4545 West 10th AvenueTo say I was excited when I saw renowned journalist Frances Bula tweet out a notice about an in-person pre-application meeting in West Point Grey would be an understatement. I was worried this event could be a heated affair in light of the backlash to the Jericho Lands, which includes a GoFundMe... Continue Reading →
June 28th, 2022 Public Hearing – Kitsilano Groundhogs Force Supportive Social Homes To A New Low
Public Hearing – June 28th, 2022There’s simply no way to describe how horrible this public hearing is going to be. With over 170 people signed up to speak on Item #3 as of Monday evening, a final decision on these passive house, non-market homes near the future Arbutus SkyTrain Station is likely weeks away. Yet... Continue Reading →
Expo Garden’s First Step Forward Earns A Warm Response Despite City Engineer’s Great Failure
750 Pacific Boulevard (DP-2021-00830) - Block A (Phase 1), Expo Gardens (Plaza Of Nations)I imagine spending seven years locked in a legal battle with your neighbour might make anyone feel colourful, especially if it involved a 10.2-acre waterfront property worth $800 million. Yet, I never expected the Urban Design Panel’s latest review of the Plaza... Continue Reading →
June 23rd, 2022 Public Hearing – Strathcona Residents Feel The Sting Of “Unjustified” Rental Housing
Public Hearing – June 23rd, 2022Time can be a funny thing, as these last two years have felt like an eternity, which in hindsight have also flown by. Supposedly as you get older this feeling only gets worse; since you’ve experienced more years, minutes, and hours can seem far quicker. Maybe that sense of time... Continue Reading →
June 21st, 2022 Public Hearing – Shadowy Figures Disappear After Taking An Axe To Vancouver’s Urban Forest
Public Hearing – June 21st, 2022It’s somewhat fitting that the first item on this night’s agenda, a simple heritage designation, has been withdrawn, as this meeting is all about cutbacks, and lowered expectations. Certainly Hannah and I expected a far more robust response to the brick clad West End twin towers that comprise Items Two... Continue Reading →
“A Great Reworking Of A Great Building” Falls Apart As The Urban Design Panel Checks Out
791 W Georgia St (DP-2021-01096)When I noticed the Urban Design Panel’s agenda included the renovation of the former Four Seasons Hotel, I was puzzled to say the least. What benefit could this in-depth review possibly serve for a structure that has been part of our city’s urban fabric for 45 years? I better understood city... Continue Reading →
June 14th, 2022 Public Hearing – Off With Their Heads! Vancouver’s Most Vulnerable Get The Royal Treatment
Public Hearing – June 14th, 2022With less than eight weeks to go before city council stops meeting until after the election, Hannah and I expected this would be a busy time. However, we never would have guessed seven public hearings would be scheduled within the next month, especially since they’ll draw literally hundreds of public... Continue Reading →
City Engineers Criticized For Watering Down Green Evolution of Mount Pleasant Office Building
2 E Broadway (DP-2022-00184)Like an Urban Design Panel member, Hannah and I were shocked by the “radical” changes this 12 floor office building has undergone since we last saw it. After all, once city council approves an application’s general shape, it’s rare for it to switch architect firms, and go through a total overhaul. Mercifully,... Continue Reading →
Urban Design Panel Recommends Open Heart Surgery For Vancouver’s Landmark Art Gallery
688 Cambie St (DP-2021-00171) - (Vancouver Art Gallery)Even reaching this Urban Design Panel review could be seen as a win for the plans to build a new Vancouver Art Gallery, as it’s been six years since its pre-application open house. That doesn’t account for the time spent searching through 12 locations before this site was... Continue Reading →
May 24th, 2022 Public Hearing – The Heather Lands Shared Vision Renews A Community Relationship
Public Hearing – May, 24th, 2022 With over 130 speakers left to hear from on the Broadway Plan this week, I assume city council are grateful to whoever scheduled the Heather Lands as the lone item for this public hearing. With an election in the fall, they had to be seen as doing something, and... Continue Reading →