VANCOUVER By now, many people working from home may be going stir crazy and looking forward to going back to the office. While that does not look hopeful any time soon, that time is coming – but things will be different. As we have gotten used to distancing, there may be a reluctance to cram back into small office cubicles. Distancing ourselves from each other in the office will require more space and commercial real estate developers are taking notice. A new office building will soon emerge at 4330 Kingsway in Burnaby that is expected to create a trend in commercial real estate development.
The proposed planning process would not be reviewed by city council for consideration until the end of 2021, and the work itself for a new vision for the area would only begin in 2022. All the while, conditions on the GED would continue to deteriorate.
This planning process would mainly focus on Granville Street between Drake and Robson streets, with considerations on culture, heritage character, public realm, and its function as a pedestrian-priority commercial high street and transit hub.
However, this years-long timeline could put more development projects on hold, if not cancelled, and discourage private investment as a means for not only reviving the GED but also for COVID-19 recovery.
by Martin Dunphy on February 5th, 2021 at 7:40 PM 1 of 1 2 of 1
An initiative to bring an entertaining diversion into the lives of those negatively affected by isolation during the pandemic is as close as the nearest phone.
The Poetry Phone, a project launched today (February 5) by the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA), features recordings of 10 local writers reading their works.
The recordings, according to a February 5 DVBIA release, are intended for those less comfortable or unfamiliar with newer forms of technology. This project aims to bring a new and accessible format of uplifting entertainment to anyone who has felt the effects of social isolation that this past year has brought.
VANCOUVER At the beginning of the pandemic, downtown Vancouver was a ghost town of boarded up shops, restaurants and hotels. When the partial lockdown was lifted last June, businesses re-opened and people returned to the streets. But downtown foot traffic still dropped significantly in 2020. A new report from the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association says downtown pedestrian numbers dropped 49 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019. Downtown BIA president Charles Gauthier attributes that drop to a seismic shift: a majority of office tower staff are choosing to or being ordered to work from home. “Obviously there is a trickle down effect as a result of that, people aren’t downtown, going to the restaurants, they’re not shopping,” said Gauthier. “So we have literally sucked out the vibrancy that we would see in the downtown area.”
Vancouver business association sounds alarm as Stanley Cup playoffs draw near vancourier.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vancourier.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.