Our City- Diverse, Informed, Together
Public Hearing – September, 28th, 2023 – 1:00pm After recently spending eight hours listening to people debate the merits of letting homeowners transform their dwellings into multiplexes, it’s no wonder city council scheduled a lighter agenda this week. At least that’s my guess, as Hannah thinks it might be related to the Director of Planning’s... Continue Reading →
4545 West 10th Avenue - Second Enquiry (Archived Link)One does not have to be an expert at ranking well… pretty much everything, to know that out of all our city’s retail nodes, the West Point Grey Village is suffering the worst. As a UBC alumni myself, I watched that decline everyday for years as store... Continue Reading →
Public Hearing – June 15th, 2023 Whether you’re a morning person like Hannah, or a night owl like me, there’s never really a good time to sit down for a public hearing, especially when they often drag on late into the night. City council’s recent decision to move the start time for these meetings from... Continue Reading →
Updated - May 19th, 2024 Since 2009, various policies have been crafted in Vancouver with the intent of incentivizing the construction of new rental homes as as very few have been built after the 1980s. While Hannah and I have written about some of these largely failed measures, this article is meant to track the... Continue Reading →
Public Hearing – June 28th, 2022Update July 14th, 2022 : After spending 22 hours over four days, city council has approved Items 1 & 2, and has heard from 225 speakers on Item 3. This marathon will resume on July 25th, at 3pm, and with at least 60 speakers remaining (estimated at 7 hours), you... Continue Reading →
2086-2098 W 7th Ave and 2091 W 8th AveAs yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of our first City Duo post, I think Hannah and I have proven we’re among the most dedicated individuals when it comes to following Vancouver’s urban growth. Yet neither of us would ever force our children to attend an Urban Design... Continue Reading →
3084 W 4th Ave and 2010 Balaclava St (DP-2021-00652)If the Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program managed to demonstrate anything in its short life, it was that our city holds new housing to very different standards based primarily on one factor. It wasn’t height or affordability that was the dividing line, but rather Ontario Street.... Continue Reading →
Jericho Lands Planning ProgramAt ninety acres, it’s unlikely the Urban Design Panel will ever again get to examine something as large as this former military base, now dubbed the Jericho Lands. These volunteers were clearly excited by this process, a sentiment I didn’t share it as I’ve sat through enough of these meetings to know... Continue Reading →
Public Hearing – October 5th, 2021As comedy can help keep powerful institutions humble, I’ve joked that perhaps Vancouver’s new Auditor General should examine if public hearings are held primarily for the taxpayer funded catering. Hannah often notes even bad humour occasionally reflects some truth, and Item #1 demonstrates how enacting wider changes can be more... Continue Reading →
Public Hearing – April 15th, 2021Update: As city council only managed to finish the first three items, the public hearing will resume on April 20th at 6pm to hear from anyone who wishes to speak to Item #4. At first glance, this public hearing might seem like a game changer for efforts to create affordable... Continue Reading →
City Duo 