In spite of a valiant effort by a whole group of people hoping to save the 120-foot tulip tree in the West End, it was a no. Architects Bing Thom and Michael Heeney, the former head of real-estate services for the city, Bruce Maitland, an arborist and a landscape architect were not enough to convince […]

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Dear Ms Bula Your article “A heritage proposal that tiptoes around the tulip tree”  explains very clearly the perplexing situation facing the city councillors and threatening the immediate neighbours of Bing Thom Architects’ proposed development at 1245 Harwood.  However, I am surprised by your statement  “So far the proposal has generated little commentary pro or […]

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Following my story on the tulip tree (see previous post), I’m getting emails from some people who live in the neighbourhood. Here’s one:

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Now let’s see that guide here. I know that I have been successful a couple of times in getting tickets cancelled, but by proving I had misentered the parking-meter number on my cellphone or some such dreary evidence that I had actually paid. I never thought of claiming I was at a religious service.

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I wrote a couple of months ago about the unusual dilemma the city is facing, trying to save a heritage tree in the city — a 107-year-old tulip tree . They’re willing to give the landowner six extra floors of condo space for a proposed tower next to the tree and equally old house in […]

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For those who haven’t spotted them yet, the orange neon grizzlies emerging from the concrete wall by the Canada Line Langara/49th station are a must-see. Apparently they have generated at least one call to the city from a realtor ranting that they are lowering property values in the neighbourhood. Well, they’ll be gone soon. I […]

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For several years, there was an unprecedented ceasefire between developers and residents in this city. After a huge brawl in the early 1990s with the public over the development of the Arbutus lands where the old brewery had been, city planners worked to find another way to talk with the public and that seemed to […]

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Another symbol of an era passes on. First of the stories here.

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The journey of the Marine Gateway project through city hall is one worth following. This, for those who haven’t read it before, is the largest development ever considered for rezoning outside the downtown. It will also, I believe, set a certain level of expectation for the kind of density that might be considered for other […]

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I wrote in today’s Globe about the impending review of the giant Marine Gateway project at the foot of Cambie, accompanied by some neighbourhood unease about the size of this project, which you can read here. Since that appeared this morning, the urban design panel has reviewed this project and voted 5-4 not to support […]

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