Plans for Vancouver International Plaza in Richmond

[Simplex123]

Malcom Brodie announced that they want to turn the land next to River Rock Casino (currently rented to the new Richmond Night Market for 3 years) into a huge ass entertainment zone/tourist attraction by building lots of restaurants, hotels, and office buildings all around that Bridgeport area. They also plan to rework the roads around the Oval -which I think needs to be one of their first priorities because the 3 way stop at River Road/Holybridge won't work when thousands of people move into the River Green buildings.

Thing is.. what if the big one hits and Richmond gets owned by liquefaction.. It would be game over for everything. What are your thoughts on this?

Richmond’s largest single development—19 times larger than the Richmond Olympic Oval’s footprint—is being proposed for an area of City Centre north known as Duck Island.

Jingon International Development Group has submitted an early rezoning application for 30 hectares (73 acres) of land next to River Rock Casino Resort that could feature several floating restaurants, six high-end hotels, shops, bars, clubs, theatres and marina office space.

“This is the largest single application the city has ever received, and the vision is for an international destination for shopping and entertainment, the likes of which you’d have to go to Asia...or at least Los Angeles, to see on this scale,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie, who revealed details of the proposal at a Richmond Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday.

The mixed-use project, billed as a “major entertainment and commercial destination for the region,” is being called the Vancouver International Plaza.

Even a small ferry terminal is envisioned for the site, one that would operate between key destinations on the Fraser River.

Jingon, a Chinese developer known for high-end hotel and retail projects overseas, intends for the area to become a regional destination where walking to and through the site would be encouraged.

Buildings will be a mix of low-, mid- and high-rise, totalling four million square feet and could take many years to complete.

The site is currently vacant. Previously home to a cement plant, the Richmond Night Market has an agreement with the landowner to use the site for the next three years.

The proposal is “very preliminary,” according to city staff, and will require major infrastructure upgrades and approvals to build in an environmentally sensitive area. The developer is collecting feedback from city staff before submitting a full rezoning application, but the plan does comply with the City Centre Area Plan. That plan lays the groundwork for a tripling of Richmond’s downtown population to 120,000 within 25 years.

The project is among a flurry of other developments—in various stages—that comprise City Centre’s building boom, including 16 new hotels. Brodie said it’s all being spurred by the Canada Line and Richmond Olympic Oval.

“We have $4 billion of development that’s under construction or in the planning process,” said Brodie. “It does illustrate the significant investment potential we’re seeing in the City of Richmond right now.”



In his speech to business and community leaders at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel Tuesday, the mayor also highlighted other major developments in City Centre, including River Green, a project that will surround the Richmond Olympic Oval with 2,500 homes. Work is now underway on River Green’s second phase.

Development around a future Canada Line station at Capstan Way and redevelopment of land surrounding the Richmond-Brighouse Station into two residential towers—and accommodate a new bus loop—also got attention, along with the city’s plans for land along the Middle Arm. The city’s long-term vision calls for the conversion of River Road—from the oval to Cambie Road—into a 16.2-hectare (40-acre) park and the conversion of a nearby railway right-of-way into a four-lane ring road.

Said Brodie: “What we’re doing is we’re turning our focus out to the water, which we think is one of the greatest resources that we have.”

Vancouver International Plaza

•Total of 4 million square feet proposed

•Retail/entertainment: 1.58 million square feet

•Office: 1.1 million square feet

•Hotel: 870,000 square feet

•Conference: 450,000 square feet

•Marina: 300 slips

http://www.richmondreview.com/news/147836365.html

[eurochevy]

Originally Posted by Simplex123

Malcom Brodie announced that they want to turn the land next to River Rock Casino (currently rented to the new Richmond Night Market for 3 years) into a huge ass entertainment zone/tourist attraction by building lots of restaurants, hotels, and office buildings all around that Bridgeport area. They also plan to rework the roads around the Oval -which I think needs to be one of their first priorities because the 3 way stop at River Road/Holybridge won't work when thousands of people move into the River Green buildings.

Thing is.. what if the big one hits and Richmond gets owned by liquefaction.. It would be game over for everything. What are your thoughts on this?


Richmond Review - Richmond site eyed as major shopping, entertainment zone

if thoughs are your thoughts then we should also move all of our cities inland considering the rate of which water is rising around the world...and you should also never ever go to richmond/ not use its land for anything...ur thinking is idiotic ...you should tell richmond residents to leave and never come back and move into the valley cause they might get owned living in richmond

[niu99]

Good. I like this news.

[tgill]

Originally Posted by eurochevy

if thoughs are your thoughts then we should also move all of our cities inland considering the rate of which water is rising around the world...and you should also never ever go to richmond/ not use its land for anything...ur thinking is idiotic ...you should tell richmond residents to leave and never come back and move into the valley cause they might get owned living in richmond

GeoMap Vancouver, geological map of the Vancouver Metropolitan area


Irregardless this plan as-is won't go through, will have to be neutered first by the city and public consultation.

[twitchyzero]

i'm no risk analyst but it's not like they are trying to build crazy highrises...i think liquefaction would be at the bottom of the list when taking everything into consideration (a massive earthquake 'every 1000 years +/- couple of hundred years)

[melloman]

Liquefaction is a big issue in Richmond, because of the underlying sediment in Richmond.

Thus why the airport is built on 100ft~ deep piles, carrying the full load if the land just decided to drop by 5' in an Earthquake.

I'm assuming a project this big will also have BIG NAME engineers and architects, who are well aware of the poor quality of earth in Richmond. They would probably build on stone columns or piles aswell. It would just inflate the cost of building by 10x.. that's all.

[murd0c]

I think it's a great idea and it's really something we need. A complex like that will bring huge money to this province and we are really hurting for a entertainment district.

[Tapioca]

What's actually considered an "entertainment district?" A giant indoor amusement park? A bunch of nightclubs and restaurants? Live music venues? As far as I'm concerned, downtown Vancouver is already the region's entertainment district: 2 stadiums and a concentration of bars and restaurants.

[drunkrussian]

i supported the casino and the skytrain and i still do. also support this. too bad by the time anything is built let alone approved ill prolly not be living in richmond any longer

[jack3d]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

What's actually considered an "entertainment district?" A giant indoor amusement park? A bunch of nightclubs and restaurants? Live music venues? As far as I'm concerned, downtown Vancouver is already the region's entertainment district: 2 stadiums and a concentration of bars and restaurants.

Sure it is but that's a city away

[Jegz]

im down for this. i wanna party in my hood
or id have to settle for sharks club

[jackmeister]

nightclubs for chinese only

new location for BOSS

[Akinari]

Well, this could either be a very big plus for our local economy, or an absolute failure which will drive everything to the ground.

A Chinese development group, building in a Chinese-centered location, building an entertainment district which will rival Asian entertainment districts.

Not sure if want.

EDIT: Although I must say it DOES sound pretty badass.

[yray]

My house would be first to sink in an earthquake. It was the first house in Richmond to be built on street level, the home builder decided to use concrete as the base to hold up the foundation as all my neighbors were still below street level. So far it hasn't sunk

I'd say it's good for them to try to build up that area, other than the westin and RR, it's practically all industrial land. Just don't let it turn into another Bridgepoint market, that place was ghetto as hell.