As spring tulips sprout from the ground, so has The Waterfront Vancouver project, where progress on several buildings has transformed the look of lower downtown Vancouver in the past few weeks. Most of the steel framing is in place for a new seven-story office tower, where Fidel Camacho, of Farwest Steel, was moving rebar to form the base of the sixth floor on Friday. Next door, a large wood-framed apartment complex sprouted a sixth floor last week, and finish work is underway on two restaurant buildings that will frame the new public pier.
Gramor Development of Tualatin, Ore., is the master developer on the waterfront, where $1.5 billion or more is expected to be invested. Other partners include the city of Vancouver, which built the roads and is working on a waterfront park. The Port of Vancouver has plans for its property, including the former hotel just downstream of the Interstate 5 Bridge.
When portions of the project begin to open later this year, it will be the first time in many years the public has had access to most of the site, which for decades was home to a paper mill.
