Your Vancouver Specials are still disappearing
You know that feeling when you drive through an older neighbourhood and see a house that just... doesn't belong anymore? It’s often a Vancouver Special, sitting there, sometimes a little tired, sometimes still proud. But they’re disappearing, one after another.
This week, permits were issued to demolish four more single detached houses, according to the City of Vancouver’s building permit registry. Three of them are on East 55th and East 54th Avenues, just a few blocks from the Punjabi Market. One of those homes, at 211 E 55th Ave, was built in 2001, which really isn't that old in the grand scheme of things.
* Permit #DB-2026-01226: 211 E 55TH AVENUE, Vancouver, BC — $45,000 demolition cost. * Permit #DB-2026-01229: 7038 MAIN STREET, Vancouver, BC — $45,000 demolition cost. * Permit #DB-2026-01224: 208 E 54TH AVENUE, Vancouver, BC V5X 1K9 — $45,000 demolition cost.
It’s a pattern we see again and again. These demolitions make way for something new, something often bigger, often more expensive. It’s part of the constant churn here.
Then there's the vote from April 21st, regarding a Short Term Rental business license at 1801-1788 Columbia Street. Councillor R Bligh was absent, but the application carried unanimously with Councillors B Montague, L Zhou, and S Orr all voting in favour. It feels like we're always trying to balance the needs of tourism with the need for actual homes for people who live here.
We lose a little more of the old city with every one of these permits. Beautiful out here. Complicated in here. That's the coast.
Kenji Nakashima
You really should catch what the team is saying about this on the morning show — you can tune in at mornings.live.