A surface parking lot at The Waterfront Vancouver's Block 7 will soon be replaced by an eight-story parking garage to hold 840 cars and also retail spots, expected to be complete in 2024. Once the parking structure is complete, the waterfront's other surface parking lots will be sold for development in phases. (Renderings contributed by Gramor Development, Inc.)
A surface parking lot at The Waterfront Vancouver will soon be replaced by an eight-story parking garage to hold 840 cars and also retail spots, expected to be complete in 2024.
The garage will be on Block 7 of the waterfront project, abutting Grant Street, Cascade Street and Columbia Way, according to plans submitted to the city of Vancouver. The spot is Northeast of the RiverWest building, where Grassa opened earlier this month.
Patrons will pay to park in the facility, and it will have gated access through a single entry and exit point and will have a mixture of monthly and hourly parking spaces. Once the parking structure is complete, the waterfront’s other surface parking lots will be sold for development in phases.
The parking garage has always been part of the plan on the waterfront, according to Barry Cain, president of Gramor Development, the main developer for The Waterfront Vancouver. A number of temporary surface parking lots have been used while the area is developed.
“Now, it’s time to do something more permanent,” said Cain. “I think people will really appreciate it. Instead of going to one of four or five blocks where you can park in a surface lot, people will go to one place and get in and out quickly.”
The garage will integrate technology: indicators letting people know which levels have open spaces, fast elevators and good lighting.
“I think it’ll be a really positive thing,” said Cain.
The parking garage building will have 11,200 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. The side of the building facing Columbia Way will have canopy-covered storefront windows on the lower level and elevator exits. The other three sides will be covered with white perforated metal screening or black mesh screening.
According to planning documents, the garage will follow a green building certification process by Green Building Initiative, a sustainable certification that was also used for the development’s Block 6, which contains an office building and adjoining apartment building.
The parking garage is meant to not only relieve pressure of the high-demand parking at The Waterfront Vancouver, but it’s also meant to help with parking at the city of Vancouver’s upcoming Waterfront Gateway development to the north, across the railroad tracks, according to Patrick Quinton, executive director of Vancouver’s City Center Redevelopment Authority. The Waterfront Gateway includes four buildings of apartments, office and retail, and the city expects to break ground by the end of next year.
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