Inside Vancouver: What’s happening Aug. 10

The Evans show home opens in Fern Grove

People lucky enough to be out in Maple Ridge on the afternoon of July 27 could drop in to see the unveiling of the brand-new The Evans show home at the gorgeous final phase at the very popular Fern Grove community. Nestled into a quiet and picturesque area just minutes from Golden Ears Provincial Park and the Alouette River, Fern Grove has just released its final offering of 24 Westcoast residences, featuring three- and four-bedrooms for a limited summer offer starting from $849,980. These gorgeous cul-de-sac and green belt homes are fully outfitted with upgraded Premium stainless-steel appliances, with other features including two-inch blinds, a tankless high-efficiency hot water system, plus air conditioning, all included in the purchase price for only a short time.

Westbank container pop-up series

On the West Plaza of Shaw Tower at 1067 Cordova Street, there sits a shipping container that’s sure to be full of weekly surprises. It’s a taste of what to expect from the five containers that will soon live at Westbank’s Vancouver House in the Beach District. From doughnuts and stationary biking to juices, vendors change weekly, so stop in often and see what’s going on.

Vancouverism lunchtime talk at SFU

On July 18, as part of SFU’s City Conversation Series, a group of people relaxed with their lunches at Lot 19 Park at Hornby and West Georgia streets and waited to hear former city planners Larry Beasley and Ann McAfee talk about the phenomenon of “Vancouverism”. Beasley has just published a book on this subject, focusing on the time he and McAfee were co-directors of Vancouver’s planning department during the fertile timespan between Expo ‘86 and the 2010 Olympics. What came to be known as “Vancouverism” was a planning strategy based on a system of values and policies that brought people back to living in the downtown core, and which has become synonymous with “livability” in urban-planning circles worldwide. Beasley and McAfee talked about working together as a successful team and about the political and economic climate that helped them achieve their goals.

UDI summer social sizzles

A cheerful crowd of development professionals took advantage of an afternoon of socializing and networking at the UDI Fraser Valley Summer Social, which took place on July 25. South Surrey’s Sammy J’s was the setting, and the patio was filled with builders, engineers, marketers and other industry insiders taking the opportunity to reconnect and catch up. Delicious food, beer and wine were provided by Sammy J’s kitchen, and after a short introduction, sponsor Fortis Energy gave a free barbecue to the person who could answer a question relating to the percentage of natural gas that over the coming years will be from renewable and sustainable sources, such as farms and landfills. A great time was had by all, and rumour has it, next year’s event may include a golf tournament, which we look forward to.

Food and fun at Shift grand opening

Saturday, June 21 brought out the crowds to Little Mountain’s newest building for Aragon’s Shift Grand Opening. Located a block from Queen Elizabeth Park and the Hillcrest Aquatic Centre, as well as the Nat Bailey Farmers’ Market, Shift is a collection of 43, one- to three-bedroom homes designed with functionality in mind. Visitors got to nosh on pulled pork sandwiches (or BBQ jackfruit for the vegetarians) from The Lazy Gourmet, and grooved to music from 99.3 The Fox. The show homes open for viewing showcased Shift’s signature versatility and high-end yet practical finishes like integrated kitchen appliances, dramatic marble counters and backsplashes and inventive uses for flex spaces within each home.

Did you know?

The federal government’s stress test to determine whether would-be homeowners qualify for a mortgage recently dropped to 5.19 per cent, from 5.34 per cent.