Is Vancouver a Legitimate Tech Hub?

[Marshal]

Can this be true? “Tech companies represent about 40 per cent of tenant demand [office space] in Vancouver, . . "
http://www.westerninvestor.com/news/...sed-1.21413571

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by towerseeker101

What do you guys think? Does Metro Vancouver have any realistic shot at an Amazon headquarters, or is that just a pipe dream?

Getting HQ2 in Vancouver would be fantastic for the whole city and put us on the global tech map, but I think Toronto has better chances. There was a good rundown of most realistic options on Bloomberg.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/artic...w-headquarters

What would be interesting would be for a city like Burnaby to seize the opportunity. It wouldn't be totally unheard of.

[supercanuck]

Originally Posted by Klazu

What would be interesting would be for a city like Burnaby to seize the opportunity. It wouldn't be totally unheard of.

If Burnaby, I wonder if Glenlyon Business Park would make sense. Some office space is probably readily available while they can build some more to suit their needs. I'm just not sure how high the buildings can be there.

http://beediegroup.ca/properties/gle...business-park/

[spaceprobe]

Originally Posted by supercanuck

If Burnaby, I wonder if Glenlyon Business Park would make sense. Some office space is probably readily available while they can build some more to suit their needs. I'm just not sure how high the buildings can be there.

http://beediegroup.ca/properties/gle...business-park/

I truly hope the various cities in Metro Vancouver attempt to work together to attract HQ2, rather than work independently which would essentially mean we would never attract HQ2 even if amazon wanted to move here. There are qualities and facilities in each city that other cities in the region don't have.

If there is no regional plan to attract business to Metro Vancouver, then that is one very important reason to amalgamate.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by spaceprobe

I truly hope the various cities in Metro Vancouver attempt to work together to attract HQ2, rather than work independently which would essentially mean we would never attract HQ2 even if amazon wanted to move here. There are qualities and facilities in each city that other cities in the region don't have.

If there is no regional plan to attract business to Metro Vancouver, then that is one very important reason to amalgamate.

Agreed. I actually think Surrey would be the best and most hospitable city for Amazon in the GVA. US adjacent, welcoming business environment, plenty of land to develop their own facilities and access to people to work in it's warehouse.

Hell they could take over the Gateway skytrain area, that area is just begging for someone big to set up shop. They could build their own office tower right near Gateway skytrain station and just a bit north in the flats near Scott Road skytrain station they could build their own new warehouse facility with easy rail and future river access. (after the Pattullo replacement project)

Maybe Amazon condos and apartments too!

[casper]

Interesting article from the World Economic forum on the global tech centres.

Vancouver is number 14.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/...-in-the-world?

For comparison, in Canada Toronto comes out ahead of us at No. 9 while Montreal is behind us at 18. Odd, that Seattle does not make the list.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by a very long weekend

^ toronto would be a perfect fit for amazon in so many ways, but if amazon planned to go that route, they'd have done it quietly, negotiated and then announced, and built out little by little. doing this HQ2 contest thing makes it far too politically controversial to choose a foreign city.

Bingo.

Originally Posted by casper

Given the CEO of Amazon and Drumpf are so publicly vocal about what the other guy is doing, I am not certain they would try avoid controversy.

Sure, Bezos would love to stick it to Trump, but he needs the people on his side. By making a big song and dance about it, getting everyones hopes up, only to move the HQ out of the US would send a lot of people flocking to Trump. No way he does it.

Originally Posted by Marshal

Can this be true? “Tech companies represent about 40 per cent of tenant demand [office space] in Vancouver, . . "
http://www.westerninvestor.com/news/...sed-1.21413571

It's not true, the number is actually closer to 50%.

[casper]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

....
Maybe Amazon condos and apartments too!

But Prime members get to jump to the front of the line when buying condos and free shipping on the appliance package.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by casper

But Prime members get to jump to the front of the line when buying condos and free shipping on the appliance package.

That's... actally a good business model In a few decades Amazon could be the IKEA of North America!

Now bring on the 'made for drone shipping' furniture!

[Pinion]

Canada barely allows drones to be used at all, let alone by a company like Amazon.

Fly your drone:

below 90 m above the ground
at least 30 m away from vehicles, vessels, and the public (if your drone weighs more than 250 g up to 1 kg)
at least 75 m away from vehicles, vessels, and the public (if your drone weighs more than 1 kg up to 35 kg)
at least 5.5 km away from aerodromes (any airport, seaplane base, or areas where aircraft take-off and land)
at least 1.8 km away from heliports or aerodromes used by helicopters only
outside of controlled or restricted airspace
at least 9 km away from a natural hazard or disaster area
away from areas where operation could interfere with police or first responders
during the day and not in clouds
within your sight at all times
within 500 m of yourself or closer
only if clearly marked with your name, address, and telephone number

https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviati...y-legally.html

[retro_orange]

I wasn't serious about the drone

[Hot Rod]

Originally Posted by casper

Interesting article from the World Economic forum on the global tech centres.

Vancouver is number 14.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/...-in-the-world?

For comparison, in Canada Toronto comes out ahead of us at No. 9 while Montreal is behind us at 18. Odd, that Seattle does not make the list.

Seattle was probably just off the list at 26 or something. Austin and San Jose also didn't make it.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

It's five. The beautiful part is it's nearly all gone already and WeWork is already well down the path in leasing their next location.

Looks like this is now public, Amazon has leased nearly the entirely of We Work's space in Bentall III:

http://business.financialpost.com/re...s-up-its-first

We Work has also secured their second location and is in the process of sourcing a third!

[Klazu]

Why doesn't Amazon just go and build itself a couple tall skyscrapers in Downtown to have everything under one roof? It sounds like they are planning to have thousands of employees in Vancouver in any case, so just get on with it already.

Have the three skyscrapers at HQ1 in Seattle been completed already? Does Amazon fit into those buildings or do they still have several locations around Seattle as well?

It seems that there is a lot of demand for office space right. Even I know happen to know that few big name tech companies are expand in Downtown right now. Good times.

[Prometheus]

Take the source for what it is worth:

Facebook to open new major downtown Vancouver office on Burrard Street

Social media giant Facebook will be opening a new major corporate office in a highly centralized area in downtown Vancouver’s business district.

A source who wished anonymity told Daily Hive that Facebook will occupy a significant space at Waterfront Centre office tower at 200 Burrard Street – the southeast corner of Burrard Street and Canada Place Way.

It will take up two entire floors – the fourth and fifth floors – of the 21-storey tower, says the source. Each floor plate in the building is roughly 18,000 sq. ft. in size, giving the Facebook office a total floor area of about 36,000 sq. ft.

Construction and move-in dates will be phased in for each floor.

When asked for further details, a spokesperson with Facebook says the new Vancouver office may not happen until later in 2018. It is unclear how many people the new office could employ and the type of positions it will hold.

Source: http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/faceb...burrard-street

[LeftCoaster]

Facebook just dipping their toes in the market, I believe they are already looking for more space.

[Alpine]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Facebook just dipping their toes in the market, I believe they are already looking for more space.

Who's to say they won't scrap those expansion plans due to CoL concerns, like Tableau did?

[LeftCoaster]

Could happen. Difference here is Tableau got in just as everything really started to go nuts. Facebook is walking in eyes open.

[Vancity]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Why doesn't Amazon just go and build itself a couple tall skyscrapers in Downtown to have everything under one roof? It sounds like they are planning to have thousands of employees in Vancouver in any case, so just get on with it already.

Have the three skyscrapers at HQ1 in Seattle been completed already? Does Amazon fit into those buildings or do they still have several locations around Seattle as well?

It seems that there is a lot of demand for office space right. Even I know happen to know that few big name tech companies are expand in Downtown right now. Good times.

There was an article on DailyHive that Vancouver ranks last with the HQ2 proposal. Atlanta being the favorite to land the giant company. That's too bad, too. Would've been nice to have a major corporation finally put down its roots in our city.

[LeftCoaster]

That was just one outsider group's opinion. The only opinion that counts is Amazon's.

That said it's not coming here.