10 - Wednesday, October 18, 1989 - North Shore News NORTH VAN DISTRICT HOUSING NEEDS Housing study supports secondary suites SECONDARY ssuiies should not be phased out in the District of North Vancouver, a study on the district’s unmet housing needs recommends. Contributing Writer Commissioned in January, con- sultants from the Social Planning and. Research Council of British Columbia (SPARC) presented their report to North Vancouver District Counci! Monday night. Other recommendations made by consultants Bruce Levens and Michael Goldberg include: © retain registration, inspection and licensing of suites and amend the zoning bylaw to permit regis- tered secondary suites in single- family zones; ® pursue the necessary legislative changes required to ‘‘legalize’’ secondary suites; © allow secondary suites in new house construction; © vigorously encourage all suite owners to register their suites; © hold neighborhood meetings to discuss housing needs identified by the study and the affordable hous- ing alternatives that residents would consider appropriate for their neighborhoods. The study was commissioned following the introduction of the district’s policy to regulate and eventually phase out secondary suites by 1995. The policy required owners of secondary suites to ap- ply for registration and to have their suites inspected for basic health and safety standards, and approximately one third of the estimated 2,000 suite owners made application for registration. The study states: ‘‘The phase- out will predominantly affect those who have complied with the cur- rent policy while having little effect on those who have not. Thus, those suites which have met the in- spection criteria, often felt to be the ‘better’ secondary suites, will be the ones to be phased out.”’ The study also concludes that Police volunteers graduate TWENTY-FOUR new auxiliary constables will be graduating from the North Vancouver RCMP aux- iliary police program Oct. 28. The auxiliary constables have received approximately 250 hours each of instruction in policing skills. The graduates will be assisting regular members of the detach- ment in their duties, contributing a minimum of 3,840 volunteer man-hours to the communities of North Vancouver City and District in the coming year. The 24 auxiliary officers com- bined with 30 incumbent auxiliary officers, will provide a total of 8,600 volunteer hours in the areas of general duty policing, traffic control, and crime prevention- community policing programs. The training program is provin- cially funded through the Solicitor General’s Ministry. Vancouver Port Corporation MARINE RECREATION OPEN HOUSE The Public is cordially invited to consider the Draft Report of a Marine Recreation Resource Use Stupy of the !s,dian Arm/eastern Burrard Inlet area of the Port of Vancouver. Achoice of three Open House Meetings is scheduled; each offering an opportunity to learn about—-and comment on-the Report's findings; including: USES: Existing and potential uses of the resource. ISSUES: Impacts, conflicts, and other issues arising from these various uses. RECOMMENDATIONS: General and Site Specific S recommendations to enhance public enjoyment of the resource. OPEN HO USE MEETING SCHEDULE’ Tuesday, October 24 Belcarra Village Hall, 4084 Bedwell Bay, Belcarra dnesday, October 25 Seycove Community Sec. School 1204 Caledonia, North Vancouver Thursday, October 26 Kyle Centre 125 Kyle Place, Port Moody Port Corporation Staff and the Study’s Consultants will be on hand throughout the evening. Public input will be invited; either verbally or in writing. * ALL MEETINGS ARE SCHEDULED FROM 7:00 TO 9:30 P.M. Btn cyte me gay Weet Vancouver’ the phase out will create a signifi- cant hardship for bo:h owners and tenants with no new altcrnative housing option capable of rehous- ing the significant numbers of te- nants involved. Rupert Downing, district social planner, said an inevitable conse- quence of suite closure in 1995 wiil be a displacement of long-standing residents from their community. “This prospect was strongly op- posed by a broad cross-section of local people in the public input stage of the study,’’ said Downing. Mayor Marilyn Baker asked whether it was the fact that suites were ‘‘illegal’? that kept rents down and affordable and whether “‘legalization’’ would lead to rent escalation and a more attractive absentee landlord proposition. Levens responded that the district should investigate its ca- pacity to limit this (legalization) to owner-occupied situations. Downing presented two concerns of staff: e that provincial building code shop : bar. 1086 ”®ZWIE CONTINUES 60"-150 cm Reg. $12.98 Ml NOW ' ‘Exclusive to Fa bricland Masterpiece Studios Christmas Card Collection reg. $10.50 box up to $15.75 box 852-1198. @ RICHMOND ' §88-6040. > | © B8B-1788 | Sas Few regulations be devised for second- ary suites in single-family homes, whereby legalization of them within achievable fire and safety standards becomes practical; and * that regional policy is developed which recognizes secondary suites AND BLINDS Closed Mondays as an essential component of the rental housing market, and does not concentrate such housing in one or a few municipalities. Debate on the study and coun- cil’s recommendations was defer- ted until Monday, Oct. 23. It's a special manufacturer's inventory clearance! A huge selection of top quality venetian blinds from HunterDouglas, the world's leading manufacturer of window fashions. Great values B@Bedspreads & Fabrics LONSDALE ® Verticals e Pleated Shades e Balloon Shades ESTABLISHED FOR 16 YEARS 922-1709 #235 Village Square, 1425 Marine Dr., West Vancouver 60"-150 cm Reg. $9.98 M 99 NOW $28 M Unique shoulder pads NOW 1/2 price Unique dressmaking tools Unique & Finny Scissors > 42 locations te serve you ~ Vogue, Butterick, I Simplicity, McCalls, Burda, @ New Look Buy One Get FREE Details at Fabricland “ALE. STORES OPEN - 341 Lonsdale 980-4433" Mon. - Fri. 9:30-9:30 ~