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Towers on top of Vancouver’s two historic post offices? Maybe

May 8th, 2015 · 1 Comment

As downtown office development continues to attract various people, in spite of a building boom that is sure to drive up vacancy rates, two big owners have approached the city about getting extra density for their sites.

The sites? Sinclair Centre, home of the 1910 post office in one of its corners, and the 1958 modernist central post office on Georgia.

Apparently the idea with the Sinclair Centre would be to put a new tower in the middle of the four designated heritage buildings on that block, where the atrium is now. For the Georgia Street building, some kind of tower on the back end built on top of the existing building.

Story here.

 

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  • peakie

    And the Federal Government lands don’t pay land taxes to the city.

    So, despite “no housing rule” they bend over for the Bentall Kennedy developer.
    As with the rest of the city.

    Do we want a Hockey Riot memorial plaza were cars were burned, etc.

    metronews.ca/news/vancouver/1368399/vancouver-plots-massive-redevelopment-to-save-heritage-post-office/

    City council voted Wednesday to allow Bentall Kennedy to proceed with a rezoning application that could include condos, rental units, office space, retail or even a hotel built atop the existing mid-century building with granite, marble and terra cotta tile features.
    The developer also promises to build a public plaza on the existing parking lot.
    …As it stands, residential use is not allowed on the property at 349 West Georgia St. that encompasses an entire block due to a 2008 council policy created to discourage residential land speculation and keep commercial prices down.
    But the city will consider relaxing this because of the site’s size and the opportunity to retain the heritage building, senior downtown planner Michael Gordon told council. Saving the heritage building could also buy the developer some extra density.

    Meanwhile, to the north, more “diamond faceted buildings” to surround the former train station on Cordova, though previously frowned upon.

    metronews.ca/news/vancouver/1368359/towers-on-horizon-for-100-year-old-sinclair-centre-in-downtown-vancouver/

    The four heritage buildings that make up the century-old Sinclair Centre could soon transform into tall towers, a proposal that could leave the brick Waterfront Station on the edge of historic Gastown surrounded by glass buildings.
    City staff received council’s approval Wednesday to consider an application by Public Works and Government Services Canada to nearly quadruple the density at 757 West Hastings Street to a total of 1.1 million square feet of office space.
    In order to reach that density, the city would consider rezoning the site for towers as tall as 29 storeys, senior downtown planner Michael Gordon told council.
    Gordon was adamant the redevelopment would not infringe upon existing view corridors and that the heritage buildings will be preserved to the “greatest extent possible.”

    Vision rewards its “donors”