Scott Simpson
Sun
VANCOUVER – Proponents of Vancouver’s convention centre expansion challenged developers on Monday to come up with plans to make the $565-million project the hottest “people place” along the city’s waterfront.
The group overseeing the expansion envisions a mix of restaurants, shops and cultural attractions that will create an unprecedented link between Burrard Inlet and downtown Vancouver.
Those amenities will be housed in a 7,153-square-metre waterfront strip that wraps around the outer perimeter of the expanded convention centre, with street access from downtown along both Thurlow and Burrard streets.
They’re also looking for proposals for floating restaurants and other enterprises to be incorporated into a potential 4.75-hectare marina serving charter, private and public boats, as well as a float-plane terminal.
“This is our last really good opportunity to connect the downtown core with the waterfront,” said Russ Anthony, president and project director of Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion Project (VCCEP), at a public information meeting. “We know we have to make this an animated place, a comfortable place for the public.”
None of the group addressing the meeting would give any specifics on what’s being sought.
Urban consultant Phil Boname said examples of anchor tenants could include a first nations cultural centre, an existing city museum looking to relocate– or even a popular attraction such as Ripley’s Believe or Not.
He said commercial development along the waterfront edge of the facility “promises to be probably the most interesting place on the waterfront of Vancouver.”
The meeting, the first of two on Monday, attracted about 75 business people.
The project group broke ground on the expansion site last November, and the target for completion is 2008.
Pile-driving to establish footings for the four-city-block building begins later this month.
Anthony said that before the end of March, the project office will issue requests for proposals.
Other facilities sought include a 440-stall parking lot.
Anthony said one developer could undertake the project, or form a consortium to carry out its various aspects.
“We want this to be an attractive place for Vancouverites as well as delegates. I don’t know what it’s like when you go to conventions, but usually, you can hardly wait to get out of a convention building and into the city so that you can see real live people again,” Anthony said.
“The intention here is to ensure that this is so attractive that people from Vancouver, the residents of the area, the people working downtown, will want to use this area on a regular basis, and that the delegates will just add to that dynamic.”
Vancouver city planner Rob Jenkins said the city is looking for innovative proposals that will soften the visual impact of the massive facility and transform it into a promenade and a major destination point that reflects the ambience of Coal Harbour to the west of the convention centre site.
Jenkins cited Granville Island as an example of the integration of public and commercial interests, saying, “That’s what we want to see continued and reinforced as we move from Coal Harbour and Stanley Park, up through Harbour Green Park and to this site.
“There are a lot of opportunities here to create vibrant, active, animated public spaces and commercial opportunities, and that’s what we want to see,” Jenkins said.
“A big challenge on this site is dealing with the scale of building and the scale of development. These kinds of opportunities in kind of public open spaces, walkways and retail opportunities help to mitigate the scale and blend and work with the scale of the building and make it fit in its urban context.”
EXPANSION NUMBERS:
Total area: 102,600 square metres (about 1.1 million square feet, or four city blocks.)
– It will take at least 4,000 truckloads of concrete, 25 kilometres of steel-pipe piles and 1.5 hectares of glass (enough to cover a 20-storey office building) to build this project.
– Building has a 2.4-hectare “living roof” with plants native to the West Coast.
– A 90-metre connector will link the existing convention centre and the new facility.
– 6,700 person-years of employment during construction, 7,500 new full-time jobs once operating.
– Expansion complete in 2008.
– Upgrade to existing convention centre complete in 2009.
– Becomes international broadcast and media centre for 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
© The Vancouver Sun 2005
