Chief
07-09-2008, 06:47 AM
http://columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/07/07092008_Stateoftheart-sustainable-neighborhood.cfm
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
By JONATHAN NELSON, Columbian staff writer
A former industrial site on prime waterfront real estate in the city’s core sheds its working-class roots for a future as an urban neighborhood reconnecting people to the water.
Sound familiar? Except this isn’t Vancouver’s Columbia River waterfront, where developers envision a dense cluster of apartments, condos, offices, retail, restaurants and parks.
It’s in Victoria, B.C., and it’s a glimpse of what might be possible here. Called Dockside Green, this self-contained neighborhood is being built on 15 acres on the city’s Inner Harbor, and is hailed as one of the most environmentally advanced projects of its kind.
What makes Dockside so special? Highlights include:
* A biomass plant: A central plant will use waste wood biomass to produce a clean gas for heating and domestic hot water needs.
* Stormwater system: Stormwater will be treated through green roofs and flow through a series of connected creeks and waterways.
* Sewage system: The development will treat all of its sewage and use the treated water for flushing toilets, landscape irrigation and water features. It is estimated that more than 38 million gallons of potable water will be saved by treating and reusing the water.
* Monitoring utilities: Utility meters in each condominium and apartment will measure domestic hot and cold water use, heating bills and electricity usage. Adjustments can be made — on-site or remotely, via a secure Web site, to save money.
The list goes on and, taken together, puts Dockside Green on track to be the first master-planned community to earn the highest level of green building certification, LEED Platinum. Dockside’s developers are so confident they’ll hit that mark that they’ve agreed to a $1 million penalty if they fail.
The emphasis on environmental standards, however, is not just a marketing tool. It’s a philosophy that developer Joe Van Belleghem says translates into profits.
“It makes economic sense,” Van Belleghem said. “At Dockside, marketing and sales are doing well compared to other projects.”
In the completed buildings, 70 percent of the residential units have been sold and there is no commercial or retail space left for lease.
**SCHNIPP**
yah. For an initial investment of $100 Million Dollars worth of Public Tax Money, you too can build a replica of Victoria B.C. on the other side of the railroad tracks in Downtown America's the 'Couv.
I have nothing against other people's vision, but what rankles me is to talk about this projects in terms of "sustainability", without a single mention of how you pay for all of this in some sustainable manner. Counting on that much "investment" by the local community in this project, with money that we simply do not have is not my idea of sustainable.
In order for the City of Vancouver to meet all of the obligations it is rapidly voting itself into supporting financially, they need to discuss just where the hell the rest of the money is going to come from.
The City's recent "LIFT" Program application (that they suckered the Port of Vancouver into underwriting to the tune of some $12 Million Dollars) was only a drop in the bucket. I put up an article yesterday that you can view the most recent public presentation of what this project is conceived to accomplish, and when you watch you need to ask yourself who is going to pay for all of it, including the cute little streetcar.
Like everything else, this is about the money. I am more interested in hearing how the City will keep the Fire and Police from being cut further, and how my street will bet repaved sometime in the next decade, not how to pay for a streetcar on the former Boise Cascade papermill site.
Developing...
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
By JONATHAN NELSON, Columbian staff writer
A former industrial site on prime waterfront real estate in the city’s core sheds its working-class roots for a future as an urban neighborhood reconnecting people to the water.
Sound familiar? Except this isn’t Vancouver’s Columbia River waterfront, where developers envision a dense cluster of apartments, condos, offices, retail, restaurants and parks.
It’s in Victoria, B.C., and it’s a glimpse of what might be possible here. Called Dockside Green, this self-contained neighborhood is being built on 15 acres on the city’s Inner Harbor, and is hailed as one of the most environmentally advanced projects of its kind.
What makes Dockside so special? Highlights include:
* A biomass plant: A central plant will use waste wood biomass to produce a clean gas for heating and domestic hot water needs.
* Stormwater system: Stormwater will be treated through green roofs and flow through a series of connected creeks and waterways.
* Sewage system: The development will treat all of its sewage and use the treated water for flushing toilets, landscape irrigation and water features. It is estimated that more than 38 million gallons of potable water will be saved by treating and reusing the water.
* Monitoring utilities: Utility meters in each condominium and apartment will measure domestic hot and cold water use, heating bills and electricity usage. Adjustments can be made — on-site or remotely, via a secure Web site, to save money.
The list goes on and, taken together, puts Dockside Green on track to be the first master-planned community to earn the highest level of green building certification, LEED Platinum. Dockside’s developers are so confident they’ll hit that mark that they’ve agreed to a $1 million penalty if they fail.
The emphasis on environmental standards, however, is not just a marketing tool. It’s a philosophy that developer Joe Van Belleghem says translates into profits.
“It makes economic sense,” Van Belleghem said. “At Dockside, marketing and sales are doing well compared to other projects.”
In the completed buildings, 70 percent of the residential units have been sold and there is no commercial or retail space left for lease.
**SCHNIPP**
yah. For an initial investment of $100 Million Dollars worth of Public Tax Money, you too can build a replica of Victoria B.C. on the other side of the railroad tracks in Downtown America's the 'Couv.
I have nothing against other people's vision, but what rankles me is to talk about this projects in terms of "sustainability", without a single mention of how you pay for all of this in some sustainable manner. Counting on that much "investment" by the local community in this project, with money that we simply do not have is not my idea of sustainable.
In order for the City of Vancouver to meet all of the obligations it is rapidly voting itself into supporting financially, they need to discuss just where the hell the rest of the money is going to come from.
The City's recent "LIFT" Program application (that they suckered the Port of Vancouver into underwriting to the tune of some $12 Million Dollars) was only a drop in the bucket. I put up an article yesterday that you can view the most recent public presentation of what this project is conceived to accomplish, and when you watch you need to ask yourself who is going to pay for all of it, including the cute little streetcar.
Like everything else, this is about the money. I am more interested in hearing how the City will keep the Fire and Police from being cut further, and how my street will bet repaved sometime in the next decade, not how to pay for a streetcar on the former Boise Cascade papermill site.
Developing...