Inside Vancouver - January 9

3 exciting exhibits at the Polygon Gallery

The Polygon Gallery is pleased to present A pot lid for the sky, Everything Leaks, and Miradas Alternas from December 10 to February 7, 2021. These three distinct exhibitions centre emerging talent in Vancouver, and feature photography, video, and sculpture. “With these three shows, The Polygon is proud to showcase a number of new artistic and curatorial voices, including three Vancouver artists who are garnering deserved attention. Together the exhibitions reaffirm our commitment to spotlight the tremendous strength of our region’s emerging talent.” says Reid Shier, The Polygon Gallery’s Director.

Concord Pacific’s 12 Giveaways of Christmas

On December 16, in a slick Zoom event, Concord Pacific had their yearly 12 Giveaways of Christmas event. Normally held at the Burnaby Heritage Christmas at the Burnaby Village Museum, this year’s event was held at the beautifully decorated presentation centre at the Concord Brentwood project in Burnaby. Concord Pacific pledged to donate $10 for every virtual attendee to the Burnaby Christmas Bureau and Burnaby Hospital Foundation. Throughout the presentation, which outlined all the high-end Concord projects going on all over Metro Vancouver, there were quiz questions and prizes worth $500 of shopping money at Metropolis at Metrotown, Best Buy and more. Over 200 attendees enjoyed the show.

Did you know?

Intracorp’s preliminary plans to build a landmark 580-ft-tall, 55-storey tower on Thurlow Street just south of Robson Street have just been revealed. There will be a total of 516 homes, including 450 condominiums in the tall tower on the western portion of the site and 66 secured purpose-built rental homes in the new secondary building on the eastern portion of the site reaching 206 ft with 15 storeys.

SFU’s “Pandemonium” series envisions a post-COVID world

Upwards of 100 people tuned in on Nov. 25 to “Pandemonium: The Post COVID-19 Urban Economy”, a lecture series hosted by Simon Fraser University Public Square and Urban Studies.
The pandemic has shone a light on the problems or issues that were already existing in cities that need to be addressed and improved, says Peter Hall, the moderator of the event and a professor of Urban Studies at SFU. Matti Siemiatycki, from the School of Cities at the University of Toronto, started the panel with discussing housing and local businesses.“The property market, ironically, in many parts of the country at least, has actually picked up through the pandemic as people are looking for different types of places to live. And for many people, being at home is causing them to rethink their living arrangements,” said Siemiatycki. Wade Grant, a member of the Musqueam Nation who works in intergovernmental relations, talked about how the they have joined with the Squamish Nation and Tsleil Waututh Nation to create the MST Development Corporation to ensure that their economy “goes ahead in a positive way,” said Grant. With the land, they are planning to invest into real estate to build more rental and social housing, and do so in a way that considers the environment.

New master-planned community in Oakridge

Another neighbourhood-sized redevelopment has been approved for the Cambie Corridor, with the latest project located just west of Oakridge Centre shopping mall. In the continuation of the public hearing on Wednesday, Vancouver City Council approved Modern Green Canada’s rezoning application for the redevelopment of TransLink’s former Oakridge Transit Centre. The 14-acre vacant site is framed by West 41st Avenue to the south, located near the northeast corner of the intersection with Oak Street. There will be a total of 17 buildings of varying heights up to 275 ft with 26 storeys, with the tallest buildings located along Oak Street — aligning with the tower heights of the Vancouver Jewish Community Centre redevelopment across the street. A new two-acre central public park with a sports field includes a single-storey pavilion building with a universal public washroom and a purpose-built childcare facility for up to 69 children.