The ball keeps rolling!  Here I have reviewed my feelings about living at the Olympic Village.

Firstly, I would like to focus on congestion and how this is going to exponentially grow in the next 1 – 3 years.  Residential projects by Pinnacle, Bosa, Cressey, and Bastion will bring a large influx of not just people, but their vehicles.  If you have the opportunity, take a walk or drive along 2nd avenue near Manitoba, which is the main arterial road to access the Olympic Village. I encourage you to do this at varying times of the weekday.  You will see that even with the surrounding residential buildings being constructed (empty) there is already congestion. As people begin to occupy in the near/ surrounding area this will ultimately lead to a rise in congestion which ultimately leads to an increase in noise and vehicle pollution.

Secondly, the plan (although not set in stone) by the City of Vancouver, is to remove the Georgia Viaducts and this will further exacerbate congestion.  Northwest bound traffic along Main Street will have to divert either Eastbound on Broadway or 2nd avenue. Even though it is not set in stone, there is a clear Vision by the City of Vancouver’s 2040 Transportation plan to increase bike and pedestrian lanes while decreasing the emphasis on the vehicle.

The second part of my reasoning relates to the commercial tenants in the Olympic village.  At first glance this would seem fantastic, but you really need to take a closer look at what it offers.  Without Terra Breads, which in my opinion is the anchor tenant, there is very little offered by the remaining tenants.  Please take the time to go into Urban Fare and believe me, you will be disappointed.  It seems as if Western Family (no name food brand) loaded the store with its goods and put a Urban Fare sign out front.  The difference between the Urban Fare on Alberni Street compared to the Olympic Village is shocking. The only late night restaurant/ pub/ food place that exist is Tap and Barrel.  At best, Tap and Barrel is a pub like environment with over priced beer and mediocre food.  There is only so many times you can consume this type of food.  Recently, there is news about a pub moving into the Salt building (Big Red Building).  I can’t comment on the food or service, but I would not want to live in an area that has a pub (350 seats) right in the middle of everything. A late night pub will bring problems in the future including noise (drunken shenanigans) and more congestion.  Lastly, there is a TD bank (great if you bank at TD), A pet food store (must own an animal), environmental dry cleaner and London Drugs.  The dry cleaner and London Drugs are great options to have should you need it.

My last two minor points that sum up my position on living at the Olympic Village is the lack of open/ green space and the overall feeling I get when walking through the village.  There is a small green park that is located south of Subway, but this will be gone to make way for 3 more residential towers; furthermore, the dog park I went to was gated and petite.  I have walked around between the different buildings and I didn’t like the energy, it was negative and I didn’t enjoy the overall vibe. I wish I could explain my latter point better, but my suggestion is to go for a walk and have a feel for yourself.

I hope Wednesday finds everybody well,

Kit Matkaluk