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Entries from January 2016

Vancouver planning manager promises developers meeting there will be “more clarity” about what they pay city for community benefits

November 18th, 2012 · 19 Comments

My story from last week. Sorry, forgot to post earlier, but comment away, if you can tear yourselves from the TransLink service optimization post (Yikes, 263 comments and counting.) Article posted in full on next page

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New Highway 1/Port Mann bus service about to start

November 16th, 2012 · 30 Comments

This just out New South of Fraser service and other changes coming in December December will bring the beginning of a new alternative for commuters in Langley and eastern Surrey. The new #555 Port Mann Express will begin service on Saturday, December 1. The bus will travel over the new Port Mann Bridge between the […]

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City Plumber: Back on the job, unclogging the pipes to answer questions about Olympic village fitness centre and empty lots on Robson

November 14th, 2012 · No Comments

Over on the left of the screen.

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Industrial land developers encouraged to stop sprawling, start building dense and smart

November 14th, 2012 · 23 Comments

Former mayor Sam Sullivan was the first person I heard talk about the idea of “industrial densification” as a way to get more stuff onto Vancouver’s limited amount of land. I’ve heard the idea pitched several times since then. But every time I talk to commercial brokers or industrial-land developers about it, they just roll […]

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Vancouver buys Ramada Hotel on Kingsway for $15.5 million to provide low-cost housing

November 12th, 2012 · 27 Comments

This story started floating around the community about three weeks ago. For whatever reason, the city has chosen not to announce the sale. But my sources told me it went through Oct. 30 and people at Collingwood Neighbourhood House are starting to ask for meetings with the city to get more precise ideas on what […]

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TransLink starts consultations on service “optimization” as it becomes a service more concentrated on serving existing customers than shaping future demand

November 9th, 2012 · 284 Comments

Transportation experts talk about the two functions of transit. It can primarily serve, which means putting most of your transit where existing demand is. Or it can be used to shape — so transit lines are built or routed into areas where demand isn’t strong yet, but the hope is that if transit goes there, […]

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Full application for Oakridge mall redevelopment into city, with terraced towers, floating canopies and more

November 7th, 2012 · 82 Comments

The application to transform Oakridge into a community of 2,800 units in nine towers and a bank of townhouses, a park on the roof of the mall, and more is sure to generate a lot of public interest in the coming months. Open houses are next week, Nov. 15 and 17. My Globe story with […]

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City has plans to re-do the awful north plaza of Vancouver Art Gallery

November 2nd, 2012 · 55 Comments

A recently tender on the city website is advertising for an architect/landscape architect team to pre-qualify for work on a re-design of the north plaza, to be done soon because of urgent need for re-waterproofing between the surface and the Vancouver Art Gallery vaults below. Not a moment too soon, many will say. At the […]

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Alleged brothel in Kerrisdale says in lawsuit that it was denied city permission to operate because of nimbys

November 2nd, 2012 · 2 Comments

I don’t need to add anything to a story like this, which is as good as a novel, really. (Except one update. After deadline, city staff confirmed to me that whatever is operating at 5763 Balsam is doing so without a business licence. As per this message from the city: The business’ request for a […]

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