Granville Street

I've been doing some work on the Port Moody website (that's my job) regarding the new LRT line that will run from Lougheed to Coquitlam Centre. In doing this I went off on a tangent and started reading about the "Canada Line" subway connection between downtown, Richmond, and the airport. I say "subway" and not "SkyTrain" because this will be underground from Waterfront Station all the way to Cambie and 63rd Avenue. And in reading about it I realised why the rent along the 800-block of Granville has gone up, killing businesses like Cheap Thrills and Granville Books, and forcing others like Leo's Cameras (who have been in the same location since 1929), Golden Age Collectables and others to move: Robson and Granville is going to be a stop on this line (the other two downtown stops will be at Mainland and Davie, and at Waterfront Station).

On the other side of the same coin, it also explains why the high-end shops are clustering around Sinclair Centre: cruise ships, SkyTrain, SeaBus, and this line from the airport all converge there. It is the tourist mecca of Vancouver.

Stange times ahead. The amount of change that is going to happen in Vancouver over the next five years is going to be unbelievable. Whether it will be for good or bad remains to be seen.