Balfour Monster Leaps Forward After Shedding 34 Homes With Parkside Diet

906-982 W 18th Ave and 907-969 W 19th Ave (Balfour Block) - (revised concept)With how poorly this project’s last Urban Design Panel review went, I imagine this applicant team was looking for every advantage they could find in preparation for its requested return. So the sight of Terra Breads' bagged sandwiches in this townhall room...

Canopy Conflicts Fail To Bust Vancouver Office Building’s Lofty Elegance

601 West Pender and 443 Seymour Street - DP-2021-00670In the 18 months since this office building's rezoning was submitted, we’ve all faced disruptions from significant tragedies to minor annoyances, such as losing one’s kitchen table to paperwork. That this development application’s Urban Design Panel review took place before it was published on the city's website...

The Jericho Lands Soar Forward On The Wings Of A Magical Urban Design Panel Experience

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...

Forgotten Details Threaten To Turn Vancouver’s Parkside Daydream Into A Contested Battleground

650 W 41st Ave (DP-2021-00512) - Development Application 6 -The Commons, Upper Green, & Building 12 I'm a fairly rational person, yet I literally shivered when Hannah asked what would happen if, after eight reviews, the Urban Design Panel decided to reject the most recent phase of the Oakridge Centre. Sure enough, a few days...

Refined Humility Guides The New St. Paul’s Hospital To Urban Design Panel Support

1002 Station St – New St. Paul’s Hospital (DP-2021-00085) Phase 1A – Revised Concept Apparently I’m not the only person tired of seeing the Urban Design Panel examine the new St. Paul’s Hospital, as city staff started this event by expressing hope it would go faster than the last review. That meeting concluded with a request...

Once Again, Vancouver’s UDP Is Calling For Your Non-Support Of The New St Paul’s Hospital

1002 Station St - New St. Paul's Hospital (DP-2021-00085) Phase 1A - Part Two Design Rational & Building ConceptI’m lucky to have a spouse who shares my passion for following our city’s evolution, and endless meetings like this one. Now on its fourth review, The Urban Design Panel spent over four hours examining the new...

Community Bonds Save Vancouver’s Multigenerational Housing Opportunity From A Rotten Core

1317 Richards St and 508 Drake StIt’s not often an applicant team will announce to the Urban Design Panel they hope their proposal will set a worldwide example. That claim was bolstered by city staff, who admitted they were willing to stretch the Downtown Official Development Plan to enable that goal. They stressed this would...

A Plaza Fit For A King – Vancouver’s Boomerang Returns With More Homes, And Recommendations

602-644 Kingsway (formerly 610-644 Kingsway)To say this simple six floor rental building has undergone a long journey would be an understatement, as its first Urban Design Panel review was in April of 2018. Considering it met a warm reception from both those volunteers, and an apparently disinterested community, I was surprised when it languished for...

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...

Public Plazas Take Rental Homes To The Rack, As The Urban Design Panel Splits Over A Haircut

622 SW Marine Drive Perhaps these virtual Urban Design Panel meetings are getting to me, as Hannah caught me dozing off at the start of this item. Then again, maybe it’s because the previous one was a modest industrial building, also on Southwest Marine Drive. Unfortunately, I may as well have slept through that previous...