Inside Van - July 25, 2020

Westbank Pacific Rim Pop-up Happy Hour

On a recent sunny Friday afternoon, if you happened to be in downtown Vancouver, you would have been pleasantly surprised to hear amazing live music coming from the plaza between the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel and the Shaw Tower. The Pacific Rim Pop-up Happy Hour is happening from noon until eight pm every day this summer, with live music starting at three. Food and drinks are available by buying tickets at the entrance, and the selections include old fashioned cocktails, wine and craft beer from the bar, as well as an incredible array of delicious plate like prawn and lobster rolls, burgers fresh off the barbeque, tuna poke bowls, and healthy salads. There’s also an ice cream cart to round out your meal or to simply enjoy in the sunshine while you experience the live performances. The pop-up will be happening every day for the duration of the summer, but is weather dependent, so pop by on the next sunny day!

3000 Henry Street’s rent-to-own opportunity in Port Moody goes for municipal approval

Following in the footsteps of the successful 50 Electronic Avenue’s 30-unit rent-to-own program, Aultrust Financial’s proposed Port Moody project, 3000 Henry is poised to provide the same path to ownership for a portion of its units.“This program allows residents to rent in a brand-new unit for two years and save the rents towards their down payment, giving them an avenue to home ownership”, says Aultrust partner Navid Morawej. ““Rent-to-own programs effectively solve one of the biggest impediments to homeownership for many middle-income families who are faced with the daunting challenge of having to balance between extraordinarily high cost of living and saving up to buy a property.”. The project has received a large amount of community support and will go to a council approval meeting on July 28th for approval by the municipality.

Concord Pacific hosts cooking class with Vikram Vij at ARC SkyLounge

In a special online event for Indian Summer Festival, Vikram Vij gave a masterclass in Indian cuisine at the Concord Pacific ARC SkyLounge amenity space downtown Vancouver, creating a seasonal plant-based meal together with guests in real time.The Leo Award-winning actor Agam Darshi played host, drawing out Vikram’s life story, and the deeper things that a cuisine signifies – culture, gathering, affection, and relationships. The menu featured three seasonal plant-based dishes: Sprouted Lentil, Bell Pepper and Carrot Salad, Zucchini, Squash & Potato Sauté, and Spicy Rice Pilaf with Local Vegetables.The event was part interview and part cooking class, followed by a dinner party for those purchasing the special package option.

UDI Online Luncheon: Multi-family housing design and post-Covid-19 considerations

This two-part webinar series explored re-designing and re-imagining developments and housing projects in the post-COVID world. The expert panel, consisting of Virendra Kallianpur, an Associate Principal at Perkins + Will; Marin Rahn, of Bosa Properties; and Nicholas Desert, of MCM Interiors; gave their insights about what can be introduced in the short-term to facilitate COVID-19 regulations. The panel shared their insights on how are shared spaces going to be re-imagined, adapting building design, increasing functionality while maintaining the same unit size, and increasing livability in current building designs. Other topics included hygiene and sanitation: how to design or modify surfaces in a cost-effective way, that are durable enough to withstand frequent cleaning procedures. The lively discussion was moderated by UDI President and CEO Anne McMullin.

Holly, Phase 2 of The Oaks offers a smart collection of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes overlooking over half an acre of courtyards, greenways and lush gardens. Two-bedroom homes start from the low $500s, with a limited-time incentive of savings up to $15,000.

Did you know?

Congratulations to CHBA BC’s Laura Chok on leading the Georgie Awards to win the 2019 CSE award for the best event produced in-house by an association or committee.