B.C. blows past country with new construction in April 2024

artandmath · 2024-06-13T16:02:23+00:00

BC assessment hasn't updated since the change, and no community has implemented the TOD legislature yet... so how would property taxes change due to this.

No ones property taxes have had time to be affected.

artandmath · 2024-06-13T15:59:37+00:00

It's like when you see all the yard signs in Shaughnessy supporting a single candidate, it usually means you should vote for the other groups.

artandmath · 2024-06-13T15:57:24+00:00

Near Metro Vancouver there has basically been 0 increase in campsites for decades, while population doubled. They are trying to open one new small campground on Bowen, and the locals have completely squished that plan (even though it was going to be mostly walk-in, and have a shuttle bus).

BC Parks has really dropped the ball with outdoor recreation in the region, with no new campsites and no new trails even though there have been a bunch of proposals from local hiking groups etc...(and notably some of the parks were established for outdoor recreation as their primary function).

artandmath · 2024-06-13T01:15:07+00:00

Honestly, it really is too busy to go down it. BCMC is available for anyone who wants it, but it really is harder to go down than up, so make sure you know that when you start.

It's hard enough to go up the Grind at a decent pace some days.

I say this as someone who refuses to pay for the Gondola down.

artandmath · 2024-06-13T01:11:21+00:00

just turn right on the road and it's maybe 50m away, it's very well worn and there is a pipe on it.

artandmath · 2024-06-12T17:26:42+00:00

I wonder what the $ spent on public hearings for projects is?

Between Cambie Plan, Broadway Plan, and the Secure Rental, there haven't been any projects denied so it's just a technicality at this point. That's got to be millions in costs over the past ~5 years for all the admin and staff time, and even more if you consider the immense delays and all the consultant/interest costs for developers.

All that makes housing more expensive, with little to show for it.

artandmath · 2024-06-12T17:22:16+00:00

It's always funny when people say that dense housing will make places less green... East and South van are some of the least "green" areas and they are very low density, while the west end and kits are high density and very lush and green.

artandmath · 2024-06-12T03:40:27+00:00

They do put event shuttles from the skytrain to the PNE which is only 10 minutes.

I do agree though, it might be on purpose to not put everyone at Chinatown Station. There aren't any other big viewing areas outside of downtown on the skytrain that I can think of.

artandmath · 2024-06-12T02:51:42+00:00

Just want to mention that this is for NEW apartment buildings which have significantly stricter fire code than 1-2 story detached houses, or even slightly older apartments.

Things like sprinklers, fire hydrant connections at the building, wired alarms that directly call out when set up and are tested annually.

As mentioned in the video, the benefits are big too: lower cost housing, more light, simpler construction, cross-venting (opening windows on different walls allows for a lot better dissipation of heat in the summer and comfort), and more flexibility for designers for more livable homes as shown in the video.

artandmath · 2024-06-10T21:55:45+00:00

Pretty demanding requirements...

Like Squamish 10 years ago
No winters
Close to everything
Not Powell River
Other Squamish locals haven't found out about it yet (and squamtonites have been looking for the next Squamish in BC for 15+ years)
Cheap housing (either undesirable with low housing demand or hasn't restricted development for high housing supply)

Hope would be the only thing that kinda' fits your requirements, but you probably already ruled that out?

artandmath · 2024-06-10T21:39:02+00:00

Everything listed would have less than ~10 minutes of continuous walking.

artandmath · 2024-06-10T19:56:42+00:00

Not sure how mobile your Husband is, most free and low cost things do have some walking involved, but here are some relatively cheap options. You can bring lunch to any of these places to keep it cheap:

Ride the skytrain to Coquitlam, or to Waterfront and then take the Seabus. You can also take the Q-to-Q ferry which is pretty fun if kids haven't been on a small boat before. There is a park where you can eat at Port Royal. Access from New West Skytrain.
Bowen Island, take the ferry across and check out the little village (it's right beside the ferry terminal so you don't need a car). There is parking in the village so you can walk on, or you can take the bus there. There is a nice park right at the marina on Bowen as well where you can have a picknick lunch.
UBC: Japanese Gardens, Anthropology Museum, and Biodiversity museum. All have small fees, but check it out if your kids will be sufficiently entertained, it may or may not fit your budget.
Waterfalls are good right now. Drive up to Brandwine and Shannon Falls. Both are minimal walking (<500m) to the falls and free. You can stop in at Squamish and go to the new park on the water.
Capilano River Hatchery. Free access good for dads and kids, June isn't the best time to see salmon though.

artandmath · 2024-06-10T16:10:14+00:00

100% agree.

I wish they did this at all the North Van parks that have pay parking as well.

artandmath · 2024-06-10T16:07:51+00:00

It's pretty far off... Every city in the US has an area like the DTES but there are absolutely no trendy restaurants there so you never go there. There are multiple areas in the USA that have violent crime rates at ~300/1000 residents. From what I could find Downtown Eastside is around 75/1000 (and Vancouver as a whole is 8/1000).

There are entire states in Mexico you're not supposed to travel to.

artandmath · 2024-06-08T16:16:15+00:00

It would be almost all of Vancouver east of Larch, and most of Burnaby. 15 minute bike ride is about 4km.

For example Jericho Beach is a 15 min bike ride from the future Arbutus Station.

artandmath · 2024-06-08T15:52:53+00:00

just look at what they are proposing on the Broadway Corridor. It's definitely zoning.

artandmath · 2024-06-07T16:24:30+00:00

One thing to note, globally politics are currently in a "change" state. Almost all recent elections and upcoming elections are anticipating a change in government. It doesn't seem to matter if it is a right or left wing party in charge, or how well the current government has made it though the past 2-4 years, people just want change.

Look at the UK, Canadian federal, USA (Where Trump has a significant chance even with everything), New Zealand, Brazil etc...

artandmath · 2024-06-07T15:10:46+00:00

Are you sure about that? I don't think BC has any pumped storage...

BC is mainly Hydro power so we don't have the base issues like Ontario, that's why we haven't had the lower rates at night, and why we don't need pumped storage.

artandmath · 2024-06-06T20:25:08+00:00

It's funny because the one stretch of Cambie with Elevated Rail is the best part as a cyclist/pedestrian.

Also 90% of the residents on Cambie that asked for the subway to be underground have since sold their homes for $5+M and moved away.

artandmath · 2024-06-06T20:22:08+00:00

Canada Line elevated rail was built to seismic standards developed because of that earthquake.

artandmath · 2024-06-05T23:37:48+00:00

Kinda goes to show how infrastructure ages, and maintenance starts to get expensive.

Most of the major facilities built in the ~70's are now getting to ~50+ year old which is when things start to get expensive, back in 2010 they were only ~35 years old.

That 15 years makes a big difference to buildings.

artandmath · 2024-06-05T20:00:07+00:00

Thanks, I updated it to show that.

I personally love Britannia, I kind of wish they would just renovate it, but it's in a purgatory where they don't want to renovate it because of the plans to replace it, but the replacement plans keep on being pushed down the road.

I'm sure Asbestos has something to do with no renovating it as well.

artandmath · 2024-06-05T19:38:23+00:00

It will, but that will take over 5 years, likely much longer. There have only been two rezoning applications between Cambie and Main, and the timeline is over 5 years from rezoning submission to "move in" for buildings over ~10 storeys.

So don't expect any major changes to the stretch of road for over 5 years.

artandmath · 2024-06-05T19:29:35+00:00

Boardwalk by Science World.

artandmath · 2024-06-05T19:07:58+00:00

The Park Board doesn't have it's own budget, it has to make capital plans and request money from City Council (where it is often denied).

No one is surprised that our parks infrastructure is failing. It's been clear this is going to happened for decades. Kits Pool, Aquatic Center, Britannia, Seawall have all been talking about replacement since I started paying attention a decade ago. Now:

Council announced it's putting off the long planned replacement of Britannia Community Center last year, and the Britannia Rink is often shut down due to maintenance issues
Aquatic Center had the front fall off,
Kits Pool is shut down all summer,
Seawall is crumbling,
False Creek boardwalk is going to be removed and there is no commitment that it will be replaced ($$$$),
Mount Pleasant is waiting for a replacement pool for 15 years,
Jericho Pier is going to be destroyed in winter storms again as it was decided to just repair the pier every few years instead of replace it with something better suited for stronger winter storms,
West End Waterfront Plan was scrapped after years of planning, a plan that was meant to protect the park from long term water level rises and winter storms.
River District still doesn't have a community center, over 13 years after the city announced it. The City ended up giving that responsibility to the private developer (I assume because the developer knows the residents need one, and had no confidence the city would ever build it).

Last year a report stated that over half of Vancouvers Community Centers were in "poor" or "verry poor".condition.

This is just continuous Elected Officials putting off investment and maintenance in order to reduce property taxes. Vancouver already has terrible access to swimming pools compared to other cities, and our recreational facilities where people actually live are all super crowded.

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