Sun
CREDIT: Ian Smith, Vancouver Sun Above, a presentation centre model shows the front (top) and rear (bottom) views of the warehouse conversion Townline has started at 1180 Homer. Garage doors will connect some of the rear homes and their enclosed decks. Below is a model (front view, top; rear view, bottom) of the new building Townline plans for 531 Beatty, across the street from the second warehouse-conversion in the six-building undertaking. Garage doors will front some of the penthouses.
There are two moving chapters in Townline’s Metroliving/Six in the City new-home story. One of them is the transformation of the ubiquitous overhead garage door into a residential feature. By pushing a button, does the living room become an extension of the patio, deck or terrace or vice versa? Depends on the time of year might be the the answer from Townline’s Kimberlee Robertson, in a Pappa Bear chair from Modernica in Metroliving’s downtown presentation centre, on Homer Street (Telephone: 604-682-1050). ‘We believe it will be a major selling point,’ her boss, Rick Ilich, says in a news release. “As far as we know, there is nothing like it in any other residential development in Canada.” Additionally, Townline plans to install car elevators — a first for Vancouver — in three of the six buildings. Story, K22.
Townline gives parking a lift in 3 buildings
Car elevators, popular in Beijing, Hong Kong, allow developers to increase the number of stalls on small sites
Westcoast Homes
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Small building sites in downtown Vancouver pose a number of challenges for developers, and one of particular concern for their eventual buyers is adequate parking space for their vehicles.
Townline Homes Inc. thinks it has found a solution for the residential buildings in its Metroliving/Six in the City project, featured earlier this month in Westcoast Homes.
In three of the six buildings, Townline plans to install car elevators — a first for Vancouver.
The addresses are 1241 Homer St., a new building; 1180 Homer St., a heritage warehouse; and 540 Beatty St., another heritage warehouse.
At 540 Beatty, the first two floors of the parking garage will be connected by a ramp but the third floor will have an elevator.
Townline Homes Inc. owner Rick Ilich noted the elevator will allow Townline to increase the number of stalls on the third floor to 20 from 12.
”City staff has been very wide-eyed and cooperative working with us. They recognize more and more [parking elevators] will be coming.
“Otherwise, not many people will want to build on these small properties. It’s complex and expensive.”
Ilich says the cost of creating a parking stall for a site of 120 feet by 120 feet is about $30,000 per stall.
But with a site 50 feet by 70 feet the cost of an elevator parking stall is about $65,000.
City hall urban designer Scott Hein says while the technology of elevator parking is new in North America it is already familiar in large metropolitan cities like Bejiing and Hong Kong.
“We need to learn more about it,” says Hein, adding the city expects parking elevators will be used more frequently as more small infill sites are developed.
In anticipation of that Hein says the city is now in the process of developing a policy around parking elevators.
He says one of the concerns of neighbours of commercial properties wanting to install a parking elevator is the queuing issue that may happen in back lanes.
While a parking elevator was discussed for a boutique hotel, planned at 1380 Hornby, it was not approved because of the restaurant component of the hotel, where the frequency of use for the elevator would naturally increase at peak periods.
The elevator would only be able to take one car at a time to its parking stall.
Vancouver heritage planner Yardley McNeill says, while the kinks are not yet worked out for commercial use, parking elevators do make sense for narrow heritage sites being developed into smaller residential housing projects.
“I think it’s a fantastic idea myself,” says McNeill.
“It’s really progressive on how parking can be handled in a difficult site.”
“I saw the I, Robot movie and there’s a scene of someone getting out of a car left on a conveyor belt and it’s picked up and the car is stacked vertically.
“It’s that quickness and automation. I thought that’s where we are heading.”
In the three Metroliving buildings the homeowners will use a remote clicker after driving their car from street level into the elevator.
They would then ride to their assigned parking level and drive off the elevator to the stall.
Ilich noted the parking elevators provide additional security to prevent car theft.
The other three projects in Metroliving will be a six-storey building with 12 lofts at 1168 Richards St.; 63 condos at 999 Seymour and 38 condos at 531 Beatty St.
© The Vancouver Sun 2005
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