Parking is, apparently, a gift that keep on giving. In this case, for developers and future tenants at The Waterfront Vancouver.
Barry Cain, president of Gramor Development, said work has finished on a two-level, below-ground parking garage at Block 6 of the massive waterfront development.
Besides helping ease ongoing concerns that development will congest downtown, Cain said completing the garage early helps builders turn a corner. Now, two new structures on top are expected to rise quickly.
“It just takes a long time to get all that underground concrete; it’s amazing how long it takes,” he said. “But once you get the foundation going, I think it will be a fairly quick process getting those buildings looking finished.”
A seven-story office building and a six-story apartment complex could be completed by September, he said. Both will have a combination of restaurant, retail and office space on the ground floors, though it’s unclear if those tenants would open at the same time.
Passers-by may specifically notice the large concrete slab taking shape at the site. That is a concrete shear wall that will support the seven-story office building, according to construction crews. Nearby, two restaurant buildings are also standing; they’re expected to open in the summer.
South-facing offices and apartments there are sure to be hot commodities as they will have a front-row view of the Columbia River. Only the city of Vancouver’s upcoming 7-acre park is closer.
Cain said new tenant announcements are on the way.
“Now that we’re getting the buildings more finished, it’s getting a little easier to lease them,” he said. “A lot of office tenants don’t do preleasing. A lot of them like to see what it’s going to look like. They don’t think two years ahead.”
