345 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Its the best commercial podium of any new building along Yates -- 800-block and further east. It's sort of in between where we don't want to go and where we want to be.

[Kapten Kapsell]

I think that the setback in part of the Wave's commercial space (where reStart Computing is opening) was designed to accomodate a potential café/restaurant tenant. The deeper entrance would allow for a significant amount of outdoor seating space- far more than the nearby Starbucks has, for example. It turns out that the first occupant of this space will be a computer store rather than a café, but it's always possible that a food or coffee establishment will oneday move into this retail area.

[Oxford Sutherland]

Its the best commercial podium of any new building along Yates -- 800-block and further east. It's sort of in between where we don't want to go and where we want to be.

That doesn't mean much considering it's pretty much the only new commercial podium on Yates.

[Oxford Sutherland]

I would say the Thrift store next to The Wave is the best commercial podium
of any new building along Yates -- 800-block and further east.

[aastra]

There's also 1030 Yates.

[Oxford Sutherland]

I think the ground floor of 1030 Yates is also dissapointing. It's like a suburban design in an urban area. The retail should be right on the sidewalk, not setback behind some mini manicured garden space. Signage is almost non-existent, you can walk by it and not even know there's retail space there, they look more like ground floor townhouses.

[Oxford Sutherland]

Speaking of pointless mini gardens in front of buildings, The Wave actually has two of them.

:roll:

[Mike K.]

There's also the Regent Park towers, Manhattan and the 5-storey job at Cook and Yates.

Out of all of them The Wave has so far done the most for the street. The thrift store has a meagre entrance with drab decor on display so it doesn't win many points. Once retail establishes itself at the Wave and at Cap 6 the thrift store won't be as noticeable.

[Scaper]

^^ What they need there are three large pots with some nice trees in them.

[gumgum]

It needs a restaurant patio.

[Oxford Sutherland]

There's also the Regent Park towers, Manhattan and the 5-storey job at Cook and Yates.

Out of all of them The Wave has so far done the most for the street. The thrift store has a meagre entrance with drab decor on display so it doesn't win many points. Once retail establishes itself at the Wave and at Cap 6 the thrift store won't be as noticeable.

The only thing this demonstrates is how bad the development along Yates street has been over the past decade. It's like saying "eating dirt is better than eating dog turds" :roll:

[Scaper]

that'd be cool!!!

[Oxford Sutherland]

^^ What they need there are three large pots with some nice trees in them.

No, what they need there are some prominent shop fronts flush with the sidewalk.

This is downtown, not the suburbs. :roll:

[Scaper]

actually according to the City it's not downtown

Though it should be...

the problem is right now is that retail is hurting really bad in the core. If you keep adding shops to every development they won't fill up and we will have empty store fronts. The city can only handle so many stores...Langford had really hurt down town shopping.

I think it was the Chelsea on View (spelling??) that had those empty stores in it for over a year?

[Holden West]

I'm guessing the architect decided (or was told) that the storefronts needed to be broken up. The Falls were told this and their response was different from the Wave--they simply inset each entrance a few feet and kept the continuous frontage (except for the passageway).

The Wave's storefronts are so broken up they've lost coherence. Simply too many blank walls and although Scaper's tree idea looks great it's a band-aid fix at best.

[Oxford Sutherland]

the problem is right now is that retail is hurting really bad in the core. If you keep adding shops to every development they won't fill up and we will have empty store fronts. The city can only handle so many stores...Langford had really hurt down town shopping.

I think it was the Chelsea on View (spelling??) that had those empty stores in it for over a year?

That's why you don't put retail on View Street, you put it on Yates Street.

Yates is the exact type of street that should be a contiguous streetfront of retail west of Cook Street.

Have all the mini-manicured gardens you want on View Street.

[m0nkyman]

^^ What they need there are three large pots with some nice trees in them.

Have you seen what happens to nice big pots left outside in this neighbourhood? Expect to replace a 600$ pot on a monthly basis....

[Scaper]

that's why you use heavy exposed agregate pots. (sorry spelling mistake)

Also you could hang some really beautiful hanging baskets from the over hang too.

Thanks for the complimet Holden.....it is what it is now, so you have to work with whats there to beautify it.

anyways I am just brainstorming ideas to dress it up. You could also put ground lights in lighting up the trees at night too.

[aastra]

Victoria has been "greening" Yates Street for years. I really don't understand why. I suppose it's the whole "Harris Green is NOT downtown" thing. But if you have to change the street dramatically in order to let its true character show through, just maybe the true character isn't so true after all?

It's downtown. It needs nice sidewalks and tile details and things like that. It doesn't need lawns.

[Oxford Sutherland]

Victoria has been "greening" Yates Street for years. I really don't understand why.

Maybe because people in city council and various neighbourhood organizations scream about needing setbacks and community gardens downtown? :roll: