The Plaza of Nations was once a central hub for Expo 86 but is now an expansive and largely empty lot.
The owners of the space, Canadian Metropolitan Properties Corp. have plans to redevelop the lot into a mixed-use residential, commercial and community centre site. However, while plans go back and forth with the City of Vancouver and people wait to put shovels in the ground, the plaza doesn't have a purpose.
Enter The Batch.
The Batch is a 10-foot by 20-foot shipping container trailer with a 70-person licensed patio that had its soft opening on Wednesday, August 24. The container was custom-built for Johnny Negrin as part of a larger concept intended to create vibrant spaces in vacant lots awaiting development, also known as dead lots.
"Collaborative space for the community, that’s the bottom line," Negrin tells Vancouver Is Awesome.
He saw the opportunity to introduce the concept to Vancouver during the pandemic when restaurants started opening patios on the streets and the city began to introduce more public spaces where people could gather outside.
"I just started exploring the idea of dropping these units down on a property and getting some local businesses in these high-density areas," he says.
Food and drink menus at The Batch
The Batch has partnered with Commissary Connect and Legends Haul to offer a diverse array of food and drinks from local food entrepreneurs. Head chef of Legends Haul Alex Ploughman is currently developing a menu but in the meantime, the soft opening is testing out charcuterie, burritos, salads, and Nightingale Pizza. The beer and wine menu is also super local with niche BCVQA wines like A Sunday in August and beers from breweries like Superflux, North Point, and Strangefellows. There's also talk of bringing different food trucks and live music into the space.
"We're just trying to keep this very hyperlocal. And Batch is kind of the foundation. We're just trying to get a bunch of local products out there and support these businesses," says Negrin.
The high cost of leases in Vancouver can make it difficult for small businesses to survive and Negrin says that they have to be creative if they want to expand. "So for us, we're just trying to take the approach where we're taking this dead lot, and trying to create something special for the community where they can just come and connect...We really want to be approachable and local."
Negrin says he's lived in smaller towns that have struggled with high vacancy rates but he's seen how much good the local markets can do to bring life back to them by creating places people can come and "feel like a local and feel connected." He says The Batch is just another way of looking at that same problem in a city with high density that's pushing small businesses further and further outside of Vancouver's centre. Negrin intends for The Batch to bring "cultural influence into the city."
This iteration of The Batch is a proof of concept but it has the potential to change the game for both businesses and developers.
"In future in the future, we want to find some long-term vacant spots that are up for rezoning and try to get some really cool up-and-coming businesses on board," explains Negrin. "It's a great way for [developers] to get involved with the community. I think it's an awesome way for them to promote what's to come. And I think it really helps get these local businesses in these high-density areas so the community can kind of get behind them. It'll show the developer, 'hey, these guys can actually take on a lease here once the building's built' and kind of grow a foundation."
