July 12th, 2022 Public Hearing – Vancouver Neighbourhoods Stand To Gain Over A $100 Million From Loopsided Trades

Public Hearing – July 12th, 2022Update: July 14th, 2022 - Thanks to the reporting of Denise Ryan, we have learned the reason why Item#2 was justifiably removed from this agenda, and you can read about this building's complicated past here.As city council scrambles to find dates to hear the remaining public speakers on several controversial...

Urban Design Panel Helps River District Rental Homes Find Vancouver’s Doorway To Approval

3350 Marine Way - DP-2020-00467 - EFL Parcel 14One thing the East Fraser Lands has taught Hannah and I is the need to be flexible, as even the best laid plans can’t stand up to the unexpected demands of the future. Thirty years ago, surface parking lots were the norm, and our region’s leader planned...

River District Landmark Meets With A Flood Of Support At The Urban Design Panel

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...

Simple and Honest – East Fraser Lands Proposal In Need of a Hangover Cure

3104-3130 Southeast Marine Drive & 8420 Kerr Street  I've become something of a fixture at the UDP, as I'm usually the only member of the public at these regular fortnight meetings. When the discussion is happening, my fingers are a blur typing notes on my cell phone, but while the panel deliberates, I'm left to...

September 18th Public Hearing – Plans for a Filibuster – Gentle Housing Increases meet Well Organised Opposition – Can Vancouver’s West End Handle New York Style?

In the Fall of 2016, as the realization of just how bad the housing crisis was sunk into the minds of a city council in the middle of its term, a reset of the city's housing strategy was declared. Now almost two years later, consultations with stakeholder groups and members of the public have finally...

14 Story Tower is Contrary to the Area Plan but Supported by the UDP

The one thing I hate about area plans is that they give the false impression they are meant to be unchanging and are perfect. In reality, due to their large scale, they are often too slow to respond to change, and sometimes overlook small details. That's what appears to have happened to the building at...