At Vancouver’s ‘Cold Harbour’ a neighbourhood hollows out - The Globe and Mail: "Their clientele came from all over the world, and they enjoyed the interaction. But they soon discovered that their customers were mostly part-time residents, people who spent only a few weeks or months in Vancouver and couldn’t take on the responsibility of a garden.
They already knew a lot of the condos were investor-owned and empty, but they didn’t know a hefty share of them are occupied for only a few months a year, Tim says.
“One lady said to me, ‘I’d love to have beautiful flowers on my balcony, but I’m here for only two months out of the year,’” says Tim, who has written to the city to try to do something to stimulate growth in the area.
He sees three main groups making up the bulk of Coal Harbour’s transient population; those from abroad, Americans and snowbirds.
“People come from the Middle East, they come from Taiwan, China, Singapore, Korea, from all over. There’s a component from the United States, because it gets too hot in Arizona or Palm Springs during the summer so they come up here, where the climate is so much milder.
“And then the third component is moms and dads who’ve retired and sold their Point Grey home and have gone into a Coal Harbour condo. They go away for the winter.”
After brisk business for most of the summer, September brought a huge drop-off in customers. Many explained they were returning home to the U.S., the Middle East or Asia. Some asked the Hiltzes to over-winter their plants until they returned in the spring."
'via Blog this'
They already knew a lot of the condos were investor-owned and empty, but they didn’t know a hefty share of them are occupied for only a few months a year, Tim says.
“One lady said to me, ‘I’d love to have beautiful flowers on my balcony, but I’m here for only two months out of the year,’” says Tim, who has written to the city to try to do something to stimulate growth in the area.
He sees three main groups making up the bulk of Coal Harbour’s transient population; those from abroad, Americans and snowbirds.
“People come from the Middle East, they come from Taiwan, China, Singapore, Korea, from all over. There’s a component from the United States, because it gets too hot in Arizona or Palm Springs during the summer so they come up here, where the climate is so much milder.
“And then the third component is moms and dads who’ve retired and sold their Point Grey home and have gone into a Coal Harbour condo. They go away for the winter.”
After brisk business for most of the summer, September brought a huge drop-off in customers. Many explained they were returning home to the U.S., the Middle East or Asia. Some asked the Hiltzes to over-winter their plants until they returned in the spring."
'via Blog this'
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