Ashley Ford
Province
Downtown may be hot, but “Uptown” is arguably hotter. “Uptown” Vancouver — a.k.a. Mt. Pleasant, South Main or SoMa — is the area roughly bounded by East 6th on the north, Ontario to the west, St. George to the east and East 16th to the south. Officially known as the Mt. Pleasant Business Improvement Area (MPBIA), it officially owns and has trademarked the “uptown” name — and as one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods it’s in the throes of an exciting, eclectic renaissance. Condominium developments are shooting up, restaurants, bistros, galleries, antique stores and a trendy array of local fashion designers and their funky shopfronts have turned the once dowdy, down-at-the-heel area into one of the trendiest and most sought-after areas in the city to live and work. A perfect economic indicator of the renewal is that the Kingsgate Mall is expanding from its existing 150,000 square feet to 200,000 square feet and attracting new retailers. Martha Welsh, general manager of the MPBIA, says there is no doubt the area is back as one of the city’s most magnetic neighbourhoods. “It’s a real neighbourhood again. It’s a place where people are coming back to live, work and shop. There is no doubt the renaissance of Uptown is happening,” she says. This renewal is being led by small business, especially in the fashion sector, and rental rates are still quite reasonable, she says. Unsurprisingly, the area’s huge potential has caught the eye of residential developers. Welsh said there are currently 200 condo units under construction, and the city will soon start construction of an exciting multi-million-dollar community-residential centre to be known as 1 Kingsway at Kings-way and Seventh Ave. The project will include a community centre, library, child-care centre, rental housing and underground parking. It is due to open in 2006. The city says the project fully reflects its vision of developing “neighbourhood centres” that bring together multiple civic services. One of the area’s biggest draws is cost, both from a residential and retail perspective. Building costs are $125-per-square-foot cheaper than downtown for starters and retail rents are also far more reasonable. Lawrence Sampson, fashion designer and owner of Motherland Clothing Co. at 2539 Main, is typical of the younger retailers and designers who have moved from downtown or have hung out their shingle in the area. “I moved up here five years ago because many of my friends were moving here and also because the costs are far more reasonable. It’s a really exciting and alive area,” says Sampson who has been in the clothing business for 16 years. He designs and creates his clothing line in-store and sells to a very wide audience from film industry people to local residents. “You might say we are cheap and cheerful with something for everyone,” Sampson says. The area has caught the eye of developers and that in turn is bringing in at least one new major retailer from Toronto. Intracorp Developments of Vancouver is now building UNO, a 109-unit condominium on the corner of 11th and Kingsway. The units cost $337 a square foot, which compares to downtown costs of $450 a square foot and up. When it opens in September next year, the 7,300-square-foot ground floor will be occupied by avant-garde lifestyle designer Oni One of Toronto. Not only will it be owners Elaine Ceccone and Anna Simone’s first venture in Western Canada, but the pair have also helped design the UNO condo units that include such innovations as movable urban fireplaces, kitchen counters and interior glass walls. Right across the street, Bognar Developments Group Ltd. is in the ground with its 110-unit Soma building. These units boast 10- to 18-foot ceilings and again are priced for the area with units starting at $189,000. Despite all this new construction, Welsh says the heritage of Vancouver’s first suburb is cherished and mixes perfectly with new developments. She says the area has a long and honourable business history that started with the establishment of breweries in the 1880’s. Buildings such as the Lee Building, the first “highrise” built outside of the downtown in 1912, stands as solidly as the day it was built. So does Post Office C at 16th and Main, built in 1915 now known as Heritage Hall, and the original Doering & Marstrand Brewery (Vancouver Brewery) at 280 East 6th and the Thomas Clark house at 243 East 5th, the oldest home in the area. [email protected] © The Vancouver Province 2004
