December 11, 1991

Weekly dining and
entertainment guide

North Shore Now: 23

Display Advertising 980-0511

Distribution 986-1337

1 a

WEWS photo Neil Lucent ie

OVER 100 people attended an anti-racist rally in front of the News on Saturday to protest the viewpoints of columnists such as Doug
Collins and Neel Wright. Collins (right, in photo with protester) attended the rally where the Coalitions to Mobilize Against Racism
demanded a stop to what they cali ‘‘racist and hateful fiterature.’’ The North Shore News maintains that a basic tenet of free speech

and a free press is the presentation of a diversity of viewpoints. See story page 3.

NVC Council rejects public hearing
for East 23rd Street rental project

THE CONTROVERSIAL proposal

fer a multi-unit

seniors’ housing project in the 200-biock of East 23rd
Street was killed Monday when North Vancouver City
Council rejected city staff recommendations to send the
project to a public hearing and defeated the introduction
of 2 bylaw to amend the Official Community Plan (OCP).

But while the proposal has been
halted, project developer Court-
yard Homes Developments Ltd.
could bring the same profosal be-
fore council ina year’s time.

Council has now rejected three
plans for the five-lot site on the
200-block of West 23rd Street; a
fourth plan was withdrawn after

By Pamela Lang

Contributing Writer

city staff called it inappropriate
for the area.

City staff had initially recom-
mended rejection of the plan for a

42-unit complex because the pro-
posed density was much higher
than that allowed for under the
current OCP.

A change to the OCP and zon-
ing from single-family residential
to multi-unit would also have
contradicted the recommendations
of a recent courthouse area
land-use study.

But instead of rejecting the pro-
ject at first glance, council asked
its staff to examine the project in
terms of its affect on the seniors’
housing market.

Proponents of the East 23rd
Street project support increased

availability of affordable seniors’
housing units; opponents don’t
want increased density en-
croaching on their single-family
residential neighborhood.

The Silver Harbour (seniors’)
Centre endorsed the plan with a
302-signature petition supporting
not only the Courtyard develop-
ment, but also a request that
council ‘‘set forth a planning pol-
icy to address the demand for af-
fordable seniors’ housing on the
North Shore.”’

But six area residents appearing
before council Monday cited in-
creased traffic and noise and a
dramatic change in the character
of the neighborhood as reasons to
reject the plan.

Approval of the project would
signal the ‘‘beginning cf the end
of our neighborhood,’’ said Keith
Elliot.

NORTH VANCOUVER
CITY COUNCIL

But Ald. Rod Clark said the
North Shore is expected to require
an additional 2,000 units by the
turn of the century.

‘*The need for seniors’ housing
is wet] documented,’’ he said.

Clark also argued that a better
site for seniors’ housing would not
be found in the city, because it
has relatively fat terrain, and is
close to shopping and Lions Gate
Hospital.

But Ald. Stella Jo Dean said
approval of a 42-unit complex on
a five-lot site in a single-family
neighborhood would be a ‘‘wind-
fall’? for the developer, especially

See Bell's page 3