Hundreds of thousands of British Columbians now live in strata-titled housing. But, since it’s still a relatively new form, it’s not clear to all how those owners are jointly going to decide what to do as their buildings age. I wrote about this issue in Vancouver magazine recently. Now, in one of the cases I […]
Judge rules that people who don’t want to sell in condo-like project can’t be forced out
April 10th, 2012 · 26 Comments
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Luxury condos sell like hotcakes during Olympics
March 1st, 2010 · 12 Comments
Somehow I don’t think this piece of news, sent out over the news-release wires this morning, is going to make most people feel that great about the Games. Their worst nightmare, actually. Vancouver real estate developer strikes gold $46.76 million sold during Olympics: $31.8 million to Olympic visitors With the 2010 Winter Olympic Games now […]
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Rennie: Market coming back, but it’s not the same one
May 21st, 2009 · 6 Comments
Influential city shaper Bob Rennie, who masquerades as a condo marketer, will be giving his annual address to the Urban Development Institute today where he analyzes the market and sales based on statistical research that he gets done for this talk every year. The speech will have lots of facts and figures, along with Bob’s […]
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What to do while B.C. housing market is in a coma?
February 2nd, 2009 · 7 Comments
That’s the subject of my Globe story in today’s paper. I should note that, while the construction industry is grappling with what to do while the housing market/office market/economy seems to be, some people are breathing a sigh of relief that things have slowed down. Gives everyone a chance to collect their wits and attempt […]
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An intermission in Seattle: Obama politics, job losses and Bob Rennie
January 24th, 2009 · 15 Comments
Sorry to disappoint those of you who thought I’d gone dark because I was in the midst of a deep investigation. Instead, all I’ve done is escape to Seattle for a couple of days — always a great way to get a new take on cities, people, art and the economy. It’s been great to eavesdrop […]
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A sign of healthy condo projects — cleared sidewalks
January 3rd, 2009 · 9 Comments
My last post elicited a few comments, including this interesting one from Michael Geller about the condo projects that haven’t properly cleared their sidewalks et al. (See below my intro comments.) Since the snow is now coming down even more heavily (I can’t believe it, actually), I thought I’d just continue with the snow postings. […]
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Who ARE these second-home people in Vancouver? Find out here
December 5th, 2008 · 7 Comments
Someone sent me a link to this New York Times article extolling the virtues of Vancouver as a second-home base for non-Canadians. Hmm, I guess the world economy isn’t dead yet. And how nice to see this early indication of the Olympics sell.
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The hard times of a developer, from the inside
November 14th, 2008 · 8 Comments
I have this story in today’s Globe and Mail about Tony Pappajohn, a local guy, who has been caught in the economic downdraft and credit squeeze. That’s put in jeopardy the beautifully designed new tower he was building on Hastings Street, a sad chapter for a family that’s part of the history of Vancouver.
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Even more density coming to Vancouver’s Downtown South
October 29th, 2008 · 2 Comments
City planners and fans often like to brag about the way Vancouver is a poster city for compact living downtown. The West End, our first downtown neighbourhood, is frequently (and mistakenly) referred to as a neighbourhood with a density equivalent to Manhattan’s, but more attractive with its leafy and quiet streets. False Creek North is […]
Tags: Developer World
Vancouver development industry slows and re-thinks; Fortress evaluated
October 9th, 2008 · 1 Comment
While the focus so far this week has been on Millennium Developments and its current problems with cost overruns and financing, there’s another story in this city about what’s happening with development generally. As many people told me over the last two days, it’s been disastrous the last few weeks since the financial crisis started. […]
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