We don’t have much information on this new Main Street real estate development yet, but it looks like BlueSky Properties will be developing the site into a 151 unit residential plus retail building in the future.

This neighbourhood is changing very quickly!

From Changing City Updates:

We’ve already seen a Westbank proposed development on Main Street at Keefer in the very small area of Chinatown where buildings can go to 150 feet in height. Here’s the new proposal for the site to the south. This is for 151 units over retail designed by Chris Dikeakos for Blue Sky Properties. The two projects should compliment each other pretty well in style, follow the Chinatown guidelines on design, and are similar in scale to some of the mid-rise elements of Citygate to the south. They will bring a significant population into a stretch of Main Street and the edge of Chinatown that currently has very few residents and some pretty dismal retail spaces.

Stay tuned for more updates as we get them. In the meantime, if you’d like to know more about buying or selling real estate around Main Street, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh @ 604-780-3457 today.

The Main Street real estate on the NE corner of Kind Edward is about to be transformed!

Bluetree Homes will begin construction Summer 2012 on this new real estate development at 4000 Main Street:

Meet Bluetree Homes on Main Street, where fresh and modern apartment living meets the bohemian charm and rich amenities of the South Main neighbourhood. Located steps away from boutique shopping, fresh grocery markets, renowned brunch spots and a restaurant scene that will take you from evening ‘til late, you will be a part of Vancouver’s most eclectic neighbourhood. We think proximity to transit is friendly to both your busy schedule and the earth, so you will enjoy being on two major bus lines and minutes from the King Edward Canada Line. Need a break? Fill your downtime with views of the North Shore mountains. Like what you hear? Then you’ll love these 1 bed & den and 2 bed & den apartments starting from the mid $300,000’s.

If you’d like to find out more about Bluetree Homes or other Main Street real estate, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

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If you are a Main Street real estate owner, you are no doubt very familiar with the annual Car Free Day that is fast approaching.

Every Spring, Main Street shuts down to vehicle traffic for one day of family fun (hopefully in the sun) with food, music and community socializing.

Who is responsible for making this fabulous day happen? Volunteers of course! That’s where you come in Main Street real estate owners…

If you’d like to participate in making this day a huge success, please check out the Car Free Vancouver: Main Street Facebook page:

On Sunday, April 29th from 4-6pm, there is a meeting for volunteers. We are looking for volunteers for all groups however specifically we are still in need of an entertainment and volunteer coordinator positions. Whatever you think that you can bring to making 2012 a successful, safe and awesome celebration, please come to the meeting and make yourself known!

The meeting will be held at The Beaumont Studio: The Actors Chapel, 316 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver.

Find out all about Car Free Vancouver here.

Find out more about buying or selling real estate around Main Street by contacting Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

If you own real estate around Main Street in Mount Pleasant, you have probably been following the lengthy drama over the proposed Rize Alliance tower at Kingsway and Broadway.

Well, the battle is over and last Tuesday City Council approved the real estate project with a 9-1 vote. From The Vancouver Courier article:

The plan calls for building heights of five storeys, nine storeys and a 19-storey tower. The 1.25-acre trapezoid-shaped site is in the heart of Mount Pleasant and will include 241 condos and two levels of commercial space.

“I take it with a grain of salt,” said Christopher Vollan, vice president of development for Rize Alliance, when asked after the vote about the criticisms of the design. “We’ve heard enough, both supportive and unsupportive, to support our understanding that we have to do more work on the architecture.”

The vote came after six nights of public hearings which attracted more than 100 speakers. The height of the 19-storey tower and the density of the project were at odds with many speakers at the hearings.

Rize Alliance’s proposal was the first significant rezoning application before council following its approval of the Mount Pleasant community plan in November 2010.

The site is one of three identified in the plan for taller buildings. The others are Kingsgate Mall and the IGA site at 14th and Main.

The face of Main Street and Mount Pleasant is changing. If you’d like to learn more about buying or selling real estate here, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

As Vancouver endeavors to become the ‘Greenest City by 2020′ there are many things we as individuals can do to help along the way. If you have a lawn around your Main Street real estate, consider using ‘green’ practices to keep it green.

Fortunately (and unfortunately) it rains a lot in Vancouver, so keeping our lawns green is not as hard as some areas of the world, but when summer sets in, here are some practices from Better Homes and Gardens to maintain a ‘greener’ approach:

Plan
In order to have environmentally friendly landscaping, it is important to take the appropriate steps.

Water
Develop your landscaping to use water efficiently. This practice is referred to as “Xeriscape,” and is pronounced “Zera-scape.” Xeriscaping refers to creating a landscape that limits the need for irrigation.

Proper Planting
In order to be certain your plants are resistant to drought, insects and others issues, soil preparation is essential.

Appropriate Maintenance
Once you’ve utilized the appropriate soil and properly established your plants, you still have to consider the ongoing water needed to sustain them.

Use Organics
Due to their limited impact on the soil, environment and household pets, organic fertilizers are becoming increasingly popular.

If you’d like to know more about buying or selling real estate around Main Street, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

If you’re currently deciding whether to renovate or sell your Main Street real estate, why not apply to be on ‘Love It or List It’…

‘Love It or List It’ is a real estate reality show that’s looking for couples, or families to showcase their Main Street homes.

Participant Criteria:

*Must have a minimum design budget of $20,000.

* Must have at least 2 rooms or areas in the home that are dysfunctional and/or lack flow and require renovation.

* Participants must move out of the home for the one month during the expedited renovations.

* Participants must have a stake in the home – meaning you do not have to be a couple, you can be a single parent with grown children who live at home with a stake in what happens to the home.

* Participants must be fun, lively, outspoken and outgoing.

* Be available for 6 staggered shooting days in one month.

* One willing to be on the side to LOVE IT and one on the side to LIST it.

* Houses only. No condos because of condo boards approval…or lack thereof.

* Within a one hour radius of downtown Vancouver.

If you’d like to know more about getting your Main Street real estate featured on ‘Love It or List It’, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh @ 604-780-3457.

The debate over the Rize real estate proposal at the corner of Broadway and Kingsway one block from Main Street, continues with another public hearing on March 27th at Vancouver City Hall.

If you’d like to be part of this discussion it will begin at 7pm. If you’d like to register to speak on either side of the issue, here are the details from the City of Vancouver website:

PUBLIC HEARING RECONVENED:

Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Time: 7 pm (beginning with Speaker #104)
Place: Council Chamber, Third Floor, City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue
You may communicate your thoughts on an issue to the Mayor and Councillors by emailing mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca and they will receive all correspondence before the matter is considered.

To register to speak, please call the Public Hearing Information Line at 604.829.4238, or e-mail publichearing@vancouver.ca. For general information on Public Hearings, please visit the Public Hearings website.

For more information on the meeting, please contact Pat Boomhower, Meeting Coordinator, at 604.873.7015 or email pat.boomhower@vancouver.ca.

The Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) for this project has been revised from an on-site amenity of artist studio production space to a cash contribution. While the form of development has not changed from the previous submission (October 2011), the floor area from the artist studio production space is now counted in the floor area calculations as commercial retail space, resulting in an increase in the floor space ratio (FSR) from 5.38 to 5.55.

In addition, the 15 for-profit rental housing units have been removed and these units are now covered under market residential housing. This change has no impact to the FSR calculations.

The revised application includes the following:

Two-storey commercial podium.
241 dwelling units.
Building heights of 5, 5, 9 and 19 storeys.
Floor space ratio (FSR) of 5.55
Underground parking for 320 vehicles
Increased sidewalk widths on portions of the Kingsway and 10th Avenue frontages
A cash contribution towards off-site cultural or civic facilities, or other approved public benefit, in lieu of the originally proposed on-site artist studio production space.

What do you think Main Street? Come out and let the City of Vancouver know where you stand on Rize’s real estate proposal.

Thinking about renovating the kitchen in your Main Street real estate?

Maybe you’re planning to sell soon, or you just want to update the look…

Either way, if the kitchen is the heart of the home, it should be filled with love!

Here are some ideas for designing or decorating your new kitchen from Houzz:

If you’d like to know more about real estate opportunities around Main Street, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

The corner of Main Street and 2nd Ave is changing so fast it’s hard to keep up.

There are three new real estate developments currently underway in a two block radius on the North side of 2nd between Quebec Street and Main Street alone:

Meccanica by Cressey which gets its inspiration from a Porche company that was located on this piece of real estate years ago.

Lido with its signature rooftop pool, heated cabanas and entertainment areas.

Central by Onni which will be one Vancouver’s most unique design concepts with its high-design and Skybridge feature (pictured above.)

Main Street is growing into one of Vancouver’s best real estate investments! Don’t miss out. Contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh today to find out more about these and other condo projects.

Meccanica by Cressey is a new Main Street real estate development in the pre-sale stages.

Located at Main Street and Quebec Ave., this new condo project gets its inspiration from a Porche company that was located on this piece of real estate years ago.

On this same site at First and Quebec in South East False Creek, a company named Intermeccanica lovingly custom-created replica Porsche speedsters and roadsters. Today, a new collection of automotive-inspired homes will continue this tradition of honest, remarkable design. In Meccanica, bold but refined details will come standard. And, in true car-buying style, owners can customize their
model to their heart’s content.

Meccanica interiors will include:

Living Room: Roller blinds. Polished concrete floors. Air conditioning & energy efficient heating.

Ceilings over 9-feet high with exposed mechanical. 7-foot Industrial metal door to bedroom.

Overheight interior doors throughout.

Bathrooms: Fully tiled bathroom feature wall. High-gloss Lacquer cabinet & floating vanity mirror.

Quartz countertops with undermount sink & Grohe fixtures.

Kitchen: DESIGNER quartz countertops & backsplash. Super High-gloss lacquer cabinetry.

Sleek AEG appliances. Large undermount sink. Fully integrated refrigerator & dishwasher.

You can check out floor plans here.

This corner of Main Street where it meets South East False Creek is changing so fast it’s hard to keep up! If you’re looking for a great real estate investment this neighbourhood is it. Proximity to the seawall, Mount Pleasant, Gastown, and the Skytrain station all make it one of the most conveniently located areas in Vancouver.

If you’d like to know more about real estate opportunities at Meccanica, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh today.