One hundred days out from completion, debate still rages over whether the city

Major transformation will, it is hoped, turn this outdated

ULTAN KAMPFF
Sun

The shovel hits the ground today and a new chapter in downtown Vancouver history begins. Construction of a redesigned Granville Street — from the north end of the bridge to Cordova Street — is now underway.

Eleven blocks in the centre of the city will be transformed into what all Vancouverites hope will once again be a “ great street.”

“ Great streets” are defined by renowned urban planner Allan Jacobs, a consultant on this project, as “ wonderful, fulfilling places to be — communitybuilding places, attractive for all people.”

Of all our streets downtown, Granville has seen the most changes over the past 10 years. From its heyday as the Great White Way with its neon lights, a period as a transit-only mall, to upgrades in the 1970s that failed to bring the vibrancy and economic injection expected, Granville Street has tried to keep up with the times.

Now its time has come to once again transform itself into a marquee destination.

The redesign, managed by the City of Vancouver, designed by local firm PWL Partnership Landscape Architects Inc., and constructed by Victoriabased Jacob Bros. Construction, will implement the “ modified enhanced existing” design option as chosen by Vancouver city council in 2006.

This option proposes the fewest changes to the existing operation of the street. North of Smithe Street, the existing curved bus mall will be straightened to provide a consistent sidewalk width of 8.5 metres for pedestrians. South of Nelson Street, traffic patterns would remain unchanged.

The sidewalks south of Nelson will be widened by the width of the existing parking lane to provide a flex sidewalk that can be used to accommodate parked vehicles between street trees during the day.

At night, the parking spaces will be closed off and converted into more sidewalk space to accommodate the high volumes of pedestrians who come to the street for the entertainment options that are available.

Buses and authorized vehicles would continue to use the dedicated lanes north of Smithe.

A one-block civic event space will be created between Robson and Georgia. This space, characterized by both permanent and temporary installations, will be a natural — and muchneeded — location for festivals and major outdoor events.

Access to the two Granville Street rapid transit stations between Robson and Dunsmuir Streets will also be facilitated by the wider sidewalks of the civic space.

An installation of vertical lights the full length of the street will pay homage to Granville’s history as the Great White Way. It will also differentiate Granville from all other streets in the city and create a unique gateway into the downtown core that will unify the various uses and elements of the street.

Pedestrian access to all businesses will remain open during construction, which will start at Drake Street and move one block at a time northward.

It goes without saying that we encourage shoppers to continue to frequent the street and check out history in the making.

After decades of dreaming, this next chapter in the street’s history will take just one year to finish.

Construction will be complete by November 2009, in time for the opening of the two Canada Line stations on Granville Street and in time to welcome the world for the 2010 Winter Games.

If history has taught us anything, it’s that you can build a street — great or otherwise — but if you don’t nurture it, program it, plan it, clean it and engage people in it, all the shiny furniture, clean sidewalks and bright lights won’t sustain it.

Great streets, by design, lend themselves to people gathering, socializing and engaging with each other. But great streets are also purposefully programmed and well used to encourage visitors to linger and enjoy the space.

The adage “ build it and they will come” may be true, but program it, and they will stay.

Today we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to work together to ensure that when the ribbon is cut 12 months from now, a robust and welldefined management plan for the new Granville Street is in place.

Yes, it will cost money, time and dedicated staff resources to make it happen. But, if we don’t commit now, the $ 20.8 million investment in the construction of the street could be for naught.

We’re up to the challenge and open to partnering with like-minded individuals and organizations. Three hundred and sixty-four days and counting.

 

OUTLOOK: Fidelity chiefs doubt quick recovery as global stock losses pile up

RAY TURCHANSKY
Province

As the daily losses continue to pile up on global stock indexes, there is increasing belief that much of the world may be in a depression rather than a mere recession.

Most recent recessions have lasted six to nine months, although the United States did suffer negative gross domestic product growth for 12 months in 1970, 18 months in 1973-75 and 18 months again in 1981-82. By comparison, a depression is generally acknowledged to be negative GDP growth lasting for at least two years.

Three wise men from Fidelity Investments told a group of financial advisers not to expect a sustained recovery any time soon.

“People who say the U.S. recession could be over the middle of next summer could prove to be very optimistic,” said Michael Strong, who helps manage three global funds for Fidelity. “If you look at retail sales, this could be the worst Christmas in years . . . it could be well into 2009 or 2010 before we start to see any improvement in the U.S. economy.

“Banks are going to retreat further in terms of their intermediate lending, as auto loans, credit cards and various other debt defaults increase.” Strong isn’t alone in his thinking. “All the economic indicators I look at, I don’t see any signs of life,” said Bob Swanson, manager of a number of Canadian funds for Fidelity. “We’ve gone from playing in the crease to being back on the blue line; we’ve gone from a very offensive position to being defensive.”

Peter Drake, Fidelity’s vice-president of retirement and economic research, said three things have to happen to trigger a recovery — U.S. housing prices have to stabilize, credit markets need to normalize, and the American economy has to resume growth.

On the housing front, there isn’t much good news. TD Economics reports that 791,000 U.S. housing starts in October bring new residential construction to its lowest level on record. And residential-permit approvals, at 708,000 in October, were a record low going back to the 1960s.

A rebirth of the U.S. market is seen as the catalyst needed to reignite the fire under the U.S. financial system.

“We need to get leverage out of the financial system,” Swanson said.“That will lead to credit expansion and help the consumer side of the equation. And that won’t happen until we have stabilization of house prices.”

The Fidelity folk suggest investors stoically wait for the markets to play themselves to a bottom, where they could stay for months or years, then jump in to ride the recovery.

“Look at opportunities — a year and a half ago, there was Canada and infrastructure plays and that was just about it,” Swanson said. “Now we see opportunities all over the place. The questions are what’s cheapest, and what will be the pecking order when things turn around.”

 

It wasn’t until last week that RRSPs were also finally shielded by law It wasn’t until last week that RRSPs were also finally shielded by law

Miriam Maisonville
Sun

Economic uncertainty is at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts these days. Personal bankruptcies are on the rise and individuals cannot help but feel vulnerable. Worry surrounding the future ability in this economic climate to provide for our retirement is among the many issues that concern British Columbians today.

The vast majority of British Columbian workers, entrepreneurs, small business owners and professionals do not have access to corporate or government pension plans — they must save for their retirement themselves.

Government policies, both federal and provincial, encourage these individuals to plan and save for their retirement through vehicles such as Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs). What many people do not realize is that, up until now, pension plans were exempt from seizure from creditors, but individual savings through RRSPS, DPSPs, and RRIFs were not protected under B.C. law.

This anomaly was recently righted last Thursday when the Minister of Finance Colin Hansen introduced legislation to protect these invaluable savings instruments from seizure by creditors through provisions in the Economic Incentive and Stabilization Statues Amendment Act.

The significance of the government’s actions is immeasurable. According to the government’s 2008 Small Business Profile, small businesses in B.C. represent 98 per cent of all businesses, employ over 46 per cent of the population, and represent 33 per cent of the province’s GDP.

First introduced in the 1950s, RRSPs have become an essential part of Canada‘s retirement system. According to Statistics Canada, as of 2005, Canadians have saved $600 billion in accumulated RRSP assets. Today, RRSPs are more popular than employer pension plans.

Unquestionably, it remains the duty of debtors to pay their creditors. Those who are self-employed, however, are now on equal footing with people with government or company pensions in that their Registered Retirement Savings can now enjoy the same protection as those who benefit from a registered employer pension plan.

Many professions are undertaking increasing responsibilities and new liabilities. Greater protection of their savings would not reduce liability, but would offer some security that their retirement savings would not be at risk.

Introduced by the government as part of a package to offset some of the difficult economic times we are experiencing, this measure injects fairness into the system, and could not come at a more appropriate time.

Most of us will never have to rely on this measure. But we can all derive value from it, in knowing that should circumstances require it, our RRSPs will be there when we need them — just as a pension would be. Knowing that we can remain self-sufficient in retirement and not have to rely on any social safety net is invaluable to an aging population.

Miriam Maisonville is the president of the Canadian Bar Association, B.C. Branch.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

 

Kent Spencer
Province

A team of adventurers with the motto YOLO — you only live once — have entered an insane car race in Baja, Mexico.

The YOLO racing team is competing in the TECATE-SCORE BAJA 1,000 off-road race.

The dune-buggy-type event is 1,000 miles of flying through the air, bouncing from side to side, dipping and crashing over hill and dale.

If they survive the twists and turns through the Mexican desert beginning today, the leaders are expected to finish about 24 hours later.

“This year has been a little more dangerous than previous years,” team member Pete Ryznar e-mailed The Province from Ensenada.

“Two pre-runners were shot in the desert by a suspected drug cartel. One racer was killed instantly while another was airlifted to hospital with a bullet in his kidney. There is definitely a buzz in the air.”

The course is a round trip starting near Ensenada in the northern Baja peninsula.

Liberal use of horns is encouraged and competitors are advised that “vehicle flip-overs are all part of the ride.”

Team members all have daytime jobs in firefighting, advertising and a brokerage firm. Glynn Fisher lives in Panama, while others are from Vancouver.

Erich Reisen describes himself as “a career firefighter who works hard and plays hard.”

He built the Baja Bug from the ground up using the shell of a Volkswagen, a racing chassis and a 1,600-cc engine.

Ryznar said $50,000 was invested in the vehicle and another $10,000 for entry fees, pit services and fuel.

At home in Vancouver, their wives are fully cognizant of the dangers. “It’s a pretty brutal race,” said Stacey Reisen. “It’s dangerous and scary. Other people die doing this. It’s always on my mind. I can’t stop.”

Kirstin Ryznar said the men were allowed to go “with mixed emotions.”

“We hope they come back in one piece,” she said. “It gets pretty hairy. The racecourse is so big: who knows when medical aid would get to you?”

While there are worries, the women are also pleased the “boys” are getting some playtime. “Boys will be boys,” said Ryznar. “It’s something these guys have to do. This bunch may never stop.”

Reisen said her husband has dreamed about the race forever.

“He is a car fanatic,” she said.

“I envy him having a dream and going for it.”

Ross Burden’s sister, Christina Pughe, who donated $1,000, said the team is “pretty cool.”

To find out more about the team and see how they fare, check out their website at www.yoloracing.com.

© The Vancouver Province 2008

 

Lowell Conn
Sun

1. Kenwood needs a brand manager: Kenwood’s newly released DPX503 is among the best double-DIN stereo values you’ll find this upcoming holiday season. Aside from the fact that it plays CDs encoded with every audio format in use, it has a large multi-line display that offers all sorts of unique illuminations. It’s a function that needs to be seen to be truly understood. In a nutshell, it helps this device mesh with any interior. Through one-wire connectivity, it has high-speed iPod control. Maximum power output is 200 watts and it future-proofs itself by arriving Bluetooth-ready, satellite radio-ready and HD Radio-ready to boot. The only thing that could lead to less than stellar sales for the DPX503 is that Kenwood seems to be a company that does not garner a high profile despite regular strong showings in both quality and innovation. It is a branding success story waiting to happen.

$350; visit www.kenwoodusa.com.

2. More than just fuel economy: Oil industry aside, the one sector that hated to see gas prices tumble in recent weeks was car diagnostics equipment manufacturers that had been running a great spin campaign touting their products as ultimate fuel economy tools. But Drew Technologies’ DashDAQ Series II Kit may be protected against this market turnaround because it does a lot more than just monitor fuel economy. Gauging “check engine” vehicle problems through an OBD2 connection, the DashDAQ tracks under-the-hood metrics, logs months of data, tests performance in areas such as acceleration, braking, horsepower and torque and even offers the promise of an add-on GPS navigation module, not to mention future firmware updates that would add entertainment functionality to the mix. So confident is the manufacturer that it regularly posts comparisons against key competitors on its website, even listing future products against which it will gladly generate a tale of the tape.

US$700; visit www.dashdaq.com.

3. Formula One fun (for kids): Little Miss CARgo Jr. would have a whole lot of fun with C&N Reproductions’ F-1 Racer Scoot-A-Long, which is targeted at children ages one to three.

This new entry by a company noted for its miniature reproductions of classic cars is a collector’s piece and children’s toy resembling a strange combination of the 1930s-era Auto Union D-Type and the 1959 Aston Martin DBR4/250. But the big, arguably goofy protruding steel chrome steering wheel reminds us it’s just a toy after all. Constructed from a heavy-gauge steel body with moulded plastic wheels, it’s finished with a child-safe non-toxic powder coating.

$100; visit www.pedalcar.com.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

Suzanne Fournier
Province

Would a 250-seat, open-air patio restaurant atop the glamorous Opus Hotel enhance Vancouver‘s livability reputation or would it turn Yaletown into Yelltown?

Many Yaletown residents opposed the plan over hours of public hearings in the last month. The hearings finally ended late Tuesday when a majority of the outgoing city council voted against the seasonal outdoor restaurant. But John Evans, general manager at Trilogy Properties, which owns the Opus Hotel chain, promises they’ll be back.

Residents said they accept Yaletown’s “vibrant street scene” but don’t want it moved seven floors higher.

“Residents of Yaletown, or Yell-town as it is becoming known because of the party noise we are subjected to seven nights a week, are very concerned that a rooftop bar would tip the balance that has made Yaletown vibrant and sustainable and render it just an entertainment district,” said Brad Zembic of the Yaletown Residents Association.

Zembic said that residents of his building on the 200-block Davie Street can already hear conversations held at street level, because patios are surrounded by canyons of highrise apartment buildings that funnel sound directly upward.

The Opus Hotel, with 97 rooms in the 300-block Davie Street, is a luxury boutique hotel with trendy restaurants and bars.

“There are many residents who support the plan, and, of course, city planning and its urban design panel unanimously supported us, so it’s interesting the elected officials chose to go against staff advice,” said Evans.

Evans said Trilogy has not abandoned the rooftop restaurant plan. “We could have addressed the residents’ concerns about privacy and noise during the development stage,” he insisted.

Zembic feels, however, that “council killed the application, full-stop.”

© The Vancouver Province 2008

 

Sun

There does not seem to be a master list of the oldest buildings in British Columbia. “And believe me,” said The Sun’s John Mackie, “it takes a lot of work trying to put one together.” But here is a list of some of the contenders, along with information on the Hatzic Rock archeological site. (The list goes up to 1865, when local icons like Hastings Mill Museum and Irving House were constructed.)

1 Fort Langley storehouse, 1840s. Part of the Fort Langley National Historic Site, 23433 Mavis Ave., Fort Langley.

2 Fort Kamloops log cabin, 1840s. Part of the Kamloops Museum, 207 Seymour St., Kamloops.

3 St. Ann‘s schoolhouse, circa 1844. Part of the Royal B.C. Museum site, Elliott Street Square, Victoria.

4 Tod House, 1851. 2072 Hampshire Rd., Oak Bay.

5 Helmcken House, 1852. Part of the Royal B.C. Museum site, Elliott Street Square, Victoria.

6 Craigflower Manor, 1853. There’s an 1855 schoolhouse on the same property. Admirals Road and Craigflower Road, Victoria.

7 The Bastion, 1853. 94 Front St., Nanaimo.

8 St. John the Divine Church, 1859. Built at Derby, relocated to Maple Ridge in 1882. 21299 River Rd., Maple Ridge.

9 Father Pandosy Mission, 1859. 3685 Benvoulin Rd., Kelowna.

10 Dodd House, 1859. 4139 Lambrick Way, Saanich.

11 Fisgard Lighthouse, 1860. 603 Fort Rodd Hill Rd., Victoria.

12 Race Rocks Lighthouse, 1860. Located on Great Race Rock, a small island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca about 15 km southwest of Victoria.

13 McLean Cabin and Hat Creek House, circa 1860. A former roadhouse on the Cariboo wagon trail, built by retired Hudson‘s Bay Company factor Donald McLean. Part of Historic Hat Creek Ranch, Junction of Highway 97 and 99, 11 km north of Cache Creek.

14 Christ Church Anglican Church, 1861. 681 Fraser, Hope.

15 Woodlands House, 1861. 140 Government, Victoria.

16 Duvals, 1861. 1462 Rockland, Victoria.

17 Trutch House, 1861. 601 Trutch, Victoria.

18 Point Ellice House, 1861. 2616 Pleasant St., Victoria.

19 Wentworth House, circa 1862. 1156 Fort St., Victoria.

20 Ashcroft Manor, 1862. A former roadhouse on the Cariboo wagon trail. Between Cache Creek and Ashcroft on the Trans-Canada Hwy.

21 Carr House, 1863. The home of artist Emily Carr. 207 Government St., Victoria.

22 Synagogue, 1863. 1421 Blanshard, Victoria.

23 St. John the Divine Church, 1863. Yale.

24 Old St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 1863. 317 Clarkson St., New Westminster.

25 Clarkson House, 1864. 314 Pine and 313 Fourth St., New Westminster.

26 Van Volkenburgh Cabin, Barkerville, 1864. A small log cabin that is believed to be the only survivor of the 1868 fire that destroyed Barkerville, perhaps because it was in a nearby town and moved there (the logs have been dated to 1864 through a process called den drochronology, which examines tree rings).

27 Donald Fraser Warehouses, 1864. 1314 and 1318 Wharf St., Victoria.

28 Cottonwood House, 1864-65. A former roadhouse on the Cariboo wagon trail. Hwy. 26, Quesnel.

29 Angela College, 1864. 923 Burdette Ave., Victoria.

30 Teague House, 1864. Yale.

31 Galbraith’s Ferry Office, 1864.

Fort Steele.

32 Hudson‘s Bay Building, 1864. Corner Front and Carson, Quesnel.

33 Ross Bay Villa, 1865. 1490 Fairfield Rd., Victoria.

34 Mason House, 1865. 516 Pandora Ave., Victoria.

35 Irving House, 1865. 511 Royal Ave., New Westminster.

36 Hastings Mill Museum, 1865. 1575 Alma St., Vancouver.

37 Hatzic Rock pit house, est. 5,000 to 9,000 years old. A pit house was a pit which was covered by logs; the display is a reconstruction. 35087 Lougheed Highway, Mission.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

It’s a crap shoot for everyone except owners of high-end commercial properties

Don Cayo
Sun

Gordon Campbell’s decision to freeze B.C. property assessments at the 2007 level will mean a six- or seven-figure windfall for owners of high-end office and commercial properties.

For everyone else, it’s a crap shoot with loaded dice. The odds of not losing at least a few bucks, and maybe your shirt, are nil if you’re a developer, poor if you own a business in a second-best location, and worse than at a casino if you own a home.

Why? Let’s start by dispensing with three misconceptions. Two stem from over-optimistic interpretations of what Campbell said. First, your tax bill isn’t frozen, only the assessed value of your property. Thus the tax bill may still go up, possibly by a lot, depending on how much your municipal council spends next year. This fact is absolutely unaffected by the freeze.

And your assessment isn’t frozen at the level you paid tax on in 2007 — an era that looks like the good old days to most B.C. taxpayers. It’s frozen at the July 1, 2007, level, which is the basis for your 2008 tax bill and which, for most of us, reflected a big jump from the year before.

Finally, Campbell was wrong when he rationalized the freeze with a claim that prices peaked on or about July 1, 2008 — the date that would be the basis for 2009 tax bills if he hadn’t frozen the assessments.

Maybe a few properties did. But most values peaked months before that — except for those high-end commercial properties whose owners will profit so greatly from this new policy. Big commercial buildings are rarely sold, probably because they’re in short supply and occupancy rates are sky high. If one does come on the market, it’s snapped up — especially now as any investor with money desperately wants places to park it other than in volatile stocks. So prices are still rising.

I found records for only seven such sales in the last quarter, and my calculations show the freeze will benefit the new owners to the tune of hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars. The region’s largest recent sale, a collection of buildings in Richmond‘s Crestwood Corporate Centre, is reported by Colliers International to have sold for $209 million. Yet when I calculate the 2007 assessed value, it’s just $147 million, or $62 million less. Most years, the 2009 tax bill would be based on the selling price, but now it will be based on the old valuation. The total business tax rate is $16.75 per $1,000, so the tax savings is more than $1 million.

It’s impossible to say precisely what the savings is for any of the hundreds of buildings that haven’t change hands — only a selling price could tell us exactly what the value would be without the freeze. But the story is similar for the handful of other recent sales I checked. Clearly, the price trend is high and still rising.

The price trend on virtually every other kind of property is, of course, dropping. And that’s why the outcome of this tax freeze is so unequal and unfair.

Since the percentage of city costs paid by businesses is fixed, any company not housed in these privileged buildings will lose thanks to this freeze. They must pick up the tab for the millions and millions the big guys save.

What about housing? If your 2007 assessment was less than your house was actually worth — and, according to a West Vancouver study I wrote about recently, quite a few are — then your luck will continue for another year. If your assessment was too high, you’ll lose for another year. And even if it was dead on, you’ll be stuck with extra costs because those with low assessments won’t be paying their share.

But that’s just the beginning. It’s clear from an analysis of Metro-area condo and townhouse sales data that prices peaked months earlier than the premier claims. Average prices tell only part of the story as they don’t necessarily compare the similar units, but it’s significant that they trended downward between July ’07 and July ’08. The drop was about five per cent in Vancouver, and a little less in surrounding communities.

Sales volumes, however, tanked. From 220 units to 90 in Vancouver, 380 to 203 in Surrey, 347 to 150 in Richmond, and so on. This jibes with what real estate contacts and newspaper stories tell me about new developments. Not only are a few high-profile projects stalled, but nobody is starting new ones. This means land suitable for development is, for the short-term, unsaleable unless it’s at anything approaching yesterday’s prices. For modest older homes that could be torn down, developers who just want the land are no longer competing with starter homebuyers, so the lower end of the market for stand-alone homes — for example, those bungalows on 33-foot lots in Kits — is taking a beating, too.

Upscale homes might resist the trend a little longer. But, with every class of home, it depends on specific circumstances — neighbourhood, amenities, whether you find a buyer who wants it bad enough.

And regardless of what kind of home you have, what will happen to your right to appeal if your assessment is way too high and/or there’s evidence prices in your neighbourhood are in the toilet? For example, a condo in a Victoria building that’s leaky and in dire need of repair was recently dumped for just $60,000 as the owner scrambled to avoid liability. Will other units in the building still be valued at the July 1, 2007, level — typically in the high $300,000s?

I’ve found nothing on BC Assessments’ website to answer that kind of question, although the content seems to be changing constantly, so no telling what I might have missed. Revenue Minister Kevin Krueger has said you can still appeal, but, as I understand the freeze, either way someone will lose and lose big. If close neighbours of the Victoria leaky condo can’t get their assessments slashed, they lose. If they can, people in other sharply devalued properties that haven’t had a recent sale to cite in support of an appeal will lose because their property values will be unadjusted.

And think for a moment about the phrase “as I understand the freeze.” Because myriad details are foggy. What if you had an exemption — and there are several kinds — in ’07? Does it automatically continue in ’08? What if your house burned to the ground and you’re left with bare land, or it was gutted, and now you just have a shell? What if a ho-hum commercial building in a gentrifying area was converted into trendy lofts? Or what if a strata unit changed from owner- to renter-occupied, or vice versa? What if … ? What if … ? What if … ?

All BC Assessments has to do is find fair and consistent answers to these kinds of questions for 1.8 million properties and then get the bills out next month. Good luck.

And good luck to you, Dear Reader. I hope you win the crap shoot. But don’t bet the farm.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi ‘blown away’ with rendering, hopes Major League Soccer agrees

Ian Walker
Sun

It has history on its side. Ownership is solid. And its club structure stands alone among its rivals in terms of developing players and growing the game.

That said, the one big knock against the Vancouver Whitecaps’ bid to bring Major League Soccer to the city has been the lack of a sport-specific stadium. It was a valid critique — the key word being was.

On Thursday, the Whitecaps and BC Pavilion Corporation made public a snapshot of how BC Place Stadium — with its proposed new retractable roof — might be configured in order to best accommodate soccer events.

“I trust this will put to rest any of those concerns,” said Whitecaps president and general manager Bob Lenarduzzi.

“I would question anybody to suggest it’s not a great venue. The way it’s portrayed in the rendering, it’s a soccer-specific stadium.”

Key features of the rendering include a retractable roof and centrally hung, state-of-the-art electronic scoreboard, floor-level seats and a flexible draping system. The upper deck draping looks to seamlessly limit the capacity of the stadium to approximately 22,000 seats from BC Place’s maximum of 59,000. Additional planned soccer-specific renovations include modular floor-level hospitality areas and a new synthetic FIFA-approved pitch.

The rendering was part of Vancouver‘s MLS bid book, which was submitted on Oct. 15.

“With the draping, the way it’s been done — to allow for the view to the middle out to the clear blue sky and the intimacy that provides to the lower bowl, the reconfiguration of the seats so they are closer to the sidelines and behind both ends with the VIP area and the South Siders supporters section — it’s as good as any venue in the league right now,” said Lenarduzzi. “I’ve had the benefit of seeing the renderings for two or three months and when I saw them I was blown away. I expect others will feel the same way.”

The Whitecaps — who currently play in the second-tier United Soccer Leagues First Division, where they won its championship this past season — were one of seven groups to apply to MLS for an expansion franchise, starting play in the 2011 season.

Montreal and Ottawa also submitted bids, with the hope of joining Toronto FC in North American soccer’s premier league.

Launched in 1996, MLS has grown from a modest eight-team league that garnered little attention from the sports media to a 14-team operation in 2008 which features one of the most famous athletes on the planet, David Beckham. Seattle will join the league next season, followed by Philadelphia in 2010.

The league is expected to make its decision on the latest round of expansion sometime in the first quarter of 2009.

Earlier this year, the province announced details of a two-phase renovation plan for BC Place. Phase 1 is now under way, and will be completed before the 2010 Olympics.

The $65-million renovation plan for Phase 1 includes improved access for the disabled and the redevelopment of all common spaces, concessions, washrooms, exterior plazas, media facilities, dressing rooms and general public areas.

The rendering involves Phase 2 of the plan, which is scheduled to be completed in time for the start of the 2011 MLS season.

Lenarduzzi added no other stadiums in MLS at this time have a retractable roof or centrally hung scoreboard system.

“We’re confident that it eliminates any concern of a venue here in Vancouver.”

© The Vancouver Sun 2008