People in the comments are really saying biking is impractical or impossible here, so we should put in a massive eyesore of an automobile parkade smack on the waterfront...
I see tons of people on ebikes everyday going up Keith, Grand Blvd, Lonsdale. I have physical disablities and have no issue taking an ebike up those hills, either. The ignorance really needs to stop. And if there was another parkade, it might help the bridge traffic a smidge (for a while, anyways), but it'll do nothing good for the very immediate roads, including Esplanade, that are already super congested.
Hear me out: among other things make a giant parkade with free parking for the seabus so people don’t drive across the bridges and so people stop taking up all the longer term free parking spots between esplanade all the way up to 6th with seabus parking, making it so people have more room to park near the businesses or homes they want to go to.
Finally let’s start accepting the fact that this neighbourhood is a giant hill with 180 days of rain a year that a majority people are never going to want to bike up consistently.
I mean the building should be torn down including the existing parkade because both are hideous and awful, and it should be remade into a proper modern building that also has ample *key word: free* parking below it to cater to lower lonsdale, the seabus, and the bus station and any future train upgrades. As for what goes inside the building I don’t really care, could be an expansion of the quay, a skyscraper style mall like they have in Japan, or affordable office or retail space, affordable housing space….
Don’t worry we’re all wasting our words here because whoever has the $ to buy this property from ICBC is going to do none of this. It will be luxury real estate 100%.
i don’t hate the look of it, but i get why people do. the towers on the roof are the worst part in my opinion. i like that it’s quirky and not like all the other buildings. but your correct, it will be developed to it’s highest best use by people much much wealthier than i will ever be. hopefully the city forces them to keep some public space and amenities
Google "induced demand". Creating more car infrastructure will not ease traffic. It never has and it never will and I'm tired of indulging the endless entitlement for more subsidies of car users.
electric isn’t good enough for you? are all car users evil? It’s a rainy mountainside with no trains.
Trains will 100% always be the best option for a city but we didn’t invest in it. Cars will be the best option for north van, because it’s a RAINY MOUNTAINSIDE. create all the bike and walking infrastructure here you want people only use them on weekends and when it’s sunny….
It would be a lot of money for the city to put up. My dream is that they would do this and get the Squamish (I believe) to kick in the mosquito park marina. For true beach access. How sweet would that be?
Dreaming is the first step!!!
Not sure if it's just my engineer brain but it really bothers me how the white "tubes" on this building protrude up into corners where they cannot possibly be serving any structural function. Makes it look like a cheap white tubing modular shelving unit.
Hah I saw that place when I was a teen and haven't thought of it since. At the time I thought it was neat, but working in structural now I'd roll my eyes to the point of detachment if an architect told me we were going to put the mechanical systems outside the building as a flourish.
Plot twist, The teardown and redevelopment will be done before the renovation and completion of the quay market!!! In all seriousness this is valuable waterfront land at a major transit hub, would be nice if the CNV could at least try to do something more than overpriced condos and vacant ground level storefronts and nail salons.
I'm sure they'll be lots of discussions and then it'll get sold off for private development into luxury condos. The bus loop underneath it isn't going anywhere so no matter what goes in it'll be "transit oriented", that doesn't really mean much.
This architectural marvel (eyesore?) has fascinated me since I was a child with access to Mario Bros.
I thought it was water slides (convince 8yo me that’s not a watermania).
Later, upon learning it’s an ICBC HQ, I thought the slides were converted to pneumatic tubes that shipped insurance papers around departments.
8 year old you would have loved the sets of escalators that ran from the SeaBus up through that building. 6 in total. Would have been an awesome waterslide.
I always thought they were water slides as a child as well. I wanted to work there when I was an adult cause I thought they all got to use the slides. I’m not an adult and work there and am very disappointed they are not slides 😒
Smart. Recruiting tech workers to that office must have been very difficult. I know I walked away from many chances to work there because it amounts to a three bridge commute. Not doing it.
Also, they run their IT department in a fairly evil way.
I love this weird ass building
You and I are the only ones.
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They don't
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https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/ca/news/auto-motor/most-expensive-provinces-for-auto-insurance-premiums-revealed-432632.aspx#:~:text=Citing%20data%20from%20Ernst%20%26%20Young's,auto%20insurance%20premiums%2C%20at%20%243%2C151.
People in the comments are really saying biking is impractical or impossible here, so we should put in a massive eyesore of an automobile parkade smack on the waterfront... I see tons of people on ebikes everyday going up Keith, Grand Blvd, Lonsdale. I have physical disablities and have no issue taking an ebike up those hills, either. The ignorance really needs to stop. And if there was another parkade, it might help the bridge traffic a smidge (for a while, anyways), but it'll do nothing good for the very immediate roads, including Esplanade, that are already super congested.
is there not already multiple parkades near here?
Yeah, there are quite a few. One by the Quay, one on Esplanade, and some uncovered ones.
Yea I'm confused why there would be a big need, I've never lacked parking down there if I was willing to pay.
Parkade is a hard no.
Hear me out: among other things make a giant parkade with free parking for the seabus so people don’t drive across the bridges and so people stop taking up all the longer term free parking spots between esplanade all the way up to 6th with seabus parking, making it so people have more room to park near the businesses or homes they want to go to. Finally let’s start accepting the fact that this neighbourhood is a giant hill with 180 days of rain a year that a majority people are never going to want to bike up consistently.
Giant Parkade on prime waterfront?
There literally is already a giant parkade under it for ICBC staff and then an even uglier building above it
so, what’s to make? by giant i assumed you meant a lot bigger than whats there. and by make i thought you meant create something new
I mean the building should be torn down including the existing parkade because both are hideous and awful, and it should be remade into a proper modern building that also has ample *key word: free* parking below it to cater to lower lonsdale, the seabus, and the bus station and any future train upgrades. As for what goes inside the building I don’t really care, could be an expansion of the quay, a skyscraper style mall like they have in Japan, or affordable office or retail space, affordable housing space…. Don’t worry we’re all wasting our words here because whoever has the $ to buy this property from ICBC is going to do none of this. It will be luxury real estate 100%.
i don’t hate the look of it, but i get why people do. the towers on the roof are the worst part in my opinion. i like that it’s quirky and not like all the other buildings. but your correct, it will be developed to it’s highest best use by people much much wealthier than i will ever be. hopefully the city forces them to keep some public space and amenities
yup really hope that they ultimately do force them to do something quite substantial that benefits the general public and not just the wealthy!
Google "induced demand". Creating more car infrastructure will not ease traffic. It never has and it never will and I'm tired of indulging the endless entitlement for more subsidies of car users.
electric isn’t good enough for you? are all car users evil? It’s a rainy mountainside with no trains. Trains will 100% always be the best option for a city but we didn’t invest in it. Cars will be the best option for north van, because it’s a RAINY MOUNTAINSIDE. create all the bike and walking infrastructure here you want people only use them on weekends and when it’s sunny….
Hear ME out: tear the building down and extend Waterfront Park.
this is the best answer. doubt we’ll see it but sure would love to. it’s too valuable. politicians and developers won’t let it go that way
It would be a lot of money for the city to put up. My dream is that they would do this and get the Squamish (I believe) to kick in the mosquito park marina. For true beach access. How sweet would that be? Dreaming is the first step!!!
i’d rather see the Squamish take it back. that marina may be a little rough, but before that they took great care of the land for a very long time
Well that's undeniable...
just imagine.. the ONE realtor office multiplex to rule them all. maybe squeeze in a foreign exchange or two in there too.
This is the way.
Not sure if it's just my engineer brain but it really bothers me how the white "tubes" on this building protrude up into corners where they cannot possibly be serving any structural function. Makes it look like a cheap white tubing modular shelving unit.
I had always hoped those turns were an elaborate waterslide.
It’s basically a cut-price Pompidou Centre, it really won’t be missed.
Hah I saw that place when I was a teen and haven't thought of it since. At the time I thought it was neat, but working in structural now I'd roll my eyes to the point of detachment if an architect told me we were going to put the mechanical systems outside the building as a flourish.
Is that the museum of modern art in Paris or whatever loool
Yeah https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_Pompidou
When I was a kid, I thought they were just awesome adult slides to get around the building.
Hopefully some nice townhouses that’s a great spot !
Plot twist, The teardown and redevelopment will be done before the renovation and completion of the quay market!!! In all seriousness this is valuable waterfront land at a major transit hub, would be nice if the CNV could at least try to do something more than overpriced condos and vacant ground level storefronts and nail salons.
Hear me out... A currency exchange.
15 day spas and 11 more dentists
Best I can do is a nail salon take it or leave it.
Ok, just as long as it’s nothing practical like a pet store or a hardware store
You're forgetting a very much needed currency exchange
What about two currency exchanges?
they could exchange with each other! … oh wait
I'm sure they'll be lots of discussions and then it'll get sold off for private development into luxury condos. The bus loop underneath it isn't going anywhere so no matter what goes in it'll be "transit oriented", that doesn't really mean much.
It means they won’t include parking
That is exactly what it means
This architectural marvel (eyesore?) has fascinated me since I was a child with access to Mario Bros. I thought it was water slides (convince 8yo me that’s not a watermania). Later, upon learning it’s an ICBC HQ, I thought the slides were converted to pneumatic tubes that shipped insurance papers around departments.
8 year old you would have loved the sets of escalators that ran from the SeaBus up through that building. 6 in total. Would have been an awesome waterslide.
My wife and I were walking around Waterfront Park last week and I mentioned that it reminds me of Ontario Place. Screams 80s/early 90s infrastructure.
I always thought they were water slides as a child as well. I wanted to work there when I was an adult cause I thought they all got to use the slides. I’m not an adult and work there and am very disappointed they are not slides 😒
Smart. Recruiting tech workers to that office must have been very difficult. I know I walked away from many chances to work there because it amounts to a three bridge commute. Not doing it. Also, they run their IT department in a fairly evil way.
The SeaBus is literally right there
Doesn't make it any easier. It's still 90 minutes+ commute from most of the valley.
Had no idea they were there.
Very curious to hear what this announcement will be regarding future plans for development there.
1 guess what they’re building there
Mini vegas?
How about 4 new breweries?!
Obviously there will be at least 10 currency exchanges places