July 5th, 21st, & 28th 2022 Public Hearings – An International Union Blooms As Parkside Residences Face A Local Blockade

Public Hearing – July 5th, 2022Update: As the July 5th meeting lost quorum during Item #5, it has been removed from the agenda, and will be forced to start over on July 28th. As for Item #6, it will continue as normal, and begin at 6pm on July 21st.With the news that the Broadway Commercial...

May 24th, 2022 Public Hearing – The Heather Lands Shared Vision Renews A Community Relationship

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...

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...

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...

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...

The Illusion Of Choice – Balfour Block’s Six Year Plan Gets Busted By The Urban Design Panel

906-982 W 18th Ave and 907-969 W 19th Ave (Balfour Block)In a few days, Hannah and I will mark a milestone anniversary, as it will be five years since we first attended an open house meeting. Like our relationship, this applicant’s involvement with the Balfour Block predates that event, as they purchased these lands in...

Public Hearing – March 11th, 2021 – Times Takes Its Toll As Langara Grows Up, The Granville Strip Fills Out, And The River District Review Turns Green

*Update* - March 12th, 2021 - City Council has approved Item #1, and has finished hearing speakers on Item #2. That said, one can still submit comments, or speak on Items #3 & #4, which will be heard at the Public Hearing reserve date on April 1st, 2021.Public Hearing – March 11th, 2021By nature, public...

Heather Lands Reach A Magical Milestone As Multi-nationalism Wins Over The Urban Design Panel

4949-5255 Heather St and 657 W 37th Ave (Heather Lands)Admittedly, spelling and grammar are not my strong points, so if not for Hannah’s efforts, my posts would be rather messy. Unfortunately, neither of us were taught the languages of our host nations, so we couldn't capture the presentation that started the Urban Design Panel’s review...

A Patient Grasshopper Waxes Urban Design Panel Support For Vancouver’s Peak Evolution

650 W 41st Ave (Oakridge Centre) (September 4th, 2020 Application)It feels redundant to say that the events of the last year have effected even our nation’s oldest institutions, yet this Urban Design Panel review reflected that reality. The collapse of the retail market is perhaps most visible, as even The Bay’s has decided to forgo...