Our City- Diverse, Informed, Together
Public Hearing – November 16th, 2023Two years ago, dozens of letters flooded city council as supporters and opponents of a six floor rental application on Arbutus Street clashed over their community’s future. Yet on today’s agenda Item #1, a five floor rental building on the block directly to the north has barely drawn a peep.... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Public Hearing – April 27th, 2023 With the grey dreary skies, and chill in the air, it hasn’t really felt like spring this year, which thankfully the weather forecast suggests should change this Thursday. However, this evening won’t offer Item #1 any reprieve, as this mix of market, and below-market rental homes remain limited by... Continue Reading →
Public Hearing – April 25th, 2023 While Item #1 should have been the biggest news story of this night, as it’s the first four floor rental building on a side-street to reach city council, Item #2 may steal its spotlight. To be fair, the former does have its detractors, like a neighbour who prefers continuing... Continue Reading →
Updated - May 19th, 2024 Since 2009, various policies have been crafted in Vancouver with the intent of incentivizing the construction of new rental homes as as very few have been built after the 1980s. While Hannah and I have written about some of these largely failed measures, this article is meant to track the... Continue Reading →
Public Hearing – March 7th, 2023 In hindsight, perhaps Hannah and I could have consolidated this post with our coverage of the other public hearing scheduled later this week. Certainly Item #1 shouldn’t take up much time, as this text amendment serves to correct a few spelling, and grammar errors in previously-approved city bylaws. Item... Continue Reading →
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