Public Hearing – April 12th, 2022With only ten public hearings scheduled before the civic election, Hannah and I expect this will likely be one of the last calm events this term. The pandemic certainly consumed much of our city council's ambitions, yet they still managed to spend plenty of time debating simple things like Item... Continue Reading →
Rental Homes Spared A Rigid Wedgie As Urban Design Panel Seeks To Heal A Green Divide
495 W 41st AveI imagine there are some who will overlook this proposal as easily as they pass over the vacant lot it will occupy kitty corner to the Canada Line station at the Oakridge Centre. That’s certainly understandable, and not just because of the heat outside either. Yet, considering how prescriptive the Cambie Corridor... Continue Reading →
Public Hearing – April 13th, 2021 – North Shore Inspired Homes Bring A Landslide Of Community Benefits To The West End
Public Hearing – April 13th, 2021One has to feel a little bit bad for our city council, as this meeting comes not even a week after they finally finished the public hearing that started on March 11th. Granted, Hannah and I know to a certain extent this is self-inflicted, as they often engage in a... Continue Reading →
Vancouver’s White Whale Urged To Lighten Up In Quest To Provide Livable Rental Homes
325-341 W 42nd AveWith the lack of in-person open house events, I have not been able to post as much as, unlike Darren, my schedule prevents me from attending these Urban Design Panel meetings. Which is a shame as, like this review, they are usually educational and entertaining. While I was intrigued to learn the... Continue Reading →
January 19th Public Hearing – Urban Design Problem Child Unlikely To Spoil Town Centre Couple’s Special Night
Public Hearing – January 19th, 2021For those weary of watching the horrible events that gripped our nation’s southern neighbours, Hannah and I suggest tuning into this public hearing for a relaxing night. There could be an angry voice or two, but as three of these four come under existing community plans, this should be a... Continue Reading →
Grounded In Trouble – Urban Design Panel Laments The Canada Line’s Campus Precinct Failure
427-477 W 49th AvenueOver the years, Hannah and I have heard a lot of criticism about how a lack of funding from senior levels of government led to shortfalls on the Canada Line. While there is room to boost capacity by running more trains, or increasing their frequency, the platforms are sadly under-built for the... Continue Reading →
Urban Design Panel Concerns Over Carshare Livability May Sink Cambie Corridor Rental Homes
441-475 West 42nd Avenue While I'm late in posting this, I was actually early to this Urban Design Panel review. Unfortunately, I remembered too late that the first hour of their meeting was in-camera. When the doors finally opened, I entered to see a group of largely new faces, including a freshly elected chair and... 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 →
Urban Design Panel Envisions A Downtown Makeover For Oakridge’s Town Centre
325-343 West 41st Avenue & 357-475 West 41st Avenue Admittedly, neither Hannah nor I understand why the city continues to insist on requiring open house events for rezoning applications in the Cambie Corridor. Even the open house for these two projects, put forward by the same applicant team, only drew an attendance of 53 people... Continue Reading →
Treated Like Garbage – Vancouver’s UDP Requests Resubmission Of Pearson Dogwood Care Home
650 West 57th Avenue - DP-2019-00686 - Dogwood Care Centre - Pearson Dogwood Parcel B As the rezoning application for the Pearson Dogwood site was approved just months before Hannah and I began to document our city's growth, we often learn a lot at these Urban Design Panel reviews. Though even someone who had closely... Continue Reading →