The most interesting block in Vancouver

Michael Alexander nominates the Zero Block on West Hastings:

In the last year it’s been coming back to life, and the city doesn’t get much more diverse than this.

And he sends pics to illustrate:

Save-on Meats is back, with a butcher shop, a diner and a street-front sandwich counter. Mark and Nicole Band (he has Boneta and two other restaurants) leased and rehabbed the entire building. There’s a bakery, a restaurant laundry service which hires and trains DTES locals, company offices, and a food service incubator school to teach people with food ideas (‘my grandmother’s great marmalade recipe!) how to get them to market.

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Next door is the tastily restored Phoenix building. Tenant to come.

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And next to that, 17 townhomes under construction.

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At #51, the Acme Cafe has been open just over a year, serving some of the best diner food in the Lower Mainland. The bike rack is always full (Save-on meats is trying to get a rack, too).

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Across the street, more of the DTES you expect…

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…but give it another year or two:

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At #30, the Potluck Cafe, on the ground floor of the Portland Hotel, serves DTES residents and runs a catering service.

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At the block’s northeast corner, the neighbourhood’s living room, Pigeon Park.

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And across the street, Centre A, the gallery and workplace for contemporary Asian art.

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Anchoring the block is the iconic Army and Navy store, still vibrant with values.

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Other sites seek new uses. They will come.

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But the vibe is there now.

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More here at Price Points in SpacingVancouver.