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Granville Island — Building Information
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Granville
Island
New sparkle for a rare jewel: GRANVILLE ISLAND: Change is in the air at this unique Vancouver site, where anxious tenants are being promised it will all be for the good Contact Info:
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You can't get a Starbuck's coffee
on Granville Trivial? Perhaps. But it is this underlying policy
of "made in Vancouver" consumerism -- no franchise chains, nay to the
multinationals -- that has, for more than 30 years, provided the cornerstone of
the Granville Balanced on this founding philosophy
is a vibrant and diverse community of independent shopkeepers, artists, artisans
and buskers that sets Granville The formula has long appeared bulletproof, drawing 12 million visitors a year to the historic, 16-hectare peninsula in the heart of Vancouver. Today, however, there is a growing sense of unease on the island. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
(CMHC), the federal body that governs Granville Island Insight -- an exhaustive infrastructure study nearing completion -- will consider improvements to public access, transportation and parking, as well as the 19 buildings, seawalls and docks CMHC owns and manages. All in time for the influx of visitors expected during the 2010 Olympics. Many of the island's business and studio owners are nervous. Change is in the wind, and unlike Granville Island's signature scent -- a melange of fresh-cut flowers, fried fat and sun-baked creosote -- many feel there's a bad whiff on the rise. Joanne and Georges Lefebvre, owners of the bustling Stock Market in the public market, have worked on the island for 20 years. From cramped quarters, the Lefebvres offer 3,000 varieties of soups and stocks. Joanne describes two decades on the island as "absolutely wonderful." "In French, we say, 'ludique,'" she says. "Which means 'playful.'" But Joanne now wonders what the future
will hold as Granville "They must be vigilant about keeping it small, encouraging the equilibrium of artisans and small business owners," she insists. "The administration seems quite dynamic and they are being proactive," she adds. "But we will see." The CMHC's Gloria Loree says the Lefebvres have nothing to fear. Ditto the 2,500 people who work on the island and the thousands of Greater Vancouverites who would say of their beloved Granville Island, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But Loree says that 30 years on,
the crown jewel of Vancouver's tourism industry needs a polish. The island's aging
infrastructure -- pylons, planks and cement hardly touched since 1917 -- requires
maintenance. And increased visitation -- particularly vehicular visits -- has
placed pressures on the island that need to be addressed. It will be a gentle
tweak, insists L…
No active MLS® listings in this building right now. Contact Les Twarog at 604-671-7000 for availability. |
