Our City- Diverse, Informed, Together
791 W Georgia St (DP-2021-01096)When I noticed the Urban Design Panel’s agenda included the renovation of the former Four Seasons Hotel, I was puzzled to say the least. What benefit could this in-depth review possibly serve for a structure that has been part of our city’s urban fabric for 45 years? I better understood city... Continue Reading →
2 E Broadway (DP-2022-00184)Like an Urban Design Panel member, Hannah and I were shocked by the “radical” changes this 12 floor office building has undergone since we last saw it. After all, once city council approves an application’s general shape, it’s rare for it to switch architect firms, and go through a total overhaul. Mercifully,... Continue Reading →
688 Cambie St (DP-2021-00171) - (Vancouver Art Gallery)Even reaching this Urban Design Panel review could be seen as a win for the plans to build a new Vancouver Art Gallery, as it’s been six years since its pre-application open house. That doesn’t account for the time spent searching through 12 locations before this site was... Continue Reading →
1025 Dunsmuir St (DP-2021-00824)There’s been a lot going on at the Bentall Centre since its new owners took over in 2019, including the addition of murals, lighting features, and the conversion of its large water feature into usable public space. The biggest change has been the loss of its above-ground parking garages with new office... Continue Reading →
1075 Nelson St (DP-2021-00589)To say this proposal has drawn plenty of interest would be an understatement, as it played a significant role in Vancouver landing the International Passive House Conference in 2023. Even city staff acknowledged a project of this scale would further enrich local knowledge, and help build a supply chain for future projects... Continue Reading →
343 W Pender St (DP-2021-00952) - 470 Homer StreetWhen the Hartney Chambers, and World Buildings were first constructed during Vancouver’s pre-war boom, I wonder if anyone thought they would be standing over a century later. Granted, their insides had been gutted to accommodate some rather interesting things, including a provocatively named waxing studio, an adult... Continue Reading →
625-777 Pacific StHopefully the Urban Design Panel’s volunteers enjoyed their winter break, because their first review of 2022 lasted for nearly three hours. The Omnicron-forced return to a virtual format was partially to blame for this, but as Hannah jokingly pointed out, some people like torturing themselves, and I willingly attend these sessions. Her words... Continue Reading →
8029-8225 Oak St and 1012 W 64th AveAfter spending so much time at city hall over the years, attending these Urban Design Panel meetings oddly began to feel sort of like coming home. Despite what she says, I’m sure Hannah didn’t mind having our actual house to herself for a few hours every second Wednesday... Continue Reading →
1477 W BroadwayFrom the moment its development plans were found in a dumpster, the future South Granville SkyTrain station has polarized opinions. In fact, Councillors Bligh, Hardwick and Kirby-Yung, even voted against (pg 8) the Issues Report that let the average person speak their mind on this mix of market and moderate income rental homes,... Continue Reading →
456-496 Prior StAs our regular readers know, Hannah and I do our best to research the projects we write about, and on this occasion we may have gone overboard. Granted, it was a fluke that, as we sorted through my family’s home videos, we found John Daly’s 1989 report on the St. James Social Services... Continue Reading →
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