Sun

‘Contemporary and clean-lined architecture’ his destination, designer Ran Mansouri followed a bespoke road in the resedences at the South Granville Lofts. “Everytning here is custom-made,’ he reports

South Granville Lofts

Location: False Creek, Vancouver

Residence size: 450 sq. ft – 1,000 sq. ft.

Prices: $319,000 – $849,000 (excluding upgrades)

Presentation centre: 1525 West Sixth

Hours: Noon to 5 p.m. daily

Telephone: 604-736-5638

Web: southgranvillelofts.com

Developer: Abbey Woods Development Ltd.

Renovations: Architect Construction Ltd.

westcoast homes

Designer Ran Mansouri has created a display centre in the South Granville Lofts project that epitomizes true loft living.

What immediately stands out upon entering the light-filled home, with its soaring, 18-foot ceiling and two-storey-high windows, is the view.

The homeowners-to-be of the north suites will have picture perfect views of the Vancouver skyline with the ocean and North Shore mountains beyond.

It’s hard to take your eye off the prized view but when you do what stands out next are the smartly designed interior features such as the custom-made kitchen island with birch ends, giving the space an organic feeling to the leather-look finish of the black granite countertops.

The showroom also boasts a custom-built Murphy bed and an office pod where the doors swing out 180 degrees for easy access. It’s clear that Mansouri has created an esthetic and highly functional space where every single inch of the space is fully utilized.

“It’s very contemporary and clean-lined architecture,” says Mansouri, of Artech Construction Ltd., a company that is also responsible for the stylish interiors of the high-end condo Shangri-La now being built on Georgia.

“Everything here is custom-made.”

Buyers can opt to go with one of two upgrade packages that have been customized by Mansouri, or they can simply buy the suite as it is. South Granville Lofts is an anomaly among Vancouver projects in that the developer has taken an existing building, at 6th and Granville, that was tenanted and put it on the condo market. The tenants’ leases expire on average in three to six months so most suites should be ready for new occupancy by this fall.

The 10-year-old concrete building was known as “the Copper Building” because of its exterior use of copper and steel. It had been rented to a cross-section of residents, including artists, architects and photographers. About a dozen residents plan to buy their own homes but that leaves the majority of the 80-unit development to trade hands.

Stephen Hynes of Hillside Developments has been responsible for creating some of Vancouver’s more striking projects, such as Choklit on West Seventh and the award-winning Waterfall Building on West Second near Granville Island.

When he built the South Granville Lofts, at 1529 West Sixth Avenue, Hynes said at the time his goal was to design a building where the inhabitants would have opportunities for social interactions. For instance, to access the individual suites in the four buildings that make up the lofts, tenants would have to walk along narrow catwalks or very high open stairs.

While the original architecture has stood the test of time, the new interior work by Mansouri has brought a stylish fresh take to loft living. The two upgrade choices are either Gold or Gold Plus. In the former, features would include granite counters, Collezioni lacquered kitchen cabinets with dining island, an AEG oven, cooktop and dishwasher, stainless steel refrigerator and Italian fixtures. The Gold Plus would include the Gold features plus additional built-ins like the Murphy bed and the work/desk unit and a modern closet.

The original features that will not change are radiant floor heating, heavy, steel soundproof doors and a fully tiled marine-style bathroom. All of the suites have classic clawfoot tubs.

The upgrades would add anywhere from approximately $35,000 to $65,000 to the purchase price, estimates Greg Zayadi, of Rennie Marketing Systems.

Condos on the second floor, with ceiling heights of nine feet, six inches, range from 450 to 800 sq. ft. and will sell for $319,000 to $509,000. On the third floor, the ceiling heights are 13 feet, and range from 450 to 800 sq. ft. They are priced from $329,000 to $539,000 and on the fourth and fifth floors, the ceiling heights are 18 feet, and the square footage ranges from 650 to 1,000 sq. ft. Prices range from $489,000 to $849,000.

“The views to the north are absolutely impressive,” says Zayadi.

“This is unquestionably the best views of the city and the mountains you can get.”

Zayadi says what is nice for buyers is they are getting a unique property in a great location that has a sound track record. All of the engineer reports for this building are available.

So far about 1,300 people have registered and when sales opened last Saturday the presentation centre received more than 300 visitors.

© The Vancouver Sun 2007

Bob Ransford
Sun

Vancouver’s new director of planning called it “the perfect storm of awareness.” Brent Toderian was talking to developers gathered at the Urban Development Institute, referring to the almost-overnight emergence of the urban environmental issue at the top of virtually every public opinion poll and every political agenda throughout North America.

The acceptance of global warming as a measurable reality rather than a theory and the realization that climate change may be more than an odd shift in local seasonal weather patterns has come upon us like a storm.

This storm of public awareness may have been predictable, especially the moment it was clear that former U.S. vice-president Al Gore was successful in merging entertainment and political advocacy. But the rapid response by governments everywhere has taken most by surprise.

Vancouver’s developers were probably as surprised as anyone with how quickly this shift in public opinion has impacted thinking among those who regulate and set standards for new development. Toderian has only been on the job in Vancouver for six months, yet he was explicit with developers when he indicated that it is no longer business as usual at city hall.

Toderian, who was known as a new urbanist planner when he arrived from Calgary, signalled clearly to developers that the city will no longer be measuring success in urban development by looking at livability as the first measure. Instead, he has elevated ecological sustainability to the top of the list of measurement indicators.

City planners in Vancouver are shifting their focus to the “ecological footprint” — a metaphor Mayor Sam Sullivan used in first announcing his EcoDensity initiative. The ecological footprint depicts the amount of land and water area a human population hypothetically needs to provide the resources required to support itself and to absorb its wastes.

Developers now know they will need to embrace green building technology, ecological conservation planning and energy conservation measures when they are designing new projects in Vancouver.

While many developers will tell you that these concepts are far beyond the sophistication of homebuyers today, who are looking for little more than durable construction, contemporary designs and affordable prices, the fact remains that this perfect storm of environmental awareness is shaping public policy today and with every incremental shift in public policy like this one comes a permanent reorientation of the way we do things.

Standing by at the forefront of what will certainly be a new wave of consumer demand that follows from this is Vancouver’s first building supply store focusing on ecologically friendly and healthy building products.

Green Works Building Supply quietly opened their doors on Eighth Avenue a few weeks ago to fill an obvious void in a city that is big in talking the talk about green building but still slow in walking the walk.

Since graduating from SFU’s School of Resource and Environmental Management a decade ago, former schoolmates Pete McGee and Alastair Moore had talked off and on about getting into the green building supply business.

McGee dabbled in rehabilitating old buildings and using reclaimed wood while Moore worked in England encouraging local governments to adopt sustainability principles to minimize their ecological footprint. They finally got together a year ago and started planning Green Works.

The first-of-its-kind store locally is focusing on three main product areas to begin with: paints and finishes, countertops and flooring materials simply because sourcing other materials and landing them in Canada at competitive prices is no easy task.

As more consumers make smart lifestyle choices and become concerned with their ecological footprint, developers will be clamouring to incorporate these kinds of products into their projects. That’s when additional products will become more easily available.

Public concern with ecological sustainability may simply be one of those quickly emerging and instantly fading trends. Regardless, we now know that we can build homes and other buildings that have less impact on ecosystems, are better for our personal health and reduce waste by cleverly re-using materials.

Bob Ransford is a public affairs consultant with CounterPoint Communications Inc. He is a former real estate developer who specializes in urban land use issues. E-mail: [email protected]

© The Vancouver Sun 2007

Province

Not everyone is happy about the government buying hotels for low-income tenants. Photograph by : Arlen Redekop, The Province, file

Although I’m happy that something is going to be done for the homeless people in this city (“Suite deal,” April 4), I can’t help but be a little choked that the province has decided to purchase these properties at the peak of real-estate prices.

The slumlords who let these impoverished people live in filth, bedbugs and cockroaches win in the end — but I guess that’s what happens when you’re a wealthy landowner in B.C.

Nikki Royston, Burnaby

Not the right solution

Letter

Published: Friday, April 06, 2007

It seems that Premier Gordon Campbell goes from one mess on to another mess. Both Campbell and NDP Leader Carole James have not provided for the most basic needs of the poor. Buying broken-down hotels that are worthless and having the same people who now lie in the streets move into them does not do anyone any good.

These people need to be out of those areas into a mixed urban area in which about 10 per cent of residents would qualify for low-income housing.

And, as far as housing is concerned, what is taking Campbell so long in taking over the Hells Angels’ clubhouses?

Robert Melynchuk, Surrey

© The Vancouver Province 2007

But red-hot B.C. continues to buck the national trend

Ashley Ford
Province

Construction workers continue work on the new convention centre currently going up in Coal Harbour. Photograph by : Nick Procaylo, The Province

Canada’s construction boom may have got a boot in the pants in February, but there are few worries from B.C’s vibrant construction industry.

Statistics Canada numbers released yesterday show that the value of building permits tumbled by more than a fifth from January.

Municipalities issued $4.9 billion worth of building permits in February, down 22.4 per cent from January and 12 per cent below last year’s monthly average.

“One month does not a year make,” said Peter Simpson, CEO of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association.

“We are going to see these pauses as major housing projects move through the approval process.

“There is no slackening of demand here at all, and we are still having trouble finding skilled workers. You have to remember that Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. does not even count a permit until a project has reached the first-floor level. There are lots of projects now moving through the process and about to get under way that have not yet been counted,” he said.

Simpson predicted “another strong year,” with about 18,000 starts across the Lower Mainland.

“People have short memories,” he said. “In 2001, a brutal year, there were only 8,200 starts. We peaked in 2004 at 19,435 starts. In 2005 we had 18,924 starts and last year 18,705 starts.”

February’s drop, the fastest in 13 months, came in both the residential and non-residential sectors, and permits fell in all provinces except Manitoba. February’s level was the lowest since April 2006, and 10.6 per cent below the average for 2006.

Ontario incurred the biggest dollar loss in the value of residential permits, posting its lowest total since December 2001 at $1 billion.

On the face of it there were significant declines in B.C., Alberta and Quebec. As in Ontario, the declines came from retreats in both the single- and multi-family components.

February permits in B.C. declined 34.4 per cent to $428.4 million, compared with January’s robust $653.4 million. But so far this year they are still running 40.7 per cent ahead of where they were last year, with $1.08 billion in permits being issued.

Nationally, the value of residential permits fell 17.8 per cent to

$3 billion, the lowest since March 2005, while the non-residential sector dropped 28.7 per cent to $1.9 billion.

But again, B.C. bucked the trend and, along with Manitoba, recorded gains in commercial permits, fuelled largely by projects for trade and services buildings in both provinces.

The Vancouver Regional Construction Association said total building permit values to date in 2007 rose to $1.19 billion, 47.3 per cent higher than the same period last year.

© The Vancouver Province 2007

Permit approvals dropped in February, but backlog not affected much

Derrick Penner
Sun

A February plunge in building-permit approvals does nothing to ease the “constant, unrelenting pressure” on B.C.’s construction sector, one industry official said.

B.C. municipalities reported approving $833.5 million in new construction in February, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday, a 22.4-per-cent drop from January.

However, January’s permits, which hit just over $1 billion, puts the pace of construction in B.C. 31 per cent ahead of the booming pace for the first two months of 2006.

“I can’t tell you what happened in February,” Manley McLachlan, president of the B.C. Construction Association, said in an interview. But he expects the overall trend to reflect increasing levels of construction, particularly in the non-residential sector.

“We’re going to see [volatile swings] more as building owners and developers look at what projects are underway, and when do we undertake these projects in order to make sure they’re not jamming up the system.”

Timing the start of projects will become critical, McLachlan added, so as not to over-tax B.C.’s already stretched construction workforce.

The February dip hit most centres in B.C. Vancouver saw $428.4 million in permits issued, a 34-per-cent decline from January. Victoria’s drop from the previous month was almost 45 per cent to $66.8 million.

Abbotsford saw the biggest month-to-month decline, 41 per cent to $28.8 million.

Those results fit in with the national experience reported by Statistics Canada, which reported that municipalities issued $4.9 billion in building permits, a 22.4-per-cent drop from January with the decline touching almost all provinces and in both residential and non-residential construction.

Some of the decline may be attributable to weather, with the country sliding into a February deep freeze.

Douglas Porter, an economist with BMO Capital Markets, said the underlying conditions for construction are stronger than the 22.4-per-cent February drop in permits suggests, but “the hefty retreat does support the view that housing activity will moderate in the year ahead.”

Statistics Canada noted the number of housing unit permits issued has been edging down since last summer, following almost uninterrupted growth since the beginning of 2005.

However, while Helmut Pastrick, chief economist for Credit Union Central B.C. does expect B.C. to post fewer housing starts in 2007, he is also forecasting that any drop in residential construction will be more than offset by a rise in non-residential building.

“Ignoring the month-to-month volatility, the trend is pointing nicely upwards,” Pastrick said.

And after taking construction inflation into account, he added that “real, non-residential investment is on an upswing [that] I expect to increase this year and very likely next.”

Pastrick added that a slowing in construction in the rest of Canada might drag on B.C., but for the most part, his forecast for higher levels of building here “reflects the stronger domestic economy, and my expectation is we will see more of that going forward.”

– – –

BUILDING BOUNCE

B.C. saw a January high for building-permit approvals followed by a February low, with forecasters anticipating more of the former than the latter through the rest of the year.

Feb. 2007* Jan. & Feb. 2007**

B.C. $833 million -22.4% $1.9 billion +31.0%

Vancouver $428 million -34.4% $1.1 billion +40.7%

Abbotsford $28.8 million -41.1% $77.7 million +82.7%

Victoria $66.8 million -19.3% $149.6 million +44.9%

Kelowna $46.4 million +35.5% $80.6 million +26.3%

* percentage compared to January 2007 ** percentage compared to Jan-Feb 2006

Source: Statistics Canada

© The Vancouver Sun 2007

Sun

There is still a long way to go, but Vancouver’s seemingly insoluble homelessness problem is now one small step — or even one giant leap — closer to being solved.

The provincial government announced Tuesday that, as part of an $80-million initiative to preserve and increase affordable housing, it has agreed to purchase 10 single-room occupancy hotels in Vancouver with a total of 595 rooms.

The deals were struck during secret negotiations with hotel owners over the last 60 days. Some units will require renovations, at an additional estimated cost of between $5,000 and $15,000 per unit.

In addition, Premier Gordon Campbell said the province will purchase one SRO hotel in Victoria, four other housing units in Vancouver and Burnaby, and fund 287 planned social-housing units in Vancouver, which means Victoria will purchase or fund a total of 996 units.

Just how momentous this development is becomes clear when it’s compared to the city of Vancouver’s commitment to acquire one SRO hotel a year. The provincial government’s announcement means that, as Mayor Sam Sullivan put it, “In one day, we’ve done 10 years’ worth of effort.”

This also means that the many people who were at risk of being evicted from SRO hotels will now be able to stay put, even during renovations.

However, despite all this good news, there is more that needs to be done. The governments must, for example, not merely commit to housing the homeless. If we don’t address the factors — such as mental illness and addictions — that lead to people losing their homes, then housing becomes warehousing, with residents condemned to live out their lives in social housing, and the city and province condemned to pay for it.

With proper supports, on the other hand, many people who currently need help could well achieve self-sufficiency. Fortunately, the province seems aware of this.

Rich Coleman, the provincial minister responsible for housing, said the goal is to provide the necessary supports, including health care and addiction services, so that people “can move on to other housing types.” To this end, the province plans to involve non-profit groups with experience in the operation of such hotels.

Further, the total number of new housing units — 287 — falls far short of the estimated need. Campbell seems aware of this as well, as he promised additional measures, saying, “This is not the end of this.”

If there’s one sore point in all of this, it’s the reaction of some politicians and activists. While many activists expressed their support for the housing initiative, several instead focused on blaming the provincial government for the current state of affairs.

Provincial New Democratic Party leader Carole James used the occasion of the announcement to issue her own, in which she said, “Gordon Campbell can’t be trusted to deal with growing homelessness on our streets.” Then she went on to attack the number of promised new units, the level of child poverty in B.C., and even cost overruns at the Vancouver Convention Centre and the Canada Line.

This is politics at its worst. To be sure, successive provincial governments, including this one, haven’t done nearly enough to address homelessness. But this latest step is one that should be applauded, rather than used to score cheap political points.

And rather than attacking the government for what it hasn’t done in the past, activists and opposition politicians should focus on pressuring the government to follow through on Tuesday’s promise, and to continue developing more initiatives that will finally make homelessness history.

© The Vancouver Sun 2007