In just three weeks, Yaletown residents will get to try the highly anticipated ‘Minami’ Japanese restaurant that has taken over the real estate at 1118 Mainland Street.

As usual Scout Magazine is first on the scene with a sneak peek!

The anticipated Japanese restaurant – a relative of popular Miku (owned by Seigo Nakamura) – still has three weeks left before it’s scheduled to open, but already it’s looking pretty swell. The deep brown stain from the original wood floors has been sanded away to leave a nice raw glow, and many of the rear dining room walls and both private rooms are in the midst of a decorative once-over by Hideki Kimura, the acclaimed mural painter from Japan (he’s leading a team of artists from neighbouring Raw Canvas). The firm behind the look is Vancouver’s own OMB (the same folks responsible for the clean lines of Obakki, and Oru), so the end result will likely be modern looker worthy of a good gawk.

Check out the entire Scout article and pictures here.

Yaletown has a plethora of restaurants, but it’s always exciting when a new one rolls into the neighbourhood.

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

Are you considering buying real estate in Yaletown? One of this neighbourhoods greatest perk is the amount of green space available despite its urbanity.

Emery Barnes Park is the recent finished addition to many other parks like David Lam, George Wainborn and Coopers Park.

Here’s a nice piece in The Vancouver Sun profiling Emery Barnes completion:

When the ribbon was cut signalling the completion — after 10 years in progress — of Emery Barnes Park in Yaletown, an emotional Constance Barnes let out a long, ecstatic shriek.

“My heart is like, holy moly … I think I might explode,” said Barnes, the daughter of park namesake Emery Barnes, a former B.C. Lions player and one of the first black politicians elected to the B.C. legislature.

A celebration with African music and dancing by the Jacky Essombe trio, choir music and games for the children was held Saturday to mark the completion of the third phase of the park at Seymour and Davie in the city’s downtown core.

Phase 1 opened in 2003 featuring a fountain, stream, benches and some greenery. Then came a $5.5-million park expansion in 2010, which included knocking down some old asbestos-laden buildings to make way for an off-leash dog park and children’s playground.

Phase 3 boasts a pedestrian gateway, trees, trellises and chessboard tables.

Inside Vancouver also ran a great tribute to the park!

Vancouver parks are one of this city’s best features. If you’d like to know more about owning Yaletown real estate around Emery Barnes Park, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

Photo Courtesy: Inside Vancouver, VPL Street Walkers, Flickr

We all know what they say about April showers – and the evidence is already all over Yaletown real estate.

Last weekend we got out to snap a few pictures while the sun was out, just to remind us all how beautiful Spring is in our fair city.

Owning real estate in Yaletown means having access to so many great outdoor activities around False Creek.

Stroll the Seawall...

Go for a run around David Lam Park...

Or jump on a False Creek Ferry!

Whatever you love to do, as soon as the sun comes out, get out and play!

If you’re currently thinking about buying or selling real estate in Yaletown, contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

What is one of the best uses For Yaletown real estate? A park for the whole family!

Emery Barnes Park is finally finished and the Vancouver Park Board is sponsoring a fun-filled day of celebration on April 28th.

This small urban oasis offers many pleasant seating areas for eating lunch, reading a paper, or playing a game of chess. A fast-flowing stream culminates in a tiered fountain surrounded by pergolas and lush plantings. When the bright flowers of the summer have faded, mosaics in the streambed and next to the pathway continue to add colour throughout the winter.

Emery Barnes Park was built in 3 phases. Phase 1, facing Richards Street, featuring a fountain, stream, benches and plantings was completed in 2003. Phase 2 featured an off-leash dog park, a children’s playground, seating areas, and an open lawn space surrounded by an oval pedestrian path, and was completed in Summer 2010.

Phase 3 will complete the park with an entry plaza off the busy corner of Davie and Seymour Streets. This portion of the park will be defined by a pedestrian gateway framed by trees, shrubs, benches and trellises. The construction of this phase will allow the park to be fully integrated into the Downtown South Community.

Emery Barnes Park is named after long-time community activist Emery Barnes.

For more information about the celebration, please visit the Vancouver Park Board Facebook page.

For more information about buying or selling real estate in Yaletown, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

‘Thalia’ is a new boutique real estate development from James Schouw & Associates. Located at the corner of Smythe and Cambie Street, this luxury development ‘is unique in its architectural character, showcasing the highest level of interior craftsmanship along with impeccable materials’.

‘The Mark’ is a new real estate development by Onni, and is designed by award winning architects Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden. When complete, ‘The Mark’ will be the tallest piece of real estate in Yaletown, standing proud at 47 floors.

999 Seymour will be located at the corner of Nelson & Seymour right in the heart of downtown Vancouver. The Yaletown shopping district is a mere three blocks, as is the Robson Street shopping mecca.

Panorama is a new Yaletown real estate project by Concord Pacific currently in the pre-construction phase. Located at 10 Terry Fox Way, the two high-rises are perfectly situated close to all the action of BC Place, the seawall, and Yaletown.

If you’d like to know more about these developments or other Yaletown real estate, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

Yaletown real estate owners are familiar with the annual Dining Out For Life event, but if you’re new to the neighbourhood, tonight is the night to check it out!

Dining Out For Life® is an annual fundraising event involving the generous participation of volunteers, corporate sponsors and restaurants. In exchange for their financial support, restaurants are listed in a city wide marketing campaign in an effort to increase customer traffic.

In 1991, Dining Out For Life® was created by an ActionAIDS volunteer in Philadelphia. Dining Out is now produced in 60 cities throughout the United States and Canada.

More than 3,000 restaurants donate a portion of their proceeds from this one special day of dining to the licensed AIDS service agency in their city. More than $3 million dollars a year is raised to support the missions of 60 outstanding HIV/AIDS service organizations throughout North America. With the exception of the annual licensing fee of $1,150, all money raised in these cities stays locally.

Here’s a list of participating restaurants:

Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar

Cento Notti

Chinois

Glowbal Grill Steaks & Satay

Hamilton Street Grill

Hurricane Grill

Provence Marinaside

Rodney’s Oyster House

Section (3)

Society Dining Lounge

Urban Thai Bistro

Yaletown Brewing Co.

Dining Out For Life is only on March 29th, 2012 – so get out there and enjoy!

Do you dream about luxury living in Yaletown?

While the real estate featured on the PURSUITIST website may be out of range for many, looking can’t hurt.

Stylishly designed by Feenstra Architecture – a creative Vancouver-based design studio – this stunning Yaletown Penthouse in Vancouver, Canada, spreads over 5,234 square feet. An open floor plan pierced by an imposing metal and glass staircase in the living room ensures the inhabitants feel free and comfortable inside. In addition to the luxurious interiors, a terrace with breathtaking views over the nearby docks and yachts quenches the inhabitant’s thirst for fresh air and views from the top.
In addition to modern outdoor furniture and inviting views, the rooftop terrace also features a hot tub perfect for moments of relaxation high above the city. The waterfront penthouse maximizes panoramic views from many vantage points – overlooking the city, the mountains and the ocean – strongly connecting the outside with the inside via extensive use of glass. By combining entertainment features with comfortable living zones, Feenstra Architecture created a luxurious Canadian residence with a strong natural influence seen both inside and outside.

From The Pursuitist

Dreaming of a Gourmet Kitchen...

.... And Gorgeous Views

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

If you already own real estate in Yaletown, or do business here, you are most likely well aware of the neighbourhood’s fairly recent rise to fame.

For those currently shopping for real estate in Yaletown and unfamiliar with it’s history, here’s a blurb from the Roundhouse Community Centre:

In 1900, the City laid out streets and planned a new eight-block warehouse district near the original Yaletown. This new Yaletown (the one most commonly recognized today) was bounded by Nelson, Homer, Drake and Pacific streets, and was a convenient and cheap point for the processing, repackaging and warehousing of goods.

In the late 1920s, Vancouver created its first city plan and Yaletown was zoned for commercial and light industrial use. Although the city expected more warehouses to be built, the advent of truck trailer transport prompted many industries to move closer to major highways. By the 1950s, so many homeowners had sold to factories and shops that the Central School at Dunsmuir and Cambie was forced to close.

The area was home to little more than parking space until the late 1970s and 1980s when young urban professionals discovered that Yaletown’s old warehouses were convenient, inexpensive and attractive. Today, former industrial buildings, warehouses and working-class houses have been transformed into offices, restaurants and trendy nightspots. Loft-style residences also proliferate.

The heritage significance of the old Yaletown truck loading docks and their characteristic overhanging canopies has been recognized by City Council as a unique architectural feature identifying the area. Pedestrian traffic, outside seating and other active uses are recommended for these areas.

This photo taken by Major Matthews sometime between 1932 and 1948 shows the Hotel Vancouver (900 West Georgia), Marine Building, Hotel Vancouver (710 West Georgia), Vancouver Block, CPR Yards, Yaletown Warehouses, False Creek and Northshore Mountains from what is now known as Fairview Slopes.

The view between 1932 and 1948 of "Yaletown"

Here’s the same view now:

Wonder what Major Matthews would think about present day Yaletown?

If you’d like to know more about owning real estate in today’s Yaletown, please contact Vancouver Realtor Justin Leigh.

Having a lot of choices is just one of many perks that go along with owning real estate in Yaletown.

Yaletown has over a hundred restaurants to satisfy any craving, unique boutiques, excellent grocery stores and numerous coffee shops.

Below is a list of people’s Yaletown choices in the 2012 WE Best of the City:

Restaurant Chain – Cactus Club Cafe, Earl’s, Keg
One-of-a-kind Restaurant – 3rd Cento Notti
Chef (Casual) – 3rd Rob Feenie (Cactus Club Cafe)
West Coast Cuisine – 3rd Blue Water Cafe
Seafood – 1st Blue Water Cafe
Italian – 2nd Cioppinos
Steakhouse – 1st The Keg
Coffee Shop (Chain) – 1st Starbucks, 2nd JJ Bean
Bar (Formal) 3rd Opus Hotel
Unique Gifts – 1st Fine Finds
Skin-care Facility – 2nd Masc, 3rd Skoah
Manicure/Pedicure – 1st Pure Nail Bar
Men’s Apparel (Casual) – 3rd Brooklyn
Hotel (Independent) – 2nd Opus
Financial Institution – 2nd TD Bank, 3rd RBC
Yoga Studio – 1st YYoga, 2nd Exhale Studio
Pilates Studio – 1st Yyoga, 2nd Exhale Studio
Dental Clinic – 2nd Aarm Dental Group and Yaletown Dentistry
Personal Computers – 2nd Mac Station

Check out the full list of winners on the WE Best of the City website.

If you’d like to know more about real estate opportunities in Yaletown, please contact Vancouver realtor Justin Leigh.

The one major benefit of the proposed Rogers Arena Towers to Yaletown real estate owners is the promise of a new community centre and public skating rink.

Thankfully, The Aquilini Group is still pursuing this as part of their development plans for the area.

If you’re a Yaletown resident and you didn’t get a chance to attend the recent open house about this new real estate development here’s some information via Vancity Buzz:

Yesterday evening was the first open house for the soon to be developed Rogers Arena towers. The site comprises of two office/residential towers, one residential only tower and one to developed in the future over the existing Skytrain line. It also looks as though the development is anticipating the viaducts will not remain as they don’t interact with the viaducts, except for the West Tower. We’ll know the fate of the viaducts in the near future.

The three new buildings are 104, 100 and 97 m in height. The proposal will include 39 179.9 m² of residential density and 2 600 m² of new commercial density. The proposal includes 488 residential units, 309 parking spaces, and five loading spaces.

As of right now the West Tower which will be an office/condo mix (originally supposed to be all condo) is slated to begin construction in April. The East Tower will now also have a large office component to it, transferred from the West Tower.

The South Tower will be the second one to be built and will be all residential.

The East Tower will be the last in the building cycle. The bottom 5 floors will house arena commercial space with 7 floors of additional commercial floors. The rest will be residential.

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