Whitecaps Stadium: Waterfront Transit Hub Open Houses

[FriendsofSoccer]

Hello,

As you may know, Vancouver's Friends of Soccer is represented on the City Hall advisory board on the proposed Central Waterfront Transit Hub, which directly affects transit access to the proposed Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium. This is a project that intends to combine buses, all Skytrain lines, Seabus and commuter trains in one efficient, centralized building that will be a showcase on the downtown waterfront. The hub involves land that is owned by the City, as well as the Whitecaps and several other stakeholders in the area.

The City of Vancouver will be holding open houses on the transit hub next week on:

Thursday, March 5, 3pm-7pm - Waterfront Station
Saturday, March 7, 10am-2pm, Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch

Although much of the attention these days is on the MLS bid and the renovation of BC Place, it's important to remember that the Whitecaps still intend to pursue building their own stadium on the waterfront lands they own, in conjunction with a possible land swap with the Port of Vancouver. Building a proper transit hub in the area could be an important part of any compromise that may happen regarding the stadium.

I believe it's also important for us as soccer supporters to remind City Hall that we haven't gone away, and that as long as the Whitecaps regard BC Place as a temporary solution, we do so as well. We should also send the message that it's important for any Transit Hub on the Waterfront be properly designed and equipped to handle the crowds for any stadium the Whitecaps plan to build in the future.

We may be working for the long term here...maybe even 2016. But if we're invisible at these open houses next week, or at any stage in this process, we risk hurting any chance we have when the stadium issue rises again. While I realize the transit hub isn't directly soccer related, it does impact the Whitecaps stadium for the future.

If you live in Metro Vancouver or BC, please come to the open houses. If you live outside of BC, or can't make it to the meetings, please read the material at this website:

http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/currentplanning/whitecaps/index.htm

And then please e-mail your comments in support to Matt Shilito at:

matt.shillito@vancouver.ca

Yours in Soccer,

Bill Currie
Friends Of Soccer
www.friendsofsoccer.org

More...

 

[SCP]

you have my support....i will make sure i pass this message onto others...

 

[canucklehead]

Is there no deader story then the Whitecaps waterfront dream?
Let it go...

 

[ghouse]

I kinda agree,,this stadium will not get built at the location they are asking for...How do I know you ask, Well I use to own a nightclub in Gastown and from personal knowledge the Gastown Residents Association will never let it happen. They (GRA) have so much pull its crazy. They were given that power when they decided to clean up Gastown and were given the power so people would invest in homes in that horrible area at that time. Now that its cleaning up and more people want to invest in that area the City must listen to the people who invested money in Gastown in the first place and took that chance and did a great job of cleaning up and out all the,,well, crap,drug dealers transients,Rats,cockroches and bums. The Locals do NOT want the Stadium at that location..It will block their view of North Van and the harbour. It will cause noise . Yes the noise sounds crazy but thats why I sold my Bar,,Noise problems(complantes from locals). Everywhere in the city the bars are open till 3am but right where we were right at 7 Alexander (right near the proposed site)the Bar had to close at 2am...an hour before all the rest of the clubs in the city...How crazy and unfair is that...Yet the GRA made that rule and made the city honour it. Even with legal action the city stayed firm to honour the agreement with the GRA. Thats just my 1 dealing with the locals in Gastown. As a former resident for 3 years with my bar,I got to know some of the locals pretty good and they will do what ever it takes to keep the stadium out and they will win..They have the power. They have other reasons too,I just brought up 2 that caught my ear when I was at SALT club in Bloodalley the other night and ran into a couple of my former neighbours...
PS .SALT is a cool winebar located in the hardest location to find ever ,but so cool to take a date there.. Wine coldcuts and cheese only.
Very Euro Shiek.

 

[bluebird]

Well I use to own a nightclub in Gastown

the City must listen the people did a great job of cleaning out all the,,well, crap,drug dealers transients,Rats,cockroches and bums. .

i love this quote button

 

[WestCoast]

I kinda agree,,this stadium will not get built at the location they are asking for...How do I know you ask, Well I use to own a nightclub in Gastown and from personal knowledge the Gastown Residents Association will never let it happen. They (GRA) have so much pull its crazy. They were given that power when they decided to clean up Gastown and were given the power so people would invest in homes in that horrible area at that time. Now that its cleaning up and more people want to invest in that area the City must listen to the people who invested money in Gastown in the first place and took that chance and did a great job of cleaning up and out all the,,well, crap,drug dealers transients,Rats,cockroches and bums. The Locals do NOT want the Stadium at that location..It will block their view of North Van and the harbour. It will cause noise . Yes the noise sounds crazy but thats why I sold my Bar,,Noise problems(complantes from locals). Everywhere in the city the bars are open till 3am but right where we were right at 7 Alexander (right near the proposed site)the Bar had to close at 2am...an hour before all the rest of the clubs in the city...How crazy and unfair is that...Yet the GRA made that rule and made the city honour it. Even with legal action the city stayed firm to honour the agreement with the GRA. Thats just my 1 dealing with the locals in Gastown. As a former resident for 3 years with my bar,I got to know some of the locals pretty good and they will do what ever it takes to keep the stadium out and they will win..They have the power. They have other reasons too,I just brought up 2 that caught my ear when I was at SALT club in Bloodalley the other night and ran into a couple of my former neighbours...
PS .SALT is a cool winebar located in the hardest location to find ever ,but so cool to take a date there.. Wine coldcuts and cheese only.
Very Euro Shiek.

What was the name of the bar when you owned it??? If they do what they are talking about to B.C. Place it will be a great place to watch soccer. With the re-tractable roof it will be nice on a summer day and the scoreboard.

 

[trece verde]

La Señora Trece has had an office in Gastown for the last 20 years (yes, we ARE that old), and for a number of those right downstairs from the Caps office in the Landing. The GRA in our experience have always been an extremely oral minority who have been given an inordinate amount of creedence relative to the size of their organization and the number of people they actually represent. These are the same kind of fcuking knobs who buy high-rise condos in Yaletown and then complain that they want the fire trucks downtown to turn off their sirens at night because they can't sleep in the middle of a high-density urban area.

Common sense (yes, that uncommon thing) says that if you move into an urban environment, you can't expect it to have the same noise levels as a rural one, and you should know what you're getting into. The stadium will not generate noise at 3am - that's what night clubs are for.

FoS - thanks for keeping this alive.

Trece

 

[kjohnsob]

Stadium (along with the PNE) should be at the foot of Scott Road anyway...

Center of region, closer to the soccer fans.

 

[trece verde]

...and right next door to Mugs and Jugs?

 

[kjohnsob]

...and right next door to Mugs and Jugs?

trailer parks that burn down bridges are an important part of our community!

 

[ghouse]

The Club is now called Modern. I totally agree about the noise issue and thats why I fought in court... and lost I might add. I brought up all your points and many more and still lost. Our club was even there before the GRA was formed and they new what they were moveing next to and we still lost.
Im just saying the Stadium will not go in where they are asking and in a few years we all will see if Im right or wrong...
Besides if BC Place does what they say with all the improvements,ie move stands in endzones 20 yards closer and stands 10 yards closer on the sidelines and the new turf with removeable lines for soccer/football. VIP Boxes, better seats,better jumbotron,retractable roof... With all the parking already there and the room (if needed)for 60,000 , they can bring in huge named clubs to play friendlies. Why bother with another downtown Stadium. Out in Surrey ok but downtown nah.
Im for BC Place.

 

[FriendsofSoccer]

While I understand some of the skepticism about the stadium (and God knows if anyone has a right to be skeptical, it's me , I think it's still a worthwhile pursuit as long as the Whitecaps are offering to build it. In fact, it's still an important part of any effort to bring MLS to Vancouver.

While BC Place is a good place to start, it can't sustain MLS for the long term. The league wants its teams to own its facilities and have control over its scheduling and revenues. Could you imagine a Whitecaps playoff game having to be moved because a home show is scheduled for BC Place? Well, that can happen as long as they don't own their own building. Also, as the league grows and the clubs hopefully become more successful, you could have a situation 10 or 20 years down the road where the teams that don't own their buildings aren't able to compete on the same scale as the rest of the league.

But all that's neither here nor there. There's no proposals for a stadium in Surrey (Which I think the whole concept of suburban stadiums is outdated), or anywhere else other than the waterfront. As long as the Whitecaps pursue it, I think it's worthwhile to support them. But I don't blame anyone who's frustrated or jaded by everything up until now.

 

[Kevin Hector]

Ghouse what was the name of the bar when you owned it.

 

[Dude]

While I understand some of the skepticism about the stadium (and God knows if anyone has a right to be skeptical, it's me , I think it's still a worthwhile pursuit as long as the Whitecaps are offering to build it. In fact, it's still an important part of any effort to bring MLS to Vancouver.

While BC Place is a good place to start, it can't sustain MLS for the long term. The league wants its teams to own its facilities and have control over its scheduling and revenues. Could you imagine a Whitecaps playoff game having to be moved because a home show is scheduled for BC Place? Well, that can happen as long as they don't own their own building. Also, as the league grows and the clubs hopefully become more successful, you could have a situation 10 or 20 years down the road where the teams that don't own their buildings aren't able to compete on the same scale as the rest of the league.

But all that's neither here nor there. There's no proposals for a stadium in Surrey (Which I think the whole concept of suburban stadiums is outdated), or anywhere else other than the waterfront. As long as the Whitecaps pursue it, I think it's worthwhile to support them. But I don't blame anyone who's frustrated or jaded by everything up until now.

Reading in between the lines Ghouse wrote, I think he's saying it's time to move on to a different location.

That being said, weren't all the hurdles cleared EXCEPT for the Port People not giving up their easement? That hasn't gone anywhere, has it?

What ever happened w/ the rumored land swap proposal to take over the train station by Science World?

 

[Dude]

Common sense (yes, that uncommon thing) says that if you move into an urban environment, you can't expect it to have the same noise levels as a rural one, and you should know what you're getting into. The stadium will not generate noise at 3am - that's what night clubs are for.

I used the term "common sense" in a debate last week, and one of my colleagues pointed out that most people are stupid, which is why they call it "common". A btter term is "Good sense", my colleague pointed out.

Good sense is a rare commodity.

 

[FriendsofSoccer]

Reading in between the lines Ghouse wrote, I think he's saying it's time to move on to a different location.

That being said, weren't all the hurdles cleared EXCEPT for the Port People not giving up their easement? That hasn't gone anywhere, has it?

What ever happened w/ the rumored land swap proposal to take over the train station by Science World?

The Caps & the Port are waiting on an independent assessment on the value of the land swap. It's complicated by the fact that there's a new executive at the Port as well.

As for moving on to a new site...well, there aren't any alternative sites proposed by the Whitecaps. This is the land they own.

 

[ghouse]

My Club was named after the address "7 Alexander" and is now 'Modern'.
Had to sell to the big boys who could afford to shut down earlier than all the other clubs.
Being an owner of just 1 Bar I needed that extra hour of operation to make ends meet. The owners now own 3-4 other clubs so they have other revenue to offset that extra hour.
But I had fun ,learnt alot. And will never own a nightclub again...Maybe a sports bar.

 

[Polska]

My Club was named after the address "7 Alexander" and is now 'Modern'.
Had to sell to the big boys who could afford to shut down earlier than all the other clubs.
Being an owner of just 1 Bar I needed that extra hour of operation to make ends meet. The owners now own 3-4 other clubs so they have other revenue to offset that extra hour.
But I had fun ,learnt alot. And will never own a nightclub again...Maybe a sports bar.

surely you reeked the many many benifts of being a bar owner... im thinkin of the female clients ... yum..

 

[Polska]

Is seattle building a new stadium or are they commited to quest field?

 

[The_Reverend]

surely you reeked the many many benifts of being a bar owner... im thinkin of the female clients ... yum..

i think if he "reeked" the female clients would have stayed away....