New gallery in town
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013
Vol. 104 No. 79• Established 1908
MIDWEEK EDITION
THE VOICE OF VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS
NEWS: New park 5/ OPINION: Ghost towns 11
Towernumbers remaininnew Oakridgeplan REVISED PLAN FOR OAKRIDGE DEVELOPMENT READY FOR VIEWING
photo Dan Toulgoet
LIMBERED UP: Carolyn Lundie of Yoga Buttons Studio instructs a class of two to five year olds, including Mia
Stefanson, in a dragon breath breathing exercise. See related story page 27. Scan page with Layar to see a photo gallery.
Library keen on creative lab VPL ‘INSPIRATION LAB’ WOULD INCLUDE RECORDING STUDIO CHERYL ROSSI Staff writer
O
nce a bastion of silence, the Vancouver Public Library wants to build a creative technology lab that includes a recording studio with sound mixing equipment. Open to library patrons, the Inspiration Lab would include a recording studio, digital devices to preserve and share stories, video editing software and self-publishing tools that include software and hardware to produce print or eBooks. “What our hope would be down the road is if they come in and record an oral history or create a movie or a new piece of music or something, that we can actually add it to our
collection,” said chief librarian Sandra Singh. “As a community we’re enriched when we learn about each other, we learn about each others’ experiences, we learn how to see the world through each others eyes. It helps build connectivity, trust, empathy and a sense of belonging.” The library anticipates needing up to $600,000 to create the 3,000-square-foot lab on the third floor of the Central Branch at 350 West Georgia St. The lab is slated to open in late 2014. To inspire potential donors for the project, the Vancouver Public Library Foundation is hosting what’s to become an annual fundraising event Oct. 4 called Touch. With the event, it wants to transform the atrium of the coliseum-like Central Branch into a portal to the future with interactive installations. See LIBRARY on page 4
DEVELOPING STORY
with Naoibh O’Connor
R
evised plans for the proposed redevelopment of Oakridge Centre will be on display at open houses Oct. 3 and 5. The size of the civic centre has been expanded, but the number of towers remains the same with the highest still at 45 storeys. Henriquez Partners Architects and Stantec applied to amend the site’s zoning on behalf of Oakridge Centre owner Ivanhoe Cambridge and Westbank Development in November 2012. The initial application featured 13 towers ranging from 18 to 45 storeys with 2,800 residential units, as well as
rooftop greenspace, retail space and amenities such as a community centre. The mall was developed in 1956 and last renovated in the mid 1980s. The 2007 Oakridge Centre policy statement limits towers to 24 storeys. In June, council endorsed staff recommendations outlined in an interim report on the rezoning application, including tower heights up to 45 storeys, as well as the general level of density proposed. That decision came after council heard reaction from about two-dozen people. Critics are alarmed about the proposed density and scale being considered, while supporters approve of what they see as a sustainable design for the 28-acre site. Graeme Silvera, Ivanhoe Cambridge’s vice president of retail development for the western region, told the Courier Tuesday that the revised plan still includes 13 towers, the tallest of which remains at 45 storeys, while the lowest is now 17 storeys. The positions of some of the towers have shifted. See REVISION on page 4