THE VOICE GF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER

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18-STOREY TOWER

A PACKED public hearing at North Vancouver District
Hall Monday night heard supporters for a proposed highrise
development at the North Shore Wiater Club call for 2
quick decision by council so the contract can be put to
tender and construction begin early in the new year.

Peter Fentiman, president of the
Winter Club, explained that a
decision by council would be re-
quired no later than Nov. 14 if the
hockey and curling rinks were to
be functional for the fall of 1989,

Fentiman was present, together
with Graham Crockart, of Graham
F. Crockart Architects, and Joe
Warner, of Co-operators
Development Corporation Ltd., to
outline a development proposal
that would sec an 18-storey con-
gregate-care facility for active
seniors, together with a new
hockey rink and a two-level park-
ing structure, built on the Winter
Club site at Keith Road and
Mountain Highway.

Crockart confirmed that since
the original proposal was made,
chronicled in the Aug. 26 issue of
the News, the number of suites had
been reduced to 209 (from 216)
and the number of residential
parking stafls increased to 252
(from 220) for a ratio of 1.2 stalls
per unit.

He also noted that the height of
the building would be approx-
imately 175 feet above ground
level, depending on the slope of
the site, and that even allowing for
the additional height of the twin
elevator penthouse the total height
would still be some 20 feet less
than that reported by the district’s
Planning Department.

Support expressed for the
development outnumbered opposi-
tion by a margin of three to one,
with much of it coming from past
and present users of the club’s fa-
cilities, or seniors hoping to move
to the facility if it is built.

Jim Price, a resident of West
Vancouver, spoke on behalf of a
group of seniors, ‘“‘who wish the
company of each other in an active
environment off the streets. This is
just what we have been looking
for,’’ he said.

Accommodation offered would
vary from one-bedroom apart-

By MARTIN MILLERCHIP
Contributing Writer

ments to two-bedroom plus den
penthouse suites with deck. While
emergency communication will be
possible from each unit, there will
be no provisions made for care of
any sort,

In addition to rental fees, which
Warner described as ‘‘middle of
the road, ranging from $550 to
$1,200,"' residents would pay a
monthly fee to use all of the
Winter Club’s facilities and could
also opt to purchase a number of
meals,

Opposition to the proposal came
from local residents who expressed
concerns about increased traffic,
noise and the impact of the
development on Bridgman Park.

North Vancouver City Council is
already on record as opposing the
development.

Clive Taylor, of 1298 Adderley,
urged council not to get  side-
tracked by ‘“‘the apple pie and
motherhood issue’? of seniors
housing. ‘‘This sort of non-con-
forming housing does not make
sense,”’ he said. “‘All I can see here
is a bailout for the North Shore
Winter Club, and political and fi-
nancial pressure.”’

Kai Kreuchen, municipal plan-
ner, expressed a fear that, ‘The
development will set a precedent in
the district, when the Planning
Department is fielding weekly re-
quests for highrises.’’

He pointed out that a jand-use
directional study for the area is
budgeted for completion in early
1989 and that, “‘It is difficult from
a planning perspective to advise
council on the role that the
building will play in a future Lyn-
mour, without having an official
policy in place.

See Magnussen