lega-mistake, Mr. Collins Dear Editor: Re: “More :-Multicult Means More Megahomes” —— Doug Collins, April 6. Once again Doug Collins has managed to take a contentious and topical North Shore issue and turn it into a soapbox for his own particular brand of para- noid based bigotry. _ Yo blame immigrants for the widespread destruction of cur neighborhood fabric is perhaps the most asinine and misguided piece of propaganda Mr.: ‘Collins has served to his readers in recent months, The very real problems posed by so-called mega- homes cannot simply be pinned on a particular social or economic group, be it immigrants, developers, real estate agents or archilects, People have to understand that these bland * ‘mega- Local homes,” which regularly appear like hideotis stucco © toadstools all over the North Shore, are not the result of some underhanded’ immigrant conspiracy, but rather, stem from economic reality and inadequate zoning bylaws, / Who can blame 1 an individual for wanting to build a house as big and cheap as possible, when lots are'so scarce, real estate prices so incredibly high, and generic building bylaws don’t account for the quality and char-._ acter of a neighborhood? ' "The solution to this problem rests wilh our local municipal governments, for it’s their duly to come up -with rational and effective zoning bylaws and guide- lines, which will serve to mould and shape the develop- ment of our various North Shore neighborhoods. The three North Shore municipalities should consid-' er adopting neighborhood-specific zoning regulations, which would serve as an excellent means of ensuring. that any | new houses or additions in a a particular neigh- borhood would conform to the height, shape and size of existing homes in the area. However, the regulations, on their own, will not completely solve the megahome problem, Many established North Shore neighborhoods have a definite character and street appeal that can be irreparably disrupted with the development of one rogue megahome. As a result, individual North Shore neighborhoods should adopt accompanying design guidelines, which would outline recommended materials, roof pitches and architectural vocabulary, in an attempt to preserve the quality, character, scale and identity of our neighbor- hoods, : There are always going to be immigrants who come to our country and blatantly disregard the character of our neighborhdad siicelscipes, iegally cut'down trees and build unauthorized additions to their homes, which block the views of others. ; But Eve been practising on the North Shore long enough to know that for every ignorant, “anti-neigh- borhood” immigrant, ican show you at least one equal- ly insensitive “white Canadian” who has no regard for his/her surroundings, ‘The solution to the megahone problem is for North Shore citizens.to recognize and respect the things that make where they five special, and then build upon them. We all (“black, brown, yellow and pink”) have to gct off our butts, take part in the civic process and .make changes that will preserve and improve our com- munities. Pointing fingers is not a solution, Mr. Collins. Jeff Keate North Vancouver Control local growth ‘ Dear Editor: ‘ It is about time that a hard, look” be taken/at what is happening i in North and West Vancouver. . A few years ago these areas had a good way of life. The best resi- ‘dential’ area Mainland. We have reached our saturation point in regard to the amount of residents living here. Can our municipal councils go “on being blind to what is happen- ing? Properly bylaw changes are visit the hospital. The way things are going, we will need more schools, a larger ‘hospital, more’ police, -more garbage removal and, most of all, more water facilities. in the. Lower further growth. Eliminate more growth, stop the smog banks that “.willoccur. 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