Public Hearing – November 14th, 2023 – 6:00pm In a week where city council will explore whether to create more homes near parks, under-capacity schools, city-owned lands, and even in Shaughnessy, the biggest news came from Victoria. By now, most British Columbians probably know about the new provincial legislation to allow buildings of up to... Continue Reading →
September 12th, 2023 Public Hearing – A Nine Year Delay Wins East Van Rental Homes A Moment Of Silence
Public Hearing – September 12th, 2023 - 6:00pm In many ways, this public hearing feels like a warm-up for things to come, and not just because it’s the first one after city council’s annual summer vacation. That doesn’t mean small amendments like Item #1 aren’t important, given the needs of the educational programs at Vancouver... Continue Reading →
July 11th, 2023 Public Hearing – Seven Lucky Numbers Win Vancouver Renters A Jackpot Of Homes
Public Hearing – July, 11th, 2023 After spending 17 hours at the Khatsahlano Street Party (Hannah was a volunteer), this seven item public hearing agenda looked pretty intimidating on Sunday morning. However, after skimming through it Monday, we realized the actions of the previous council should speed it along, and Item #1 seeks to build... Continue Reading →
June 29th, 2023 Public Hearing – Divine Rental Homes Incur The “Silent Majority’s” Wrathful Petition
Public Hearing – June 29th, 2023When Hannah and I discuss our expectations for these public hearings, we consider public feedback, our experiences at the open houses, and previous reactions to nearby applications. The problem is some of these neighbourhoods haven’t seen any development for decades, in-person events are just restarting, and correspondence for Thursday meetings... Continue Reading →
April 25th 2023 Public Hearing – Provincial Whac-A-Mole Forces Rental Homes To The Sidelines
Public Hearing – April 25th, 2023 While Item #1 should have been the biggest news story of this night, as it’s the first four floor rental building on a side-street to reach city council, Item #2 may steal its spotlight. To be fair, the former does have its detractors, like a neighbour who prefers continuing... Continue Reading →
Behind The Scenes Cutbacks Unlikely To Bring Relief To Fraserhood’s Middle Class Renters
3233-3245 Fraser Street - (Archived Link)Would you be angry with your partner to learn the real reason you were driving down Fraser Street was not to have dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant, but rather to drop by the Polish Community Centre? I suppose your answer might depend on how much you like boxed coffee, or... Continue Reading →
July 5th, 21st, & 28th 2022 Public Hearings – An International Union Blooms As Parkside Residences Face A Local Blockade
Public Hearing – July 5th, 2022Update: As the July 5th meeting lost quorum during Item #5, it has been removed from the agenda, and will be forced to start over on July 28th. As for Item #6, it will continue as normal, and begin at 6pm on July 21st.With the news that the Broadway Commercial... Continue Reading →
Affordability Comes At A Price For Vancouver’s Hottest Rental Homes
4408-4488 Fraser St and 707-709 E 29th AveAs Hannah and I enter our fifth year of recapping our region’s urban growth review process, Vancouver city council’s vote to streamline the secured rental policy seemed like an early Christmas present. We’re hopeful this means the Urban Design Panel multi-hour reviews of these standard six floor rental... Continue Reading →
July 6th, 2021 Public Hearing – Decades Old Fears Threaten West End Community Pride While East Van Rental Homes Undergo A Green Revolution
Public Hearing – July 6th, 2021 I think Hannah would laugh at anyone that would call me an optimist, but I do believe that though the arc of the moral universe is long, it bends towards justice. Lately, there are many reasons to doubt that, as last month a small addition to a public school... Continue Reading →
June 17th, 2021 Public Hearing – Vancouver’s Crème de la Crème Sours On Moderate Income Rental Homes Greenway Approach
Public Hearing – June 17th, 2021 This public hearing’s agenda will let me recap one of my favourite open house experiences, and one that Hannah still rightly scolds me for attending, as I was literally bleeding internally. Even with the post surgical fog, I’ll never forget the shocked faces in the room, though not every... Continue Reading →