Posted on October 16, 2023
The complexity of Vancouver’s Terminal 1 development can be witnessed in the timeline. As crews this week began dismantling a century-old dock at the site, The Columbian reported, “New pilings should be installed and ready for the construction of the new dock by January 2026.”
Fulfilling grand ambition takes time, after all. And the Port of Vancouver’s ambition for the former site of the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay, in the shadow of the Interstate 5 Bridge, is befitting a city undergoing a vast transformation.
The plan is to construct a new dock for the future site of a public market, akin to Seattle’s Pike Place Market. “We know the community is ready and eager to add this crown jewel visitor destination to our Terminal 1 location, and we’re excited, too,” Jonathan Eder, the Port of Vancouver’s project lead for Terminal 1, told The Columbian. “It will be worth the wait, and we’ll be watching excitedly with everyone else as new life is breathed into the 100-year-old birthplace of the port.”
In the process, the plans help to inform the public of the port’s mission and exemplify a vast change in American cities. They also combine with the neighboring Waterfront Vancouver development to help redefine the city.
The port is a major economic engine for the region, with revenue streams extending beyond the handling of manufactured goods and raw materials. The port, which owns the Terminal 1 site, also owns the 108-acre Centennial Industrial Park and provides industrial riverfront access at other terminals. In 2022, the port generated $58 million in revenue.
