[PeanutButter]

More info and pictures in the link
Massive Oakridge Centre redevelopment approved by Vancouver City Council (http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2014/03/oakridge-centre-redevelopment-approved/)

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Vancouver City Council has approved Oakridge Centre’s rezoning and redevelopment proposal with a 6-3 majority vote. It will allow the construction of 14 towers between 9 to 44 storeys tall while also doubling the amount of retail available at the 1959-built mall.

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Oakridge Centre is the largest of the thee major redevelopments planned along the Canada Line. A redevelopment project at the 25.4-acre Pearson Dogwood site at 57th Avenue and Cambie Street will renew Vancouver Coastal Health’s medical facilities, bring 3,083 residential units, green spaces, and a new/additional Canada Line station. Further down at the foot of Cambie Street, Marine Gateway has provided a catalyst for additional major development projects within the immediate vicinity.

This will be the only “Town Centre” within the City of Vancouver outside of downtown Vancouver whereas neighbouring Burnaby has three such hubs at Metrotown, Brentwood and Lougheed.

In addition to being served by the Canada Line, Oakridge Centre is located in the middle of Vancouver at the crossroads of two of the city’s major arterial roads (41st Avenue and Cambie Street).

Three public hearings were held at City Hall on Monday, Tuesday and Friday to allow all 150+ speakers a chance to voice their views. The City of Vancouver received a total of 400+ written and spoken responses prior and during the public hearing period.

While a majority of the speakers were in favour of the project and its elements, local neighbourhood residents came out in full force to voice their concerns over the traffic additional density would bring, shadowing caused by tower heights, potential strain in local services and infrastructure, local impact of phased construction over a decade long period, issues over transparency and the public consultation process, and their desire to maintain a small-scale, intimate “sense of community.”

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[FerrariEnzo]

Wow.. did oakridge already did an upgrade few years ago??

[Mr.HappySilp]

LOl I don't see why some people think it will get cancel if they complain. These public hearing is just for shows. The plan is already there and on amount of complains will stop it.

I think is a good idea but I wonder how much it will affect the transit there. Is already packed during rush hour now and even on weekends..... Unless transit did some massive upgrades I think there are going to be issues. Just like how Metrotown, Brentwood mall and Lougheed mall. There are tons of apartments building built around those area and unless transit plan to upgrade they current system it won't be able to handle the mass amount of people using it on a daily basis.

[Timpo]

They should upgrade/add skytrain routes or do something to solve massive traffic jams.

Also who needs outside shopping mall in Vancouver? It won't be popular during the winter due to rain.

[Redlines_Daily]

I dot get this rain argument everything I see a newly proposed outdoor shopping complex. Robson st, Granville st, Granville island, denman etc, all seem to do fine.

[Bouncing Bettys]

Many thanks for the All-caps title which prepared me for how massive this news story is.

[Carl Johnson]

with 40k in non-mortgage debt in B.C. so of course the corporations have ordered another shopping center for us to indulge.

[Jonydakiller]

By the last picture it almost feels like they hired the same designer/architect who did the Taipei 101 area, or this is the new open concept that commercial buildings are going after.

[Mr.HappySilp]

with 40k in non-mortgage debt in B.C. so of course the corporations have ordered another shopping center for us to indulge.

What I don't get is why people love going to shopping malls on weekends :suspicious: Is full of people and I can't even walk straight for 5seconds without someone in my ways because people just love to stop all of a sudden, talk to their friends or start texting. Can't people find a place where they aren't blocking anyone and do that? Even line up at super markets takes ages. Went to Costco last Sat and literally it took 10mins to fin a parking spot and the store is full of people took a good 20mins just to line and pay..........

I avoided going to the malls, or shopping during weekends and holidays at all cost (same reason I avoid going to see a movie that's newly release).

I like shopping in a more relax and less people around.

[willystyle]

The proposed plan does have transit plans in mind, and that is to add a new train station, which I don't think will ease the future transit issues. As adding a new station, will not ease the number of transit riders. What they should do is expand the size of platforms and add more carts to the trains and increase the frequency of trains. Those are more realistic solutions.

I dot get this rain argument everything I see a newly proposed outdoor shopping complex. Robson st, Granville st, Granville island, denman etc, all seem to do fine.
How often are you down on Robson and Denman? It's really only busy like 4 months of the year during the summer months, and relatively dead on weekdays during the rest of the year.

[Ludepower]

^ Agreed

Weather and Parking is vital.
Robson only does well in summer...
Granville is always dead because of no street traffic...
Strip malls in vancouver DO NOT do well.

[Mr.HappySilp]

^ Agreed

Weather and Parking is vital.
Robson only does well in summer...
Granville is always dead because of no street traffic...
Strip malls in vancouver DO NOT do well.

Same with bike lanes. They get used maybe 4 months out of a year with less than 40 bikes a day yet the city is building more and more bike lanes........ Soon there will only bike lanes heading into downtown.......

[Infiniti]

crazy development!

[maxx]

prediction

bachelors start at 375k
1 bed starts at 430k
1 bed+den starts at 480k
etc

[Gucci Mane]

What I don't get is why people love going to shopping malls on weekends :suspicious: Is full of people and I can't even walk straight for 5seconds without someone in my ways because people just love to stop all of a sudden, talk to their friends or start texting. Can't people find a place where they aren't blocking anyone and do that? Even line up at super markets takes ages. Went to Costco last Sat and literally it took 10mins to fin a parking spot and the store is full of people took a good 20mins just to line and pay..........

I avoided going to the malls, or shopping during weekends and holidays at all cost (same reason I avoid going to see a movie that's newly release).

I like shopping in a more relax and less people around.

i fully agree, im the same exact way. i only go to the malls during the time that old people are in there for their morning walks lol. its fucking mint.

[m3thods]

I'm not sure why there's all the hate for outdoor plazas/retail areas. Robson and Kits do just fine during the non-Summer months.

In the summer they will be very popular given the weather patterns in Vancouver. And even with the rain, I'm sure there'll be overhang like there is at other outdoor retail centers like the premium outlets in Seattle and Woodburn. Not everywhere, but I'm sure there will be some reprieve from wet weather for shoppers. And for the open areas? We have umbrellas. We're pretty lucky to avoid major systems like what's happening out east, so why not embrace the fact that we're rarely below 10 degrees C and take advantage of that with open-air public plazas and retail. Sure not everyone will use it then, but at least it's available to those who would.

I know we like to rag on municipal governments (well, governments in general) for being incompetent. However, I refuse to believe that they didn't consider the 10 months of rain enough to have no outdoor cover for most of the retail area.

And if I lived in the area, I'd very much prefer an outdoor plaza to another concrete retail building. That's what Metrotown and the Richmond malls are for. And if it was built like another Metrotown, I sure as hell wouldn't want the extra "busy-ness" as some of you have noted.

[Mr.HappySilp]

I'm not sure why there's all the hate for outdoor plazas/retail areas. Robson and Kits do just fine during the non-Summer months.

In the summer they will be very popular given the weather patterns in Vancouver. And even with the rain, I'm sure there'll be overhang like there is at other outdoor retail centers like the premium outlets in Seattle and Woodburn. Not everywhere, but I'm sure there will be some reprieve from wet weather for shoppers. And for the open areas? We have umbrellas. We're pretty lucky to avoid major systems like what's happening out east, so why not embrace the fact that we're rarely below 10 degrees C and take advantage of that with open-air public plazas and retail. Sure not everyone will use it then, but at least it's available to those who would.

I know we like to rag on municipal governments (well, governments in general) for being incompetent. However, I refuse to believe that they didn't consider the 10 months of rain enough to have no outdoor cover for most of the retail area.

And if I lived in the area, I'd very much prefer an outdoor plaza to another concrete retail building. That's what Metrotown and the Richmond malls are for. And if it was built like another Metrotown, I sure as hell wouldn't want the extra "busy-ness" as some of you have noted.

BC PLACE OPEN ROOF is a good example of all the planning and the though the gov put when designing it.........

[Harvey Specter]

Well we all knew this was coming. Oakridge is prime real estate, so much open and wasted space plus you have townhouses going up all over Cambie St corridor so this was the next logical step. The other big fight is going to be the Langara golf course because supposedly the city is looking at possible redevelopment of this space in the near future.

[willystyle]

I'm not sure why there's all the hate for outdoor plazas/retail areas. Robson and Kits do just fine during the non-Summer months.

Is that why there are so many signs up FOR LEASE and FOR SUBLEASE along Robson?

Outside of those summer months, Robson St. is hardly busy except for the occasional overcast and sunny days during the rest of the 8 months. Rent is extremely high along Robson, not many business can survive and bank on only 4 months of the year on high sales, and survive the other 8 months. Just look at Bebe, and Cafe Artigiano (Robson & Thurlow). The latter being busy every single day, rain or shine, yet folded cause they couldn't afford the lease.

With the redevelopment/development of Brentwood Town Centre, Oakridge Town Centre, Metrotown, and Airport Luxury Outlet. You will see less people coming to Robson (during summer months and rest of the year), as the foot and car traffic will be diluted into those areas. People will tend to stay within their own city, rather then driving to Downtown Robson to shop.

[Harvey Specter]

Robson needs to find it's identity. There's too much of a mix match, I would personally look at making it a high end shopping area with higher end restaurants and lounges.

[PeanutButter]

Many thanks for the All-caps title which prepared me for how massive this news story is.

Haha, I just copied the title from the article.

Sorry if the content was underwhelming :concentrate:

[bing]

prediction

bachelors start at 375k
1 bed starts at 430k
1 bed+den starts at 480k
etc

This is Vancouver West so you'll have to tag on a premium. My extended family own a vacation unit in that area and it is "worth" closer to 600k for only a 1BR and den (800sqft). Keep in mind, it does not even have marble counter tops or stainless steel appliances so I think the starting prices would be much higher.

[JSALES]

Looking at the pictures reminds me of the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas

[OrangeJuice]

I'm not sure why there's all the hate for outdoor plazas/retail areas.

Off topic, but wasn't the area around Rogers Arena supposed to be a public square/outdoor plaza instead of condos? I remember reading about it in Vancitybuzz back when the Waldorf announced it was closing down.

[m3thods]

BC PLACE OPEN ROOF is a good example of all the planning and the though the gov put when designing it.........

Well, it opens. They can even control the amount of opening IIRC. They just don't want to open it. I'm not sure how that makes them unable to plan for rain.

Is that why there are so many signs up FOR LEASE and FOR SUBLEASE along Robson?

Outside of those summer months, Robson St. is hardly busy except for the occasional overcast and sunny days during the rest of the 8 months. Rent is extremely high along Robson, not many business can survive and bank on only 4 months of the year on high sales, and survive the other 8 months. Just look at Bebe, and Cafe Artigiano (Robson & Thurlow). The latter being busy every single day, rain or shine, yet folded cause they couldn't afford the lease.

With the redevelopment/development of Brentwood Town Centre, Oakridge Town Centre, Metrotown, and Airport Luxury Outlet. You will see less people coming to Robson (during summer months and rest of the year), as the foot and car traffic will be diluted into those areas. People will tend to stay within their own city, rather then driving to Downtown Robson to shop.

There aren't that many top-bill companies that I can remember that folded on Robson. Bebe would be one, but that's recent after a long run at that corner location. The rent is high for a company like Cafe Artigiano, but I don't see any Starbucks locations closing shop on Robson (except the old one that CA took over, which didn't make sense in the first place).

While you're right that rent is ridiculously high, that hasn't stopped companies from wanting locations there. Apple has been rumoured to want a high-end Downtown location ON TOP of the PC location, which is one of their top earning stores per sqft. F21 just opened a location there as well.

And while the redevelopments of all those town centers (and the luxury mall near YVR) are a good point, tourists usually don't stay in the 'burbs when visiting. That's why Robson is there. This would be where Lord Disick's comment is very appropriate:

Robson needs to find it's identity. There's too much of a mix match, I would personally look at making it a high end shopping area with higher end restaurants and lounges.


Off topic, but wasn't the area around Rogers Arena supposed to be a public square/outdoor plaza instead of condos? I remember reading about it in Vancitybuzz back when the Waldorf announced it was closing down.

This I'm not sure. Maybe some of it, but I'm pretty sure Aquilini had a master plan of condos around the arena from the start.

[espencert]

Although I'm not sure we need more condos this retails space should be pretty nice.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Well, it opens. They can even control the amount of opening IIRC. They just don't want to open it. I'm not sure how that makes them unable to plan for rain.





How about the fact that when it rains they can't operate it. Meaning if it was open and then starts raining, then they have no way to close it.

[OrangeJuice]

This I'm not sure. Maybe some of it, but I'm pretty sure Aquilini had a master plan of condos around the arena from the start.

Interesting. I was mistaken, it was on SSP, not Vancitybuzz.

The Entertainment District That Never Came To Be - SkyscraperPage Forum (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=203747)

Regarding Robson, I think it would do well to replace Burrard as Vancouver's true high-end shopping street. In fact, I think it can even augment Burrard because of all the demand in Vancouver for luxury goods. (From international students skipping out on customs duties. :troll:)

They can certainly afford the insane rents. Unfortunately, this is a double edged sword--look at the Rumpus Room.

[donjalapeno]

I wonder how many bubble tea, sushi and pho places were going to see in that development :troll:

[Lomac]

Yay. More cookie cutter, particle board quality condos!

I do have to agree that open top malls are a little silly around here. Doubt if anyone remembers, but Guildford Mall used to be an open top mall many moons ago before they put a roof on. Strip malls are all fine and dandy when it's done properly, but typically that involves a bunch of giant box stores with the odd food or health store sandwiched in between, and the parking lot is literally right in front of the stores. This, however... nah.

[Ronin]

I'm all for progress. Looks great!

[m3thods]

How about the fact that when it rains they can't operate it. Meaning if it was open and then starts raining, then they have no way to close it.

I think you're missing my point.

I was/am saying that the city will likely think about ways to help shoppers get away from the rain. When you brought up the roof at BC Place, it was under the impression that the government got it wrong. When I replied and said that the roof opens as it was meant to do, and it can close when the weather is inclement (hah I guess rain in Van is inclement), you replied with this.

I'm not sure what you're trying to show with your last two comments. Maybe something is getting lost in translation here. Please help me out (not being sarcastic).