Your West End is changing on Barclay Street

It’s a beautiful morning out there, the mountains sharp against the sky. Hard not to feel a sense of peace when you look at them, isn't it? But down here, the city keeps moving, and City Hall made a decision last month that really underscores that constant churn.

On March 12th, during a Public Hearing, Vancouver City Council voted to approve a rezoning application for 2028-2038 Barclay Street in the West End. Mayor Ken Sim, along with Councillors Mike Klassen, Peter Meiszner, Lisa Zhou, and Rebecca Bligh, all voted in favour. This means a significant change for that stretch of Barclay. We're talking about a CD-1 rezoning, which basically creates a custom zoning for a specific site, often allowing for denser development than existing rules.

Then, just this week, on April 1st, we saw a permit issued to demolish a 1907 single detached house on 85 East 23rd Avenue, and another for a 1947 house at 2638 East 23rd Avenue. The latter site already has a new building permit issued for a "Multiplex" — a three-storey, two-unit front building. It’s that constant push and pull, isn’t it? The old making way for the new, sometimes for more density.

It’s all part of the city’s ongoing struggle with housing and development. What’s next for Barclay Street? We'll be watching for those building permits to drop, and to see what kind of density eventually rises there. Beautiful out here. Complicated in here. That's the coast.

Kenji Nakashima, MiTL Vancouver.

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