No Change is the Best Change – Lifelong Residents Opposed to 6 Floor Nanaimo Street “Gulags”

2336 - 2366 Charles Street Though the Grandview Woodland Community Plan was first launched in 2012, it took several years to find a compromise between the hundreds of voices that took part. Their consensus recognized the decade old commercial (C1) zoning of these four properties, and called for them to be incorporated into an expanded Nanaimo...

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No to a Gateway, No to Paid Parking, and No to Affordability – A Thumb is Placed on the Scales of Community Consultation

601 Beach When Darren and I attended the pre-application event for Vancouver's newest gateway tower, we noted how the opposition was divided; there were competing factions who were happy to block the others' view, if it preserved their own. That changed by this open house, as these groups seem to have coalesced around a “throw everything and...

Conflicting Visions of Central Broadway – Affordable Rental Housing or a Precedent Setting Threat

2538 Birch Street (Formerly 1296 West Broadway) Adding Rental Housing to Central Broadway, home to Vancouver General Hospital and our province's second largest business centre, may not seem that controversial. The neighbourhood is well served by transit, and the Downtown core is easily reached, no matter how you travel. So, even before it was confirmed the Broadway...

Vancouver Neighbourhood Embracing Geriatric-tification – A Home for Mom and Dad

2499 East 48th Avenue (Sunrise of East Vancouver) Perhaps Hannah and I are getting a little worn out from attending so many events lately, but I don't think she was that impressed when we arrived at this meeting an hour before it started. The blame rested squarely on my shoulders. Even with our Google calendar,...

Fears of Affordable Rental Homes Prevail at Shaughnessy Open House

4750 Granville Street Given how many urban events we attend, one might assume that Darren and I would have made attending an event to discuss whether 32 rental homes were appropriate for Shaughnessy our highest priority. Ultimately that would be wrong, as we may care deeply about our city, but we do have other obligations...

Rental Homes and Local Stores- A Commitment to Community Values

3429 - 3469 Fraser Street In the lead up to this pre-application open house, I noted how this neighbourhood has some of Vancouver's trendiest restaurants, but is also struggling to maintain its identity as a home to hardworking blue collar individuals and families. Sometimes projects have a hard time relating to these areas, proposing large...

UDP Recommends Elimination of 38 Rental Homes – 6 Floors are Too Many for a “Nice Neighbourhood”

1535-1557 Grant Street The Story so Far This project has been through a lot. Its block has been zoned for multifamily low-rise buildings for decades, yet is still comprised of only single family homes. The first version of this proposal, a 4 story strata building, hoped to change that, but community opposition led the applicant...

Sculptural Balconies Guide East Vancouver’s Tallest Tower to a Quick Approval at the UDP

5055 Joyce Street Normally, Hannah and I like to recap a project's open house before we cover its Urban Design Panel review. However, with the recent schedule of events, we have developed a considerable backlog, enough to fill every weekday this month. Given that, we agreed we should cover this proposal's UDP meeting first. Fortunately,...

Bye Bye Fraser Street Pie – A Tide of Affordable Rental Housing Could Fill the Hole in Vancouver’s Heart

3429 - 3469 Fraser Street There have been many changes as Vancouver has transitioned from a polluted industrial city to a more family friendly home. Proof of that is in the tar soaked lands of the False Creek that once hosted industrial use, and even a coal gas plant, and are now mostly covered over...