 units in October, from 26,400 units in September.

CMHC official Carol Frketich said in an interview that B.C.’s results were similar to the national trend. “It’s in line with our forecast for 2010. We expected a bit of a moderation in housing construction by the end of the year.”

Nationally, housing starts fell more than expected in October, with the federal housing agency saying there was an annualized rate of 167,900 starts last month, down 9.2 per cent from 185,000 in September. The September number was revised down from the previously reported 186,400.

“Housing starts moved lower in October due to a decrease in urban single starts in all regions, with the exception of Atlantic Canada,” CMHC chief economist Bob Dugan said in a statement. “Both single-detached and multiple starts decreased last month.”

Economists polled by Bloomberg expected a rate of home-building beginnings of 183,000 in October.

The rate of housing starts in Canada has generally been trending lower since reaching a level of 205,700 in April. But it has recovered significantly from the rate seen during the recession, bottoming out at an annualized rate of 112,000 in April 2009.

In October, housing starts in urban areas — those with populations of 10,000 or more — were down 12.3 per cent to an annualized rate of 142,400.

Pascal Gauthier, senior economist with TD Economics, noted that single-family starts have been markedly weaker since the spring, while gains in multiple-housing have made overall declines fairly modest.

He added that “we maintain our forecast for continued weakness in overall home building through mid-2011 before a pickup in activity in 2012.”

bmorton@vancouversun.com

Updated first page Jan. 8, 2011

Updated first post - Feb 9

Updated first page Feb. 22

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Vancouver still world's most liveable city: survey

(Reuters Life!) - Vancouver topped the list of the world's most liveable cities for the fifth straight year, while Melbourne claimed second place from Vienna and Australian and Canadian cities dominated the list's top 10 spots.

In the annual survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the Canadian west coast city and 2010 Winter Olympics host scored 98 percent on a combination of stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure -- a score unchanged from last year.

It has topped the list from 2007.

Although Melbourne pipped the Austrian capital for silver medal, there was no other major change near the top of the list of 140 cities worldwide. Auckland, New Zealand, came in 10th.

"Mid-sized cities in developed countries with relatively low population densities tend to score well by having all the cultural and infrastructural benefits on offer with fewer problems related to crime or congestion," said Jon Copestake, editor of the report, in a statement.

Pittsburgh was the top U.S. city with 29th place -- just ahead of Honolulu -- while Los Angeles moved up three places to 44th and New York held onto the 56th spot.

London moved up one place to 53rd while Paris came in at number 16.

The top Asian city was Osaka at number 12, tying Geneva, Switzerland and beating out the Japanese capital of Tokyo, which came in at 18.

Hong Kong came in at 31 but Beijing, capital of the world's most populous nation and No. 2 economy, straggled in at 72.

There was also little change at the bottom, with Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, once again claiming the worst position with a rating of 37.5 percent, narrowing beating out the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka.

The Economist Intelligence Unit survey ranks cities based on 30 factors such as healthcare, culture and environment, and education and personal safety.

Following is a list of the top 10 most liveable cities as ranked by The Economist Intelligence Unit:

1. Vancouver, Canada

2. Melbourne, Australia

3. Vienna, Austria

4. Toronto, Canada

5. Calgary, Canada

6. Helsinki, Finland

7. Sydney, Australia

8. Perth, Australia

8. Adelaide, Australia

10. Auckland, New Zealand

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/21/us-cities-liveable-idUSTRE71K0NS20110221

Casino project a 50-50 gamble; some councillors already critical
By Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun
March 8, 2011 5:31 AM

http://www.vancouversun.com/4399514.bin?size=620x400

This man interrupts the presentation by David Podmore, CEO of Pavco, speaking for the developers at a public hearing at Vancouver City Hall in Vancouver, Monday, March 7th, 2011. This was the first night of the public hearing into the proposed BC Place Casino complex, which had 162 people asking to speak.
Photograph by: Stuart Davis, PNG

An application for the largest casino west of Ontario ran into criticism from Vancouver city councillors Monday night, who expressed concerns about potential negative social and business impacts.

Their comments came at a jam-packed hearing in council chambers that drew about 300 people, who appeared to be about equally divided on the project, judging from their T-shirts and placards.

The councillors weighed in after staff explained the proposal and its proponents discussed its merits, but before any of the more than 160 people signed up to speak had been called to the microphone.

Paragon Gaming, the B.C. Lottery Corporation and the B.C. Pavilion Corporation all want the city to approve a $500-million development to build two hotels and a 1,500-slot, 150-table casino next to BC Place. The casino would be a much-expanded version of the Edgewater casino that now operates across the street at the Plaza of Nations.

Concerns raised by councillors included the scale of the project, the rise in gambling addiction and the provincial government’s cut in gambling funding to arts and entertainment groups.

Coun. Tim Stevenson said he was troubled by the proposal and that he had been inundated with letters from people opposed to the expansion.

He said had voted for a consolidated Edgewater casino application in 2004 but with reservations.

“We were assured at that time that ... there would be no need to go further, that we had accomplished all that was needed and that it was not too large or too obvious and that it was just right,” he said.

“So I am quite surprised to see this very, very, very expanded facility coming forth.”

Coun. Raymond Louie criticized BCLC’s forecasts of revenue, saying previous promises of revenues to the city for the existing casino had not been proved out.

But it was Coun. Kerry Jang, a University of B.C. physician who specializes in mental health issues, who hit a nerve with BCLC president Michael Graydon.

Under exhaustive questioning, Graydon acknowledged the corporation doesn’t know how much money it makes from the 4.6 per cent of people who are problem gamblers. He also acknowledged that the percentage of those with a severe gambling addiction — at 0.9 per cent — had risen in B.C. He said BCLC focuses on a message of gambling responsibly.

To cheers from opponents, Jang said: “So, don’t you think your head is in the sand, saying, ‘Well, we’ll talk about responsible gaming but we won’t talk about problem gambling?’”

The public hearing process around the proposal promises to be one of the most exhaustive in the city’s recent history.

As of Monday night more than 163 people had signed up to speak, many of them in favour. The night started with competing rallies on the steps of city hall.

Dressed in a bright yellow T-shirt with the words “Save Our Jobs,” Lesley Harris stood at the front door, worried that if council turns down the expansion she will lose her job as a promotions manager in the existing casino.

Standing 30 metres away, recently retired B.C. Supreme Court justice Ian Pitfield worried that if the application is approved, his colleagues on the bench will see more cases of families broken because of gambling problems.

Between the two were more than 300 people, who appeared to be about equally divided about the proposal.

When the doors to city hall were unlocked, they flooded in together to claim seats and territory from which to hold up banners or flash T-shirts.

There wasn’t a chair left empty on the third floor of city hall; opponents sat on the foyer floor beside casino workers, all of whom had been given the yellow support shirts by Paragon’s management.

Even Warren Buckley, the president of the B.C. Pavilion Corp, which is nominally the applicant for the development, was left standing at the back of the foyer, far outside the teak-panelled chambers.

Opponents carried placards with the names of individual councillors, saying “Build Our City, No Casino Expansion.”

Despite the obvious divide between the two camps, there was little initial sign of antagonism or anger.

Only when PavCo chairman David Podmore and BCLC’s Graydon began to defend the plan did some jeers break out.

When someone in the crowd yelled “bull----” while Graydon was talking, the mayor briefly stopped the proceedings and sternly appealed for civility.

At issue is a desire by Paragon, the B.C. Lottery Corporation and PavCo to see a two-acre parcel at the west end of BC Place redeveloped into what they bill as an entertainment complex.

Last year, PavCo gave Paragon a tentative 70-year lease subject to the city approving the expansion. Paragon wants to build an 800,000 square foot development, half of which would be two hotel towers with 646 rooms. Another 114,000 square feet between the two towers would be for the expanded casino.

BCLC, which has a mandate to expand gambling in the province, has said that if the application is successful, it would increase the size to 1,500 slot machines and 150 gaming tables, which city staff say would be the largest casino in Western Canada.

The hearings continue Tuesday night.

Higher density draws mixed reaction
Community meeting held to weigh pros, cons of development plans
21 March 2011
Vancouver Province

More than 100 Vancouver residents turned out for a community workshop Sunday to discuss the pros and cons of a developer's proposal for a residential-retail development at Kingsway and Broadway.

The City of Vancouver hosted the workshop highlighting the Mount Pleasant community plan. The plan allows for three tall buildings near the intersection of Broadway and Main Street, which the plan labels "Uptown."

Rize Alliance Properties Ltd. presented details of its proposed development for the trapezoid block bounded by Broadway, Kingsway, East 10th Avenue and Watson Street, a small street that runs parallel to Main Street on the east.

The site currently houses a parking lot, which replaced a row of low-rise commercial buildings on Broadway that were razed in an electrical fire on Christmas Day 2009.

Christopher Vollan, vice-president of Rize, said the community plan, adopted by city council last November, does a good job of maintaining the character of the neighbourhood -with a nod to the artists who live and work in the area -while encouraging density in the form of highrise apartments.

"People are somewhat resistant to change," he said. "This forum isn't about changing minds, it's about getting feedback."

The project, designed by Acton Ostry Architects, would create an "iconic landmark building."

Vollan noted 30,000 to 40,000 people move into Greater Vancouver every year, and housing them in suburbs is not the greenest solution to accommodating growth. Increasing the city's density is one green solution.

"People say, 'Density is great, but do it somewhere else,'" said Vollan.

Mount Pleasant resident Joel Parker had reservations.

"My biggest complaint is the size of the 26-storey building," he told The Province.

"It's not that I don't think we should develop it, it's a wonderful community. But Vancouver can do much better than pulling off a huge, big building much like we've done in Yaletown.

"It can be in keeping with the flavour of the buildings that are there and could be a beautiful community, so they could split it up into three six-to 12-storey buildings," said Parker, who moved to Mount Pleasant two years ago.

City council could vote on the Rize application as early as June.

The birth of a city, from humble beginnings as a two-block strip on the Gastown waterfront
6 April 2011
Vancouver Sun

In 1862, John Morton, Samuel Brighouse and William Hailstone were mocked for spending $555 on a big chunk of land squeezed between Burrard Inlet, English Bay and a pair of government reserves.

New Westminster was the main town on the B.C. mainland; only "three greenhorn Englishmen" would lay claim to 550 acres of swampy forest in the middle of nowhere.

But the Three Greenhorns had the last laugh -although it took awhile. In 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway decided to locate its terminus at the head of Burrard Inlet, where the provincial government had quietly given the company 6,000 acres of land.

On April 6, 1886, the City of Vancouver was incorporated. And the Three Greenhorns' great folly became the West End.

ROUGH AND TUMBLE START

There were only about 600 people in Vancouver when the city was incorporated, almost all of them men. They lived in a rough and tumble village that had sprung up around a couple of hotels/bars in Granville, Vancouver's original name. Most locals called it Gastown, after hotel owner Gassy Jack Deighton.

Granville wasn't much. An 1884 photo shows a dozen modest wooden buildings perched between Burrard Inlet and dense forest.

Many of the buildings were built on pilings, because the natural waterfront was largely tidal flats. Vancouver's legendary archivist, Major James Skitt Matthews, annotated the 1884 photo in detail, noting that high tide came in 100 feet at Carrall Street.

Visitors came in by boat, because there was little access by land. Often they'd paddle underneath a hotel or store, then lower provisions down through a trap door on the main floor of the building.

The streets weren't really streets in the modern sense. In some spots they were rough dirt paths dotted with tree stumps; in other places they were covered with planks so people didn't have to deal with the mud. Sewage was emptied right into Burrard Inlet, where it was washed away twice a day by the tides.

Granville was centred along today's Water Street, from Carrall to Cambie. Cottages were also carved out of the forest on Cordova. John Morton had a cabin on the bluff by the present-day Marine Building, and there was a small waterfront settlement at Hastings, by today's New Brighton Park. There were also native settlements in Stanley Park, Kitsilano and False Creek -some dating back hundreds of years.

The main employer was Hastings Mill, at the foot of Dunlevy, which was founded in 1863. It was reached by Hastings Road, a wagon trail that meandered along modern Alexander, Railway and Powell streets.

Granville sounded quite rowdy, with three hotels, a wine and spirits store and the Terminus Saloon all dispensing liquid happiness. Scottish butcher George Black gave "fashionable evening dances" at his residence, but Matthews' notes on the 1884 photo state Black also kept a "notorious bear" on a chain outside his shop.

In February 1886, 125 residents -all men, and almost all British -petitioned the provincial government to incorporate the city of Vancouver. Their wish was granted two months later.

FIRST ELECTION

Vancouver's first election on May 3, 1886, was a wild affair, rife with labour unrest and racism. The favourite going into the election was Hastings Sawmill manager Richard Alexander, of Alexander Street fame.

But a strike at the sawmill divided the community, particularly after Alexander announced he would hire Chinese workers to replace the white strikers. The strikers talked real estate salesman Malcolm MacLean into running against Alexander. MacLean had only been in town a few months, but won in a squeaker, 242 votes to 225.

The election was probably stolen. Up to 50 MacLean votes came from a single lease on a Cordova Street property, while MacLean's backers drove away a group of Chinese labourers who had been sent from Hastings Mill to vote for Alexander.

In any event, the boom was on, as the city raced for the arrival of the CPR. Trees were felled, brush was cleared, and workers set small fires to clear the land for building.

One of these fires was whipped up by a wind on June 13, 1886 and, within an hour, it devastated the city. Every building in the 1884 photo of Granville was destroyed.

"The city did not burn," said pioneer William Gallagher, "it was consumed by flame; the buildings simply melted away before the fiery blast."

Vancouver had a large transient population, so no one knows how many people were killed: estimates range from eight to 28.

But the city quickly rebuilt. Granville's buildings had been made of wood; many of the new commercial structures were brick. Several buildings built immediately after the fire are still around, including the 1886-87 Oppenheimer Block at Columbia and Powell (now Bryan Adams' Warehouse recording studio), and the 1886-87 Byrnes Block and Ferguson Block, across the street from each other at Carrall and Water.

The first CPR train pulled into town on May 23, 1887. The rail line was initially built on a trestle over top of the tidal flats, and ended up at a wharf at the foot of Granville. A bigger station opened in 1898, which was in turn replaced by the current station in 1914. By then the old tidal flats had been filled in for rail lines.

SPREADING WEST

The heart of the city was initially Carrall and Cordova. But the CPR owned a bunch of land further west, so it successfully lured development westward by building the first Hotel Vancouver at Georgia and Granville in 1887, and then adding an opera house nearby.

Like the CPR station, there have been three Hotel Vancouvers. The second one opened in 1916, while the present one was started in 1929 but wasn't completed for 10 years -construction was halted because of the Great Depression.

Pioneer Gallagher said the tallest trees in the city were at Georgia and Granville, up to 300 feet tall. Most of the area was forest when the city was incorporated, although there had been plenty of logging -Stanley Park was logged several times before it was declared a park in 1888. Many of the park trails are old skid roads, where loggers would "skid" freshly cut logs.

You can see the layout of the early city in "Bird's Eye View" maps published in 1890 and 1898 by The Vancouver World newspaper. They featured an artist's conception of every building in the city from high in the sky above Burrard Inlet.

The buildings were clustered in Gastown, Chinatown, the East End (Strathcona), Yaletown and the West End, although only as far west as Jervis. There were also a handful of buildings in Mount Pleasant, reached by a bridge across Westminster Avenue, the original name for Main Street.

Why was there a bridge? Because False Creek went all the way up to Clark Drive. The eastern end of False Creek was filled in for railway lands between 1916 and 1920. A sliver of water also poked up to Columbia and Keefer; there was a cluster of industry nearby, including the Royal City Sawmill at the top of Carrall. Carrall was an important street in early Vancouver: it also had the city dock on the Burrard Inlet side.

The rich built their homes on the bluff above Coal Harbour where Morton had built his cabin. West of Burrard, Hastings turned into Seaton Street, which was known as Blueblood Alley. But the bluebloods soon left for the West End, and then Shaughnessy. Only one Blueblood Alley mansion remains: Henry Abbott's home at 720 Jervis.

Abbott was the CPR superintendent in charge of building the railway to the coast. He is remembered in Abbotsford and in Abbott Street.

The CPR supplied Vancouver with many of its street names -the city was laid out by CPR surveyor Lauchlan Hamilton, who named Hamilton Street after himself. But Hamilton didn't name the city -that was done by William Cornelius Van Horne, head of the CPR.

Van Horne thought Granville was too obscure for the CPR's terminus; he wanted something that people knew. So he renamed the budding city after English explorer Captain George Vancouver, the first European to sail into Burrard Inlet.

Van Horne's vision of a Pacific Coast metropolis was quickly realized. The population exploded from 600 in 1886 to 6,000 in 1888, 13,000 in 1890, 25,000 in 1901 and 117,000 in 1911. But it came with a price: Vancouver grew so rapidly, and so constantly, precious little remains of the 1880s city that started it all.

jmackie@vancouversun.com

1) There was a bridge across Main street, which was then called Westminster Avenue. The bridge was there because False Creek used to extend almost to Clark Drive; it was filled in for railway lands in 1916. False Creek also extended to Keefer and Columbia in Chinatown.

2) Mount Pleasant was the first neighbourhood settled outside the downtown peninsula. The first four streets up from False Creek were Front, Dufferin, Lorne and Lansdowne, which became First, Second, Third and Fourth in 1926.

3) There was a sawmill at the southern foot of Carrall and a public wharf at the northern end. There were also wharfs at Abbott, Columbia, Gore, Dunlevy and Granville.

4) The city was centred around Gastown, with Cordova the main shopping street.

5) Much of the downtown area was comprised of housing. The city's first wealthy enclave, nicknamed Bluebood Alley, was on the bluff west of Burrard, where the Marine Building is today.

6) Vancouver's population in 1898 was about 25,000. The West End was still sparsely populated; the map doesn't even bother to include Stanley Park.

7) Granville Street was built up north of Smithe, but largely vacant south of it. One notable exception was the corner of Granville and Drake, where the Yale Hotel was built in 1888 and still stands today.

8) At the northern foot of Granville was the second Canadian Pacific Railway station, a massive Victorian structure that was torn down in 1914 for the current station.

9) The Vancouver Daily World newspaper was founded in 1888 and lasted until 1924, when it was purchased by The Vancouver Sun. For many years it was owned by the flamboyant Louis D. Taylor, an American immigrant who was elected mayor of Vancouver seven times between 1910 and 1934.

Great city!!!! and very good to live, sure.

I have a soft spot for Vancouver. It may be somewhat boring, but it's designed extremely well and its surroundings are stunning.

Updated first page June 22

Burrard Gateway, Vancouver

Photos by Built Form on SSP:

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http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/5029/p1020921g.jpg

really nice :)

looks really tall.

50+ floors, looks to be around 170m.

That's a fantastic project!!

Rental housing crisis looms

The region needs 65,000 new units a year, yet only 600 are built annually. With mortgage rates set to rise, quality affordable housing may become even more difficult to find

By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver
Sun July 16, 2011

When Tom Durrie moved to Vancouver in the 1960s, it was a dream come true for the California native. But these days, he has to work a job-and-a-half just to keep a roof over his head.

Durrie, 80, is a victim of Metro Vancouver's rental housing market, which gobbles up nearly half his paycheque every month and keeps reaching into his pocket for more every year.

At least he has his own space. One of his buddies has been looking for something affordable in Vancouver's east side for a while now. Others are living in cramped quarters or dingy basement suites because they can't afford anything else, or landlords won't accept their pets.

"I'd hate to be looking now," said Durrie, who has lived in the same building on Vancouver's east side since 1996 and holds down part-time jobs to make ends meet.

"Three years ago I'd considered moving but I really couldn't find anything. If it was a little bit cheaper it was awful; if it was a little bit nicer than this, it cost more. In a way, what I'm paying is a bargain."

Durrie's situation is becoming increasingly common across Metro Vancouver, where an increase in the number of new international migrants and a hot real estate market have conspired to boost the number of renters vying for apartments, basement suites and condo units.

And Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. predicts that as mortgage rates climb over the next 18 months, more people will turn to renting as a more viable alternative to buying their own home.

In addition, 40,000 people -or 18,000 households -move into the Lower Mainland every year. Those numbers are expected to rise as the region prepares for another one million people by 2040.

This has Metro Vancouver mayors fretting over where to put the newcomers. The region needs 65,000 new rental units every year, yet only 600 purpose-built rental units have been created annually in the past five years. "We have all these people coming in and no space for them," warned New Westminster Mayor Wayne Wright.

Marg Gordon, CEO of the B.C. Apartment Owners and Managers' Association, predicts the challenge will come in the next decade as Metro Vancouver's aging rental stock continues to deteriorate and municipalities approve more redevelopment in their communities.

According to CMHC's spring rental market survey, the rental apartment vacancy rate in Canada's 35 major centres was 2.5 per cent in April 2011, down from 2.9 per cent in April 2010. In Vancouver, it was at 2.8 per cent, up from 2.2 per cent a year earlier and above the 10-year average of 1.3 per cent, said CMHC analyst Richard Sam. Vancouver has now dropped behind Toronto, which has been dubbed a more expensive place to live because of rising rents driven by a tightening rental market. By comparison, the vacancy rate in Toronto was 1.6 per cent in April, down from 2.7 per cent a year earlier.

Gordon noted Metro Vancouver is seeing a higher vacancy rate because of a number of factors: more people are buying their own homes, while others are sharing suites and apartments, moving back in with their parents or renting out their investment condos, which has helped somewhat to increase the rental stock.

But within 10 years, the market will be much tighter, as many of the existing purpose-built rental units -erected more than 50 years ago -could fail, unless they're extensively renovated or repaired to newer standards and a new housing policy is developed.

"Although many of the buildings are old, decrepit and falling apart, we need to find ways to keep them in the housing stock," she said.

Without them, she warned, there will be even fewer options for those who need it most: families and individuals who earn less than $45,000 a year.

TWO-BEDROOM UNITS COST MORE

Across Canada, the average twobedroom rent in new and existing structures was $864 in April 2011, compared with $848 in April 2010. Vancouver has one of the highest average monthly rents for two-bedroom apartments at $1,181, according to CMHC, but was slightly less than Toronto overall. Richard Sam, a market analyst with CMHC, said Vancouver tends to have more one-bedroom apartments, which may be driving rents for two-bedroom suites higher because of the demand.

Households considered in "core need" are those who are unable to find appropriate housing without spending 30 per cent or more of their income on shelter. Yet about 80,000 people in Metro Vancouver spend about 30 per cent of their salaries on rent, according to the B.C. Apartment Owners and Managers' Association, while another 30,000 people hand over half their paycheques to a landlord each month.

Durrie's rental apartment on Adanac Street costs $878 per month -about 45 per cent of his $1,922 paycheque. Ten years ago, that same suite, including utilities, cost $715 per month.

But he counts himself lucky: he has a good-sized, one-bedroom apartment on the third floor with a view of the North Shore mountains and Commercial Drive.

Across the water in Richmond, by comparison, Steve Torr has been struggling to find a decent apartment for himself and his five-year-old shepherd lab Tajia.

The 29-year-old paralegal has been sharing a 600-sq. ft, $1,000-a-month, two-bedroom caretaker's suite with a friend in the industrial business complex where he works. Both have dogs, which has made it difficult for them to find anything better, even though Torr said he's willing to take out a $50,000 pet insurance policy.

"Oh my God, you have no idea," he said. "I'm almost to the point where it's easier for me to buy a Winnebago and live in the car."

Torr said he never expected it would be this tough to find a place when he and Tajia moved to B.C. from Ontario four years ago.

Although there are pet-friendly suites out there, he said, most of them have a 20-to 50-per-cent surcharge on usual rents. And while he could find a place in Surrey or Langley, the money he'd save on rent would be guzzled up in gas driving to work in Richmond every day.

He and his buddy are sharing a suite so they can save enough money to buy their own homes.

"We've just been looking for a nice place to improve our quality of life," Torr said. "It's a complete catch-22 in this province. It's completely ridiculous. The rents are so inflated that unless you make $60,000 or $70,000 [a year] you can't save for a mortgage. The houses are too expensive for any reasonable or rational person to be able to afford."

MAYORS BLAME IT ON THE FEDS

Metro mayors say their hands are tied. They blame the federal government, which in the 1980s eliminated tax incentives and infrastructure funds that had helped stimulate a boom in the number of purpose-built rentals across B.C. The government further discouraged rental housing development by not allowing reinvestment in rental housing to be exempt from the capital gains tax.

This resulted in landowners focusing more on developing condos -particularly in hot markets like Vancouver -because they are more profitable than rental housing.

And in some cases, municipalities have placed moratoriums on rental housing, Wright said. No new rental housing has been built in Coquitlam for 20 years, something the city's mayor blames on the high cost of land.

Coquitlam has instead legalized secondary suites and is looking at other options such as laneway housing to accommodate its growing population, of whom 50 per cent are renters.

"There isn't a bank out there that will lend money for rental housing in suburban B.C. because land values are so high," Mayor Richard Stewart said. "Almost every project goes as condominiums. We have a large amount of rental housing but it's not being replaced."

In Vancouver, Mayor Gregor Robertson said the city's rental housing scheme has been stalled because it can't get "any traction" from the federal government despite constant lobbying. Since 2004, only 180 rental housing units have been built each year compared with 3,000 units for owners.

"The federal government has rebuffed us year after year," Robertson said. "We're pulling out all the stops and we can barely move the needle in getting rental housing."

To help boost rental housing, the city in 2009 approved its STIR (shortterm incentives for rental) program, which runs until December this year. By offering incentives to developers, including a development cost levy waiver, parking requirement reduction, expedited permit processing and increased density, the city hoped to address the shortfall in the city's rental market.

Only six per cent of new market development since 2004 has been rental housing, despite the fact 52 per cent of residents don't own their own units.

Coun. Raymond Louie said the STIR program has shown some success and will help alleviate the pressure on the Vancouver market, which has 15,000 units that will be under threat in the next 10 years, and will need another 15,000 more just to cover the existing shortfall.

But he noted STIR is only a temporary measure, and Vancouver is calling for the federal and provincial governments to get involved. The city would like to see federal legislation allowing landlords to treat their rental housing units as a business so they can write off a portion on their taxes, as well as any reinvestment in rental housing to be exempt from capital gains taxes. Otherwise, Louie said, there's a disincentive to revitalize rental stock.

"It makes more sense for the provincial and federal governments to participate so we don't end up where all rental stock is decaying to substandard levels," he said.

INCENTIVES FOR RENTAL HOUSING

Meanwhile, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan said his city would like to create rental housing zones that would protect existing apartment buildings from being turned into condos later on. But the concept has met with resistance from the provincial government, he said, because this would hurt a homeowner's ability to make money off property investments.

"We keep looking for ways to stimulate rental development," Corrigan said. "But no matter how hard we work, the numbers don't."

Peter Simpson, president and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders' Association, agreed it's tough getting politicians to buy into the idea of providing incentives for rental housing. And developers aren't willing to build something if they can't make a profit on it.

"There's a lot that can be done for rental housing, but there has to be a return on investment," he said.

Simpson, along with Gordon and Wright, is a member of the Rental Housing Support Coalition, which is pushing senior governments to develop a national housing strategy and remove tax impediments and capital gains taxes on landlords to encourage purpose-built rentals.

"All municipalities are trying to densify as well and rentals have to be part of that mix," he said. "We have to find room for another one million people in this region."

Simpson said investment-owned condo rentals have been the "saving grace" in Metro Vancouver because they have eased the rental crunch by adding new stock to the rental pool.

But CMHC noted those condo units tend to be on average 45-to 60-percent higher than typical rentals because they include features like concierge service, in-suite laundry and fitness facilities. Newer purpose-built rental apartments also compete with those condos for tenants at the higher end of the rental market, the report said.

Development of affordable purposebuilt rental stock hasn't kept up.

Cities like Surrey, which will take the lion's share of the new immigrants in the next 30 years, are trying to find solutions to the looming affordable rental crisis.

Surrey Coun. Judy Villeneuve agrees with Gordon that the crunch will come in 10 years when cities redevelop, particularly around transit stations, and rip out the older, deteriorating housing units. She said municipalities must find ways to encourage more rental stock or the gap between rich and poor is going to get bigger.

"There's no money to build new housing," she said. "We're going to be accepting new immigrants and refugees who need that housing."

Surrey has a memorandum of understanding with BC Housing, which has three or four projects for transitional and other housing underway in the city. The city is also taking steps to legalize the more than 18,000 basement suites within its boundaries, to ease some of the pressure.

But Gordon argues that while basement suites and condo units serve a much-needed demand, they aren't permanent rental stock. Condo owners might decide to live in their units or sell them when times go sour, she said, while the supply of new basement suites is dwindling and will eventually run out.

Gordon suggests Metro Vancouver municipalities could help boost the rental stock by making land available; increasing density; reducing development fees and regulations; and speeding up the development process.

"There's only one pocket that pays for that and that's the owner; they have bills to pay like everyone else," she said. "We need to make it back to the days of GST rollovers and tax rollovers ... all the incentives that made it possible to run rental housing and be profitable."

VACANCIES SOUTH OF THE FRASER

Rental housing demands and shortages appear to vary across Metro Vancouver. But many people agree on one thing: "It's just a matter of luck," said Heather Bould, who is looking for a suite in Burnaby, but has a sheepdoglab cross named Lucy.

Surrey resident Steve Hecocks, who is searching for a three-bedroom ground-floor suite in a house for his daughter and her family in Surrey, said there appears to be more affordable rental options south of the Fraser compared with other municipalities.

He and his wife decided to buy a townhouse in Surrey because it was cheaper than renting an apartment in Metrotown after they sold their Burnaby home. "Burnaby and Vancouver are a little more expensive," he said.

Hecocks also wants something with laundry facilities and a bit of a yard for his grandchildren, all for $1,000 a month. He found the perfect home once but it slipped from his grasp because the current tenants decided they didn't want to leave. He's also fled from places that had peeling paint and broken windows in dodgy parts of town.

"A little bit of paint and elbow grease would go a long way," he said. "We'll find something, but it might not be exactly the dream place I want."

But there are those, like Durrie, who dread being chased to the suburbs by skyrocketing rents.

"I don't know where else I would go; I wouldn't move out to the suburbs ..." he said. "I suppose I could go live with one of my kids."

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Rental+housing+crisis+looms/5112788/story.html#ixzz1SNKc5MEn

Experts warned B.C. of fire risks before taller wood buildings allowed: documents
By TRACY SHERLOCK, Vancouver
Sun July 18, 2011 10:40 PM

Surrey's fire chief says new guidelines will help to avoid major fires in large wood complexes like the one that destroyed this building in May in Richmond.

The Architectural Institute of British Columbia has ongoing serious concerns with fire safety in six-storey wood-frame buildings.

The institute first expressed its view in a letter submitted to the provincial government before the building code was changed in 2009 to allow taller wood-frame buildings.

The letter, obtained by The Vancouver Sun through Freedom of Information, formed part of the consultation process before the changes were made.

“It is our opinion that implementing the code proposals by Jan. 15, 2009 ... would be premature, unnecessarily risk-prone and therefore not entirely in the public interest,” executive director Michael Ernest wrote in December 2008.

When contacted last week, Ernest said the same concerns exist today.

The buildings are most at risk during construction, and the larger the building the more potentially damaging the consequences will be, Ernest said.

In May, one of B.C.’s first six-storey, wood-frame buildings burned to the ground weeks before it was to be completed in a massive fire in Richmond. The flames could be seen for miles and sparks ignited spot fires that threatened 10 homes in the area.

The building’s sprinkler systems had not yet been activated.

Last week, Surrey fire department announced plans to improve fire-safety guidelines during the construction phase of large wood-frame buildings.

And Vancouver will take a close look at safety requirements before approving the city’s first six-storey wood-frame building — a social-housing project slated for 1050 Expo Blvd.

“I still hear those cautions,” Ernest said. “When some regulation is brought in, certainly something with the building code, which is created purely in the public interest, that’s got to drive it. You’ve got a balance of interests, and the province made its decision.”

Although the provincial government is not planning any building code changes to prevent similar fires, more proposals for taller, wood-frame buildings are being accepted, including the one proposed for Vancouver.

The city’s Urban Design Panel last Wednesday held a scheduled review of the proposed building, one of 12 sites being developed for social housing in a partnership between the City of Vancouver and BC Housing. The $30.6-million project will provide 133 suites of social housing. The Remy project in Richmond also had a social-housing component.

Vancouver will take a special look at the Expo Boulevard building with the fire department, with an eye to strengthening the safety requirements during construction, said Will Johnston, the city’s director of licences and inspections.

“Some time next year we will be issuing a new bylaw and fire bylaw for the City of Vancouver. These measures will be incorporated into that bylaw [for large wood-frame buildings].”

New Surrey guidelines will include the installation and activation of sprinklers as each floor is built, more active on-site security to patrol for potential fires and more safeguards during hot work such as soldering or welding.

Stephen Gamble, the Township of Langley’s fire chief and past president of the B.C. Fire Chiefs’ Association, told The Sun he is looking forward to seeing the new Surrey rules.

“We will be looking at how that could work in the Township of Langley,” Gamble said.

Ernest said it’s up to city councils or other approving bodies to reject developments if they don’t have the resources to deal with the risks.

“If there’s a building proposed, and whatever the risk is can’t be handled by municipal services or the industry when it’s building it, then somebody’s got to be wise and caring enough at the permitting stage to say, ‘We can’t handle this.’”

Other documents obtained by The Sun through FOI requests show that at a stakeholder meeting held to discuss the proposed building code changes on Oct. 2, 2008, suggestions included banning drywall heaters during construction, requiring on-site security 24 hours a day and the early completion of the sprinkler system.

The government also conducted a survey in 2008 as part of the consultation process, the results of which The Sun obtained through another Freedom of Information request.

Fully 37 per cent of respondents opposed the building height clause, with comments ranging from concerns about safety to concerns the process was being rushed.

“Combustible construction over four storeys poses unjustifiable life risk to occupants and firefighters; need review of fire department capacity due to unreliability of water supply,” wrote one respondent.

“Concerns with fire during construction phase, including risks to adjacent properties,” wrote another respondent.

More than 100 respondents participated, and just over half identified themselves as engineers, building officials, local government representatives, architects, fire officials, contractors or tradespeople and developers.

The remainder did not identify themselves.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Experts+warned+fire+risks+before+taller+wood+buildings+allowed+documents/5121421/story.html#ixzz1SXhLEWXy

Waterfront arts precinct for West Vancouver?
By Tessa Holloway, North Shore News July 22, 2011

A waterfront arts precinct stretching along Argyle Avenue with a new exhibition space and education centre on the Ferry Building site is the hope of West Vancouver arts groups.

According to the plan, drawn up by the Arts in Ambleside Advisory Commission, a new multi-purpose art and museum exhibition space and administration building would be built on the site of the Ferry Building Gallery, while that gallery could be moved, possibly onto the pier itself.

The report also calls for a neighbouring "arts square" at the foot of the pier and an educational building and café on the other side, as well as additions to the Silk Purse Gallery that would include a permanent outdoor stage for John Lawson Park - a full "arts precinct."

The commission presented an interim report with conceptualized site designs to council Monday. The group is now looking for resident feedback on the proposed locations.

"We really did an exhaustive exploration of sites within that whole

waterfront precinct, and not just on the waterfront, we looked at a lot of other sites," said Jennifer Marshall, a consultant with Urban Arts Architecture. "It's the one place where there's enough space and it's a space that's already been claimed by culture."

The locations the commission turned down included the 1300-block of Marine Drive slated for redevelopment as part of the AmblesideNow, project the tennis courts at 13th Street and Marine Drive, a spot at Argyle Avenue and 15th Street, Argyle and 13th Street and a location next to the Silk Purse.

The Ferry Building site was the only one that stood out as meeting the criteria of having space to expand, remaining connected to the commercial core while also being a dramatic, waterfront site, said Marshall.

The café was included to provide revenue and also to bring people in, she said.

Marshall asked council to consider making the land available at no cost for construction and to consider expanding the grants provided for operations. She said the commission hoped to raise the entire construction cost through private donations, grants and community amenity contributions, but didn't exactly rule out asking for municipal funds.

"Who knows what the future holds, but that's not what the plan is," she said.

The challenge, she said, will be recovering operating funds.

Marshall suggested the site could be booked for weddings and other events, and that revenue would increase from events, partnerships, donations and an expanded endowment fund. Construction won't begin until the operating budget is in order, she added.

The commission plans to return to council with a final report in the fall, which will include more details about projected costs and facility size, said Marshall. It's budget for researching and generating both reports is $80,000.

The advisory commission has representatives from the West Vancouver Museum and arts organizations, such as the Silk Purse, Ferry Building Gallery, and others involved in arts delivery in British Columbia.

Commission chairwoman, Merla Beckerman, said the plan is ambitious, but is designed to carry West Vancouver through the next 25 years, although the components could be staged for completion into multiple phases. Beckerman noted that West Vancouver's arts groups have been talking about a new combined arts facility since the 1970s. She said this time the momentum is here to put shovels in the ground.

She said the plan is to move forward at the same time as AmblesideNow.

"Our timing is very good for this, and certainly (it's) a needed facility," she said.

The commission also sought approval from staff to amalgamate all the boards of West Vancouver's arts organizations and museums, which Beckerman said would allow them to share staff, share space and save money.

A 2009 report suggested exhibition space of 6,000 square feet would be a small component of a 28,000-square-foot building would also house collection storage and administration offices for all West Vancouver's arts organizations

The interim report is available to the public as part of the online council agenda package for July 18, but no website has been created yet for the plan.

There will be a booth set up at the Harmony Arts Festival to solicit feedback.

tholloway@nsnews.com

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Waterfront+arts+precinct+West+Vancouver/5145163/story.html#ixzz1SuhsgYFv

Critics skewer City of Vancouver’s affordable housing target
By Sam Cooper, The Province
July 28, 2011

The only clear thing about Vancouver’s ambitious new strategy to tackle the city’s homelessness and housing affordability crises, is no one has a clear idea on how much it will cost, or even how to actually place homeless people into social housing.

Vancouver’s strategy to create about 39,000 new “affordable” homes by 2021 was approved in city hall Thursday, after council heard from a long list of speakers including housing providers, advocates, and homeless people.

The plan calls for 7,900 social-housing units, 11,000 market rental units and 20,000 new condo units in 10 years.

Before the tricky question of who would actually pay for the new units was raised in debate, city staff lobbed a stunner at council.

Housing planner Judy Graves said staff is having trouble moving the existing homeless population into empty rooms in newly completed city-owned social housing sites, which are part of a provincially-funded package of 14 buildings to be finished in the next year or so.

Officials haven’t answered what exactly the challenges are, but the problem seems to be about competition for units, and the difficulty in moving addicts from the Downtown Eastside from shelters into permanent rooms with rules about drug use, safety, and maintenance.

NPA mayoral contender Coun. Suzanne Anton, NPA council hopeful Mike Klassen, and Wendy Pedersen, an advocate for low-income housing from the Carnegie Community Action Project, all questioned the cost and lack of details in the new plan.

Pedersen urged the city to lobby “fiercely” for national funding, and demanded the plan include commitments to build more low-rent hotel rooms in order to replace stock that she says is rapidly being lost due to property speculation in Vancouver’s red-hot housing market.

“There is no way for the city to get a handle on the homelessness or housing crisis, without senior governments,” Pedersen said. “We can’t meet these goals.”

“This plan is extremely utopian — the math doesn’t add up,” Klassen said. “Will it cost several hundred million or a billion? That’s not clear.”

Anton, who voted against the plan, rejected the idea of starting a “rent bank” where tenants facing eviction for not paying their rent can apply for a loan or grant from the city. She questioned how the city could afford the rent bank, and whether it would attract people from across the region to flood into Vancouver.

“That’s a very good question, and those are the questions that will be answered when the report comes back to council,” Vision Vancouver Coun. Raymond Louie said Thursday in an interview about the rent bank and general costs of the plan.

Much of the hoped for funding would come from public and private partners, Louie said.

Some critics doubt that “affordable” condos proposed in the plan will be useful to low income earners.

“The affordable condos are too small for families, and they are not affordable to anyone that can use them,” said housing advocate Fraser Stewart, citing a development currently proposed in the Downtown Eastside, Sequel 138, in which one-bedroom units would start at $227,000 for about 450 square feet.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/news/Critics+skewer+City+Vancouver+affordable+housing+target/5175634/story.html#ixzz1Tr31BQPI

Oxford's downtown tower kicks off new round of construction
The buildings, offering more than a million square feet of office space, will be welcome additions in an area with low office vacancy rates
By Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun
August 6, 2011

The slender 35-storey office tower Oxford Properties is building in the space between the iconic Marine Building and Guinness Tower in downtown Vancouver is a breakthrough.

When Oxford breaks ground, which is planned for this fall, the project will be the first purpose-built office building to start construction in the downtown core in almost a decade.

And it will kick off an expected significant new round of office development, followed closely by a new 25-storey Bentall Kennedy building at 745 Thurlow, and the 22-storey Telus Garden project at Robson and Seymour, after a decade in which some feared condominium development would push the purpose-built office tower out of Vancouver's core.

Then just outside the city's official Central Business District (CBD) the Aquilini Group is planning a 22-storey office building adjacent to Rogers Arena.

The new buildings - over one million square feet of office space - will be welcome additions in a downtown market which has maintained notoriously low office vacancy rates and limited options to accommodate companies looking for large blocks of space.

For Oxford, vice-president David Routledge said conditions in the downtown market made its 1021 West Hastings building "the right time, the right product."

"Oxford's Vancouver portfolio is virtually 100-per-cent leased, and we also see a trend of steady demand and good growth in the Vancouver market," he added.

The 1021 West Hastings building will accommodate the facade of its University Club neighbour in its design and contain 270,000 square feet of office space with each floor consisting of some 8,000 square feet to fit in the narrow lot between the Marine Building and Guinness Tower, both of which are also owned by Oxford.

Maury Dubuque, vice-president at commercial realtor Colliers International, said 1021 West Hastings floor sizes are small - about half the size of typical downtown Vancouver office buildings - but Oxford has designed it shrewdly for downtown Vancouver, where there the average office tenant takes up between 3,000 and 3,500 square feet.

"That's a brilliant idea to make use of a small site," Dubuque added.

And looking at the mounting number of new projects in development, Dubuque surmised that it is simply about time.

"I know that doesn't sound scientific, but downtown the average age of Triple A (premium-quality) office buildings is about 18 to 20 years."

Vancouver has the reputation as "among the top-performing office markets in North America," Dubuque said, with downtown's vacancy rate hovering at just under four per cent in total, but at just three per cent for its top-quality buildings, according to Colliers' latest statistics.

So, Dubuque added, the city needs new buildings to rejuvenate its stock of top-quality buildings as much as it is to catch up with growth in the market and make up for the period in which office space largely lost out to condominium development.

Dubuque said that during the condominium boom, while office developers were calculating investments in office property valued in the range of $500 per square foot, condominium developers were proposing projects valued around $1,000 per square foot.

"Obviously they were able to bid up the price of those sites to make it economically unfeasible to commercial developers," he added.

So, according to statistics collected by commercial realtor Cushman & Wakefield, downtown Vancouver went from a period between 2000-2005 when developers completed 1.6 million square feet of new office space to the 2005-2010 period where just 260,000 square feet was completed.

Burnaby, by contrast, saw almost 1.4 million square feet of office space built between 2000-2005 and another almost 1.1 million square feet completed between 2005-2010.

However, the City of Vancouver has made some conscious choices in its CBD to tilt the advantage back in the favour of office developers, Brent Toderian, the city's director of planning, said in an interview.

Toderian said that in 2004, within the CBD, the city put a moratorium on the conversion of building sites to allow residential development, which has since been replaced by official policy that generally does not allow residential construction in the zone, which is bound by Thurlow Street in the west and Beatty Street in the east and runs from the waterfront to Robson Street.

Toderian added that the policy has taken an element of speculation out of the equation for downtown's office developers.

"As soon as we did that, combined with the favourable market conditions, we have the applications we see now," Toderian said.

Construction schedules for 745 Thurlow, the Aquilini building at 800 Griffiths Way and Telus Garden - which is part of a larger development that includes a 44-storey residential tower - have not formally been launched.

However, Telus has said it wants to see its new, 500,000-square-foot headquarters building complete by 2015. Telus is expected to occupy about half the space, leaving about 200,000 square feet available for lease.

Dubuque added that all the new buildings introduce the latest technology and incorporate the concept of environmental sustainability into their designs, which are important considerations for the big law, accounting and engineering firms, which will be likely tenants for the properties.

Oxford, for example, is aiming for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed) Gold rating for its building. Telus wants a Leed Platinum rating for its tower.

"Large corporate users, virtually with no exception, have corporate sustainability initiatives that would cause them to only examine Leed-certified buildings," Dubuque said.

And commercial realtors are confident that the new buildings being proposed won't flood the downtown Vancouver market with new space.

"Our vacancy rates are so tight right now, and [rents] are high enough to pretty much justify kicking off new buildings," said Andrea Welburn, research manager for Cushman & Wakefield in Vancouver.

What the new buildings will do, she added, is give bigger tenants the freedom to move or expand and make space for growth. "It's quite exciting," Dubuque said of the planned projects, "because we haven't had a significant [construction] cycle in some time."

depenner@vancouversun.com

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Oxford+downtown+tower+kicks+round+construction/5216444/story.html#ixzz1ULhFCFYL

I'm from Toronto, lived in Vancouver for a while. And now I moved to San Francisco to work in the Valley. I think Vancouver is closer to Toronto in culture than SF.

The only similarity between Vancouver and SF is size. Otherwise, buildings in SF are much older, and just like the rest of California the mexican/latino scene in SF is very strong. I don't see any similarity between the two at all! Vancouver people are much more laid back. And also, family is practically non-existant in SF. Most families are in South Bay.

And btw, I love Vancouver a lot more. :)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/glitzy-new-addition-to-wave-of-new-office-construction-aims-to-be-vancouvers-greenest/article2179016/

Glitzy new addition to wave of new office construction aims to be Vancouver's greenest

FRANCES BULA
VANCOUVER— Globe and Mail Update
Published Saturday, Sep. 24, 2011 12:24PM EDT

A European consortium is preparing to develop a new office tower in Vancouver, a first in the city’s recent downtown development and a potential glitzy new addition to an existing wave of new office construction.

The planned 400,000-square-foot tower, to be made public Monday by Credit Suisse AG and Swissreal Investments Inc., will be aiming for construction that’s at the highest environmental certification level ever seen in the city for an office building – LEED Platinum.

The building design displayed by the architects, Iredale Group Architecture, shows a strikingly modern tower made up of two distinct components that envelop and preserve the city’s Old Stock Exchange Building on 800 West Pender St.

Renderings posted by mhy on SkyscarperPage:

http://www.iredale.ca/Libraries/Old_Stock_Exchange_Development/SweetDay_02.sflb.ashx
http://www.iredale.ca/Libraries/Old_Stock_Exchange_Development/SweetNight_01.sflb.ashx
http://www.iredale.ca/Libraries/Old_Stock_Exchange_Development/09029-IMG-PenderEntrance-110914.sflb.ashx
http://www.iredale.ca/Libraries/Old_Stock_Exchange_Development/09029-IMG-LookingUp-110919__LH.sflb.ashx

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/6622/09029imgtowertop110923.jpg

Looks great, towers with spires on top are generally much better than just ordinary boxy ones ( much better especially at night. )

I'm really digging the top.

Updated first page Sept. 25

Marine Gateway

http://www.marinegateway.com/

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6236/6316487886_b988774ec9_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6107/6315970955_ecc149108d_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6057/6315971421_30fcd201ed_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6041/6316489106_19f04c5965_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6097/6316489434_6ef2cf8ea6_b.jpg

Updated first page Nov 9

High-tech greenhouse planned for downtown Vancouver parkade rooftop
By RANDY SHORE, Vancouver Sun
December 13, 2011

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/High+tech+greenhouse+planned+downtown+Vancouver+parkade+rooftop/5854302/story.html#ixzz1gf0FoCu4

VANCOUVER -- The roof of a city-owned downtown parkade will be converted to a high-tech vertical growing space capable of producing 95 tonnes of fresh vegetables a year.

Vancouver-based Valcent Products has entered into a memorandum of understanding with EasyPark, the corporate manager of the city’s parkades, to build a 6,000-square-foot greenhouse on underutilized space on the roof of the parkade at 535 Richards Street, in the heart of the downtown core.

The inside of the greenhouse will be anything but ordinary. Four-metre-high stacks of growing trays on motorized conveyors will ferry plants up, down and around for watering, to capture the sun’s rays and then move them into position for an easy harvest.

The array will produce about the same amount of produce as 6.4 hectares (16 acres) of California fields, according to Christopher Ng, chief operating officer of Valcent.

Construction will begin on the project in January, with an eye to harvesting the first crops in April. The greenhouse will cover less than half of the available space on the rooftop, leaving open the possibility that a second, equally productive greenhouse can be built in the future.

Ng reasons that Valcent’s growing technology is a perfect match with Vancouver’s stated goal of becoming the greenest city in the world by 2020. He found the city was not only willing to listen to his idea, but also to act on it. EasyPark came up with suggestions for properties that might work.

EasyPark general manager Mel McKinney for EasyPark sees the VertiCrop installation as a way to promote environmental leadership while repurposing an underused city asset.

“This long-term lease generates direct financial benefit to Vancouverites while showcasing Vancouver’s sustainability innovation,” said McKinney in a quote supplied by email.

“We saw some synergy ... between [the city’s] greenest city goals and our technology to grow food in an urban environment,” Ng said.

Valcent has struck the deal with EasyPark and local food supplier PSWJ Holdings to market and distribute the produce. Talks are also underway with a bicycle-based food delivery company and Ng figures to lure the city’s top chefs aboard once the quality of the product is established.

The VertiCrop system can be used to grow at least 20 varieties of lettuces, herbs and greens, provided they are under 30 centimetres (one foot) tall.

The Richards Street property has good access to light throughout the day despite being surrounded by tall buildings, so no artificial lighting will be required. Heat will be provided by the sun through much of the year and low-carbon hydroelectric power during the coldest months. The greenhouse will be clad with fluoropolymer sheets rather than glass to enhance light transmission and reduce the risk of damage due to wind.

Growing greens close to home makes sense both environmentally and nutritionally, Ng said.

“In the winter our lettuce comes from California, Mexico and as far south as Chile,” he said. “The food miles are just phenomenal.

“Plus, lettuce loses half its nutritional value in the first 96 hours after you pick it. California lettuce hasn’t even crossed the border in 96 hours.”

The memorandum calls for a formal lease on the parkade space to be signed within 90 days.

what is the tallest building completed, U/C or proposed in Vancouver? :)

Updated first page. １・１１

Updated first page - Jan. 18 with 2 new proposals.

^^ Can you please post new proposals on here too so we will know which ones you updated? Not everyone know which ones you updated.

^^ +1

+1

Local design studio shares concept design which reconnects Vancouverites with water

This proposal by Chris Doray Studio Inc, entered as a wild card into the reCONNECT Vancouver Competition, aims to diminish the mental divide between the west end and the east side of the city. It will provide badly-needed recreational facilities in this part of the city and return some ‘authentic life’ to the easterners, with eight kilometres of shoreline amenities and a sandy beach in a 90 ha park. It also includes an ecological plan that converts ocean and grey waters using 12ha of reed-bed natural reserve to purify the water.

A simple formula and sleek design means water becomes a focus in this proposal. Water is a precious commodity, a vital resource - we are dependent on water but also endangered by it. With rising water levels and the increasingly heavy inland rains urban living faces new challenges. The designers at Chris Doray Studio felt that it is essential to integrate water dynamically in living space, wherever and however it may occur.

The challenge is combining striking design with sustainable water management in usable urban spaces. Another bold aspect to this new ‘Urban-Pluralism’ is mapping the intangible through the act of annulment and reconstituting this disordered east side through the introduction of three new geometries: a 40ha Aquatic Landscape - Water Town, Aqua Towers, Reed Bed Natural Reserve, Marina; a 90ha Natural Landscape - Park Residences, Beach; and a 30ha Urban Landscape - Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Vancouver Art Gallery + Residences, VAG Sculpture Garden.

The architects’ purpose has been to envision an urban way of living that frees individuals within a community from restricting conventions of thought and action, in order to realise more fully than is presently possible to answer the question, ‘What is Human?’ Hence adopting a Free-Zone Space: an urban planning approach that aims at inducing the sensory experiences. Both vivid and lucid, each is in a constant state of flux: first in time, then in place and finally in human state.

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18828_2_South-East.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18828_3_Watertown.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/18828_4_Rain.jpg

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=18828

Added 320 Granville St to first page.

This is an initial proposal and has yet to be approved by the Urban Design Panel (UDP).