Our City- Diverse, Informed, Together
May 26th, 2020 - Public Hearing This public hearing might leave some with a sense of déjà vu, as the first two items are identical to the ones from the meeting earlier this month. Apparently, an error in the notice distribution process forced city staff to reschedule both at the last minute for this night... Continue Reading →
1220 - 1298 East Hastings Street and 560 Raymur Avenue With the number of public engagement events scheduled each month, it makes sense that college students, people with young children, and those tired after a hard day of work have difficulty participating. That is largely because each project, no matter how simple or close in proximity... Continue Reading →
150 E 36th Avenue (Little Mountain - Building AB) - DP-2019-00252 I think everyone at the Urban Design Panel gets a little excited when another piece of the Little Mountain site comes up for review. These lands have a long, complicated history, and though Hannah and I have touched on it in the past, it's... Continue Reading →
1425 East 12th Avenue and 1451 East 12th Avenue With the dire shortage of low income senior's housing in Vancouver, this is one project we would expect to receive wide acclaim. After all, despite a recent re-branding, Brightside Community Homes Foundation has been looking after our city's most vulnerable residents for almost 70 years. Admittedly,... Continue Reading →
3338 Sawmill Crescent - DP-2019-00363 - (EFL parcel 13) (formerly 3310 Marine Way) Sometimes one can only appreciate life's little ironies after they happen. That was certainly demonstrated by this Urban Design Panel review of a fairly typical development in the East Fraser Lands. After all, 28 floors of rental housing may not reflect the average Vancouver... Continue Reading →
2025 East 12th Avenue and 2776 Semlin Drive (Lakeview Multicultural United Church) Darren and I are not trained architects, planners, or journalists, we are just a young couple who care deeply for our city. Sometimes this means we get things wrong, like when Darren predicted this proposed rebirth of the Lakeview Multicultural United Church would fail... Continue Reading →
1059-1075 Nelson Street Perhaps it is fitting that a building which required a "Super" Urban Design Panel review under the Higher Buildings Policy, also needed both Darren and I to recap it. Due to a prior commitment, he had to leave as the panel began their deliberation, and I arrived just before they gave their... Continue Reading →
2025 East 12th Avenue and 2776 Semlin Drive It's no wonder so many people are disillusioned when it comes to Vancouver's housing crisis. For decades now politicians of all stripes have promised to act, but then fail to live up to their commitments. As municipalities only receive 12 – 15% of every tax dollar collected,... Continue Reading →
1059-1075 Nelson Street It is rare that Vancouver ever gets to claim the tallest of any type of structure due to the significant height restrictions over the Downtown Peninsula. Despite being the heart of Canada's third largest urban area, our tallest building, Living Shangri-La, does not even crack the top thirty in the country. With... Continue Reading →
282 West 49th Avenue (Langara Family YMCA) With how much time the Urban Design Panel spends reviewing 6 storey buildings, it shouldn't be surprising that sometimes these meetings can get rather boring. After all, as the set-backs, height, and even general look are so restricted by city policy, it's no wonder Hannah and I feel... Continue Reading →
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