Posts from — October 2009

The latest update on the Short Term Incentives for Rental program, approved by council justthree and half months ago, is on track to produce at least 400 units and perhaps as many as 1,700 by the end of 2010.

A memo circulated to council this week reports that 30 proposals, about one-third of them downtown or in the West End, have come in since the program was launched. Five, with 383 units, have strong potential for early approval. Others require a longer rezoning process. The units would remain rental for 60 years or the lifetime of the building, whichever is longer.

A recent query from Councillor Ellen Woodsworth about the neighbourhood impact of slot machines at Hastings Park has produced this memo to council from city planner Mario Lee.

His conclusion: little or no evidence of negative traffic impacts, little or no evidence of problem gaming impacts. There is an upside in jobs.

One hundred and fifty movies from the Vancouver Archives holdings, some home made and others produced by the city, are now available online. They include footage of an early flight from Jericho Beach, construction of the Granville St. bridge, the demolition at Woodwards and much more, including this footage of the New Zealand All Blacks playing rugby in Stanley Park in the 1930s.

The views from bridges, in particular, give a sense of the city’s dramatic changes, with today’s view corridors occupied by yesterday’s rooftop signs.

While we’re on the subject of bridges, the latest Burrard Bridge numbers show the number of cyclists up 25 percent during the summer while the number of pedestrians and cars remained unchanged. Winter weather is depressing cycling numbers somewhat in September.

Even with lane reallocation, Burrard is carrying as many or more cars daily than Granville Bridge.