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'it's a nightmare out there' for vancouver seniors who live near enormous oakridge project
douglas todd: the chaotic sidewalks and streets adjacent to the gigantic construction zone are not for the faint of heart. for the past few years they’ve been virtually impassable for those who are disabled or elderly, as are many nearby residents
aug 20 2024
5 minute read
“it’s a nightmare out there,” says mary hoerdt, long-time president of the oakridge seniors centre. it's lost 200 members since construction began.
nick procaylo
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10105496a
the chaotic sidewalks, streets and lanes immediately surrounding the gigantic high-end housing, office and retail project under construction at oakridge park are not for the faint of heart.
for the past few years they’ve been virtually impassable for those who have disabilities or are elderly, and for many nearby residents who have lived for years in a number of special-purpose residential buildings.
the once spacious sidewalks on both sides of the roads immediately adjacent to oakridge park are now narrow and confusing — pockmarked with rough asphalt patches, orange cones, potholes, broken curbs, fences, metal grates, platform rods, gravel and “sidewalk closed” signs. construction workers often use what remains of the sidewalks for carrying equipment, like ladders and jackhammers.
that’s not to mention the thoroughfares next to the mega development — cambie street, 41st and 45th avenues, where traffic lanes are frequently blocked and resonate loudly with concrete mixers, dump trucks, excavators, cranes, forklifts and loaders. adding to the sense of havoc, about 15 boulevard trees on cambie have been chopped down.
it’s the kind of thing that can happen when vancouver city council approves the construction of condos for 6,000 people, plus offices and brand-name retail outlets for thousands more, on the site of what used to be a low-rise shopping centre in the middle of a once-quiet neighbourhood of detached houses and low-rise apartment blocks, many for elderly people.
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in addition to the sidewalks and roads being in disarray, the surrounding neighbourhood has been radically upzoned for highrises since it is near the oakridge and 41st skytrain station.
many of the houses within 800 metres of oakridge park are now empty, boarded up or behind fences, their lawns looking like hayfields. they feature “land assembly,” “for sale” and “no trespassing” signs and a few empty bungalows are covered with graffiti.
not surprisingly, this harsh neighbourhood reality, brought on by more than four years of intense construction, contrasts with the shiny marketing posters that the developers, quadreal and westbank, have erected in the bus stops near oakridge park.
their stylish architectural renderings illustrate 10 glittering new highrise towers of mostly luxury condos, some at more than 50 storeys, and urge viewers to “discover why oakridge park has sold more homes than all projects in vancouver combined.”
“discover why oakridge park has sold more homes than all other projects in vancouver combined,” say the ads.
douglas todd
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sun
oakridge park’s promotional material, which is delivered overseas in several languages, also says the “world-class,” project is “canada’s largest redevelopment endeavour.”
of course, the promise of oakridge park’s future is yet to be experienced. right now the site is just a vast grey, crane-filled construction zone.
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to the incredulity of some passersby, quadreal’s ads maintain oakridge park will be open in the spring of 2025.
“a monumental redevelopment project, that stands out as one of metro vancouver’s largest undertakings and ranking among the most significant ongoing transformations in north america, is poised to become an unparalleled addition to the city,” says the website.
in the midst of the superlatives, however, the story of what happened to the oakridge seniors centre, which has been operating since 1989, illustrates what it’s like to be a vancouver citizen affected by a massive property development far beyond one’s control.
“it’s a nightmare out there,” says mary hoerdt, longtime president of the seniors centre.
it has lost 200 members since construction began. only about 100 remain.
“it’s just no longer safe for most of our members to walk here,” said hoerdt, 83.
years ago, hoerdt was told the seniors centre would only have to make one move: from its site in the former oakridge mall directly to a new facility at the bottom of a new residential highrise, which is going up on the northwestern edge of oakridge park.
but the centre had to deal with almost a two-year shutdown, during which hoerdt said quadreal ignored her calls.
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vancouver–langara mla michael lee finally came to the rescue. he was able to get the centre a new temporary venue inside oakridge lutheran church, at the corner of 41st and ash.
although the seniors facility in the church is smaller than the original centre, quadreal pays the rent. hoerdt hasn’t been told when the new site will be ready.
hoerdt said many former members, some in their 80s and 90s, have had trips, falls and injuries while trying to navigate their way across blocked-off streets and shambolic sidewalks to the current centre.
several sidewalk bumps, grates and barriers, she said, make it near impossible to use a walker or wheelchair. so, many members have given up.
in response to questions from postmedia, an unnamed spokesperson from oakridge park emailed a brief statement saying it has “co-ordinated its efforts with the city of vancouver and community groups, like the seniors centre,” “regularly communicates with area residents” and “appreciates the community’s patience.”
the city of vancouver reiterated that its staff meet weekly with oakridge park to maintain safety and mitigate the effect on the surrounding area.
“developers and contractors are responsible for repairing all damage to city property,” the city said, and citizens who wish to have their complaints investigated should call 311.
many of the houses within an 800-metre radius of oakridge park are now empty, boarded up or behind fences. some feature “land assembly,” “for sale” and “no trespassing” signs.
douglas todd
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sun
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it’s not just the sidewalks that are an issue, however.
laneways and parking spots are also regularly busy and jammed, usually by delivery trucks or some of the hundreds of workers on the site, said hoerdt. on the day of our interview, she had to contact parking enforcement officials about yet another car illegally parked in the spot reserved for the handydart bus.
in addition, hoerdt said many of the hundreds, if not thousands, of seniors who live around oakridge park have great trouble getting to medical and dental appointments at the only building that remains open on the vast work site.
located next to the entrance of the expanding oakridge-41st skytrain station, the building contains some apartments, a furniture store and, crucially, health-care services. the problem is the building’s elevator has been shut down during construction.
on a short tour, hoerdt pointed out how any person who cannot climb up the dark fire-escape stairwell to the medical and dental offices must now request the “valet” services of staff members, who offer to take them there on a golf cart.
the golf carts take those who need assistance almost a kilometre on a looping route through the three-storey parkade to their appointments. hoerdt isn’t sure it’s particularly safe.
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such hassles seem to never end, she said.
at least, however, when hoerdt returns to the temporary seniors centre, a tow truck has hoisted up the illegally parked vehicle and is carrying it away from the spot reserved for the handydart.
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