Public Hearing – December 14th, 2023 - 1:00pm As this is the last public hearing of the year, Hannah and I had assumed its agenda would be a relatively quiet one. Certainly the first item, an application under the Secured Rental Policy for a five-floor building across from the oldest remaining BC Housing site in... Continue Reading →
July 12th, 2022 Public Hearing – Vancouver Neighbourhoods Stand To Gain Over A $100 Million From Loopsided Trades
Public Hearing – July 12th, 2022Update: July 14th, 2022 - Thanks to the reporting of Denise Ryan, we have learned the reason why Item#2 was justifiably removed from this agenda, and you can read about this building's complicated past here.As city council scrambles to find dates to hear the remaining public speakers on several controversial... 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 →
A Green Crown Awaits Broadway’s Hallmark Attempt To Strengthen Vancouver’s Cultural Weave
901 W BroadwayAnyone who’s visited central Broadway recently knows it’s in the midst of a huge transformation, and nowhere is that more obvious than where it intersects with Laurel Street. With one corner cleared for a SkyTrain station, and another new hotel approved at a second, Hannah and I knew one of our favourite restaurants,... Continue Reading →
St. Paul’s Hospital Turns The Other Cheek As Vancouver’s UDP Hopes 12 Floor Cutback Will Promote Patient Recovery
1002 Station St - New St. Paul's Hospital (DP-2021-00085) - Campus Public Realm WorkshopIt would be wrong to assume that in the middle of a pandemic, the Urban Design Panel would spend two hours reviewing city council approved plans to build a new hospital in Vancouver. In reality, this meeting dragged on for over four... Continue Reading →
March 9th, 2021 Public Hearing – New Vancouver Hotel Seeks To Triple Artist Housing As Urban Rooms Erupt Into East Van
Public Hearing – March 9th, 2021As last month's public hearing was only settled last week, I imagine city council is pretty grateful to whoever scheduled this night’s simple agenda. It could have gone even quicker if they decided to stop personally reviewing every townhome proposal in the Cambie Corridor, as Item #1 is not really... Continue Reading →
January 23rd, 2020 Public Hearing – A Landmark Decision, Will Vancouver Sour On 2,000 New Jobs Or Make Lemonade?
January 23rd, 2020 Public Hearing- Update 01/24/20 – The public hearing has recessed and will resume on January 30th at 3pm. As a result, one can still send in correspondence or sign up to speak on Item 7. To give people enough time to sign-up or write a letter for a public hearing, we try... Continue Reading →
An Energized Base Helps Robson Street Monolith Overcome Urban Design Panel Concerns
150 Robson Street - DP-2019-00809 Perhaps it's fitting that a project that will provide a new hotel, strata tower, and save a heritage building by BC Place was the final item reviewed by the Urban Design Panel this year. While its rezoning was approved last summer, it's likely the conditions were met only a few... Continue Reading →
December 10th Public Hearing – East Van Residents Hope To Save Beloved School As Sonder Claus Plans To Visit Main Street
December 10th, 2019 Public Hearing – The first of two public hearings scheduled for this week is one Hannah and I expect to be over quickly and quietly. That's because none of these applications have drawn the ire faced by a MIRHPP proposal in Kitsilano which will be on heard Thursday night. In fact, one... Continue Reading →
October 22nd Public Hearing – Representatives Of Vancouver’s Silent Majority Could Seal The Fate Of New St. Paul’s Hospital
October 22nd, 2019 Public Hearing This will likely become one of the most important public hearings in the history of Vancouver. The actions taken by our city council will have implications for many decades to come, as they will decide the fate of this proposal for a world-leading medical hub in the False Creek Flats.... Continue Reading →