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 →
Public Hearing – February 16th, 2023 This public hearing brings uncharted territory for Hannah and I, as it will be the first time city council will hear streamlined rezoning applications under the Secured Rental Policy. These projects are similar to the Cambie Corridor’s pre-designed townhome forms, like Item #1, 691 West 28th Avenue. However, in... Continue Reading →
5812-5844 Cambie St (DP-2022-00210)Five years ago, when Hannah and I first attended an open house for a proposal at this site across from the Oakridge Centre, what we saw looked very different from today. Since then, the anger some felt about these changes has dissipated once the Cambie Corridor Plan’s Third Phase was approved in... Continue Reading →
Public Hearing – July 7th, 2022It’s not as bad as flushing a toilet on a live stream, however our city council must be embarrassed by how Tuesday’s meeting ended. Too many ignored the mayor’s warnings to stay at their computers, with their webcams on to maintain quorum, bringing the night to an immediate end before... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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21st, 2022It’s somewhat fitting that the first item on this night’s agenda, a simple heritage designation, has been withdrawn, as this meeting is all about cutbacks, and lowered expectations.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 →
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 →
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 →
1025 Dunsmuir St (DP-2021-00824)There’s been a lot going on at the Bentall Centre since its new owners took over in 2019, including the addition of murals, lighting features, and the conversion of its large water feature into usable public space. The biggest change has been the loss of its above-ground parking garages with new office... Continue Reading →
City Duo 