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Marine Gateway project narrowly turned down by urban design panel

June 2nd, 2010 · 11 Comments

I wrote in today’s Globe about the impending review of the giant Marine Gateway project at the foot of Cambie, accompanied by some neighbourhood unease about the size of this project, which you can read here.

Since that appeared this morning, the urban design panel has reviewed this project and voted 5-4 not to support it. I’ll post more details tomorrow — sorry, it’s been a long day — but I’ll just note that no one except architect Bruce Haden, the chair, said they thought the project was too dense for that area of the city, though several said they didn’t like the tower design and/or the massing. Many on the panel said it was an exciting concept and a project that would provide an interesting exclamation point to the end of the line, as well as an urban node outside the centre.

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  • voony

    I am a bit confused.

    It is supposed to be an open house on June 8th of this month.

    What the point to have it if the urban panel already voted on it….and why they vote on it before reviewing the input of the open house?

    That seems very curious to me. Is it a normal procedure?

  • mary

    Is it possible that the Urban Design Panel does have the time or take the time to go out to the site to ‘ground truth’ the site conditions? If they did I would expect all of them – or those with any concern about the quality of the environmnet for future residents – to give it a thumbs down. It’s a noisy, smelly, dusty/dirty place. Appropriate for the industrial zone that it is, not suitable for a residential tower. Perhaps the cinemas and big box retail could be made to work but not a place for people to live. And a daycare??? what are they thinking?

  • Frances Bula

    @Voony. Yes, it’s normal as far as I know. They are all different forms of input into the final project. Also, there are two different approvals here. One is just for a rezoning — a general okay for this type of project. The other will be specifically for the building’s complete and final design. I know that I don’t completely understand this all works, but people at the UDP last night referred several times to the fact that the review was for the rezoning process, not the detailed design approval.

    There is still a long way to go on this. Besides the open houses, there will also be a formal public hearing and a council vote on the rezoning.

  • motera

    The design panel provides advice to the city. IT is one of many ways the city solicits advice on development. The open house is another means by which the city solicits input. The design panel is made up of volunteer professionals, they are giving their professional opinion, they do not, and should not, become involved with the parallel and equally important public input process. With a lukewarm response from the design panel , the developer may choose to drop the project and then the June 8 meeting would be unnecessary and therefore canceled, or could take the advice of the design panel and redesign somewhat, then the June 8 meeting would be the next step.

  • newbie

    I was at the UDP last night what is the next step?

    Does the developer/architect have to come back with changes to the design?

  • Joe Just Joe

    Yes it’s normal, the UDP is only an early step in the process. The UDP approving or rejecting the project doesn’t mean it will or will not proceed. The DPB has much more power and comes later in the process. But at the end of the day it will be up to Council. This project is only of the very few times I can remember where council has pushed for it, against the wishes of the planning dept, so I don’t see council shooting it down. But I there is definately room to revamp the project and make it more appealing.

  • Bart

    mary, the people on the UDP are professionals and definitely do know the site’s conditions.
    As for the dirt and odors, they are present because it is currently zoned for industrial use. A re-zoning would change these conditions.
    An multi-screen cinema is proposed in the project. But big box stores are against the goals of the City of Vancouver to increase density and lessen car dependency. A good goal for all of human kind for social reasons, and for the health of the environment.

  • Aiden E

    Maybe the June 8 open house was an after-thought thrown out there once people in the area found out they had been dooped. Before the meeting began a the UDP yesterday the developer (PCI) sat there loudly boasting about all of his upcoming mega projects around the world. Maybe he thought his project in little old Vancouver – at the skytrain was a shoe-in.

  • Ling Kun

    I live in the area, and personally, I am highly anticipating this development if it makes it. We are in desperate need of another major grocery chain other than Superstore. I personally wouldn’t mind seeing a T&T there, which is already owned by Loblaws. It’s about time the Cambie corrider gets denser.

  • Bill Lee

    I’m pissed off by the notices for such meetings.

    Just flyers two blocks around the site and in English only!
    Looking at the 3 Census Tracts around Cambie and Marine, more than half report that they speak another language than English at home.
    Hello, you can’t work in English only in this city any more.

    You can start at: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/index-eng.cfm
    and find Census Tract Profiles.

    or go directly to
    http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-597/index.cfm?Lang=E

    9330006.02 is south of Marine
    9330004.01 east of Cambie
    9330005.00 is west of Cambie

  • Joe Just Joe

    I understand the above issue, but really what is a city to do? English and French are the only official languages, I don’t believe the city has a legal obligation to provide correspondence in other languages. I know in my previous neighbour they did provide notices in chinese as well but I don’t think they had to. There is so many languages spoken where do we draw the line? I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect people that can’t speak english to be able to communicate with someone else that does. I think it’s fair to say that is how it’s done in other countries.