Public Hearing – December 14th, 2023 - 1:00pm As this is the last public hearing of the year, Hannah and I had assumed its agenda would be a relatively quiet one. Certainly the first item, an application under the Secured Rental Policy for a five-floor building across from the oldest remaining BC Housing site in... Continue Reading →
December 12th, 2023 Public Hearing – A Silent Night Uncovers Vancouver’s Suppressed Potential
Public Hearing – December 12th, 2023This is a weird public hearing for Hannah and I to summarize as the province’s recently approved housing legislation means it’s possible none of the items on this agenda will ever be built. Granted, Item #1 is a policy amendment that seeks to modernize and allow greater flexibility in the... Continue Reading →
November 14th, 2023 Public Hearing – Moderate Income Rental Homes Leave Some Seeing Red
Public Hearing – November 14th, 2023 – 6:00pm In a week where city council will explore whether to create more homes near parks, under-capacity schools, city-owned lands, and even in Shaughnessy, the biggest news came from Victoria. By now, most British Columbians probably know about the new provincial legislation to allow buildings of up to... Continue Reading →
October 17th, 2023 Public Hearing – Real Estate Insiders Push To Protect Vancouver’s Unqiue Cul-De-Sac Character
Public Hearing – October, 17, 2023 – 6:00pm As one of our cats has fallen critically ill within the last few days, I hope you’ll forgive Hannah and I if this post is a little more unpolished than usual. Thankfully, this hearing’s agenda is almost entirely comprised of simplified rental buildings under the Secured Rental... Continue Reading →
September 28th, 2023 Public Hearing – Kitsilano Rental Homes Hope To Overcome Nextdoor’s Nightmare
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 →
September 12th, 2023 Public Hearing – A Nine Year Delay Wins East Van Rental Homes A Moment Of Silence
Public Hearing – September 12th, 2023 - 6:00pm In many ways, this public hearing feels like a warm-up for things to come, and not just because it’s the first one after city council’s annual summer vacation. That doesn’t mean small amendments like Item #1 aren’t important, given the needs of the educational programs at Vancouver... Continue Reading →
July 11th, 2023 Public Hearing – Seven Lucky Numbers Win Vancouver Renters A Jackpot Of Homes
Public Hearing – July, 11th, 2023 After spending 17 hours at the Khatsahlano Street Party (Hannah was a volunteer), this seven item public hearing agenda looked pretty intimidating on Sunday morning. However, after skimming through it Monday, we realized the actions of the previous council should speed it along, and Item #1 seeks to build... Continue Reading →
June 29th, 2023 Public Hearing – Divine Rental Homes Incur The “Silent Majority’s” Wrathful Petition
Public Hearing – June 29th, 2023When Hannah and I discuss our expectations for these public hearings, we consider public feedback, our experiences at the open houses, and previous reactions to nearby applications. The problem is some of these neighbourhoods haven’t seen any development for decades, in-person events are just restarting, and correspondence for Thursday meetings... Continue Reading →
June 15, 2023 Public Hearing – Secured Rental Homes Set The Mood For A Multi-Millionaire Lawsuit
Public Hearing – June 15th, 2023 Whether you’re a morning person like Hannah, or a night owl like me, there’s never really a good time to sit down for a public hearing, especially when they often drag on late into the night. City council’s recent decision to move the start time for these meetings from... Continue Reading →
May 9th, 2023 Public Hearing – Main Street Petitions To Preserve Vancouver’s Duplex Culture
Public Hearing – May 9th, 2023 The quick transition from winter to summer has left Hannah and me scrambling to handle some overdue housecleaning, and it appears city council is no different. Almost every part of this agenda deals with things that have been years in the making, like the sewer upgrades along the Cambie... Continue Reading →