3 ~ Sunday, February 12,

1989 - West Vancouver Villager

_ Argyle Ave. residents unwilling to
make room for cultural facilities

PROPOSED USE of municipally owned houses on Argyle
Avenue for badly needed arts facilities is drawing some
unexpected fire from area residents.

The plan, which recently receiv-
ed support in principle from West
Vancouver District Council, would
provide temporary spaces for
workshops, rehearsals and arts
displays — the need for which was
identified in the 1984 Arts Task
Force Report and the 1988 North

:/ Shore Cultural Policy Report.

' The space would be pr: vided,
temporarily, in some of the 1ouses
that have been bought up for
future park use and expansion of
the seawalk, and rented out in the
meantime.

Ald. Pat Boname, who brought
forward the supporting motion,
Jan. 9, pointed out that the Plann-
ing Department’s 1985
Ambleside-By-The-Sea study
recommends the use of the area for
arts and crafts oriented displays.

But Ald. Andy Danyliu was
concerned that use of the Argyle
homes would postpone construc-
tion of the future arts centre.

Parks & Recreation Director
Frank Kurucz denied this, and
emphasized that use of the water-
front properties is not intended to
replace, hinder or encumber plann-
ing for the future arts centre plan-
ned for the Recreation Centre site.

“*Jt is proposed as an intermedi-
ate step and a means to generate
interest, enthusiasm and support
for the arts overall... a means to

By MAUREEN CURTIS
. Villager Reporter ..

an end, not an end in itself and a
step that responds to expressed
needs that have existed for many
years,’’ Kurucz said in his report
to council.

Ald. Rod Day was worried
about the lost rental revenue from
the houses, and the possible dif-
ficulties in returning the property
to park use in the future.

Boname assured Day that use of
the houses by the arts groups
would be temporary and included
in her motion a direction to
municipal staff to prepare a report
for council (due in March) with an
estimate of the costs to the
municipality that would be incur-
red by the loss of rental income.

Kurucz told the Villager that the
waterfront rental houses each br-
ing in an income of about $10,000
a year, and that only two or three
of the eight rental houses in the
1500 block are being considered
for cultural use.

But some of the renters said they
were paying between $12,000 and
$19,000 a year.

“Why not put our rents into a
building fund for a proper arts fa-
cility?’” wondered one 1500 block
resident, Candy Sorrentino.

Professionals claim
new business | licence
fee structure unfair

A NEW. fee schedule for professional business licences is
being ‘reviewed by: West Vancouver District, in response to
complaints: from a number of. operators of small Profes-

sional businesses. °

“Although the ‘amendment bylaw ©

incorporating the new fee schedule
has bees adopted, West Vancouver
District Council decided, Monday,

“> Jan.!23; to refer the matter to their
: general services. committee for
review. :

The change in the fee schedule

“was described as ‘‘more equitable” .
- by the Department of Permits and

Licences in their Dec. 28, 1988 Iet-
ter to the affected business licence
holders, but. was: not: en-

- thusiastically received by those at.
~/ "the smaller end of- the new one to:

“five person category...

“This fee increase places a fi-

“nancial burden on me that is not

. discriminates: against. any - single -.

equitable, fair or just. In fact, it

professional,’’. wrote L.V.
Crowiey, a dentist who is seeing a-

430 per cent, $170 increase.
Last year, the fees.for the pro- we

: fessional category were $130 for

-one to two persons, $365. for three .

- to five persons, $695 for six to ten

persons, $1285 for 11 to 20 persons
and $610 for each addition ‘of 10
staff members. —

The 1989 fee schedule combines.

- ‘the first two categories and charges

‘$300 for operations with. one to

five persons. -
The larger categories benefit in
that the fee for a six to 10 person

- business is lowered, along with the

“after 20 causes an increase of only _

rate for the 11 to 20 person cate-..

gory, which goes down to $750.
Each additional 10 employees

$300.
0 arenites David Weiser, writing
i to council,
“smallest and weakest members of

© the business community’? were be-

ing. taken advantage of: ‘‘in. the

‘panied. by neither

-félt.. that the“

is

pursuit of extra revenue .accom-
increased
benefits nor services.’

Weiser predicted that the fee
change would deter those who
formerly have had the courage and

will to risk starting single-principal . ;

enterprises.

“These businesses will either go -
“underground, refusing to admit

their existence. or to purchase
business licences at all, or they will
simply emigrate to other areas
where they perceive their initiative
to be welcomed rather than penal-
ized,’’ he added.

‘Weiser said that the equivalent _ .

one’ and two! person professional
office in Vancouver is charged’

$163 and in Victoria, only $100.

Retail outlets of equivalent size

‘in’ .West’ Vancouver pay $82 for §
their; current--licence and are —§

“businesses requiring a higher level
of regulation and generating

“ greater demands upon municipal .

services,’” Weiser noted.

. One professional, Dr. A. :
’ Shearon,

felt that the new fee
schedule penalizes those small op-
erators who are honest about the ,

- number ‘of people working on the’

premises.

At the, same | time, he thought :

that an estimated 90 percent of of-

“-. fices that have more people work- .

ing than reported, are now going.
to be rewarded.

“Shearon | “recommended the
district adopt a. more gradual in-
cremental scale that goes up a little
for every extra person employed by
the business.

Robert Miller, another local res-
ident, told council in January that
the houses are small and inade-
quate for use as rehearsal space.

“Your purpose is taudible, but
this is not feasible,’’ said Miller.

“Cold, drafty and damp in

winter,"" was the way Scott
Rowland described his aging
waterfront home, which started

Parks and. Recreation Director
Frank Kurtucz ... plans respond to
an expressed need that has oxisted
for many years.

out as a summer cottage built by
former Vancouver Mayor ::Tom
Campbell's father in 1928, and was
later added on to by Rowlind’s
own father.

Rowland’s lease recently ' ‘tan
out, and, like many other loca! te-
nants, he is now on a tentative
month-by-month rental situatio..

Honey iy
Welos

Bronwyn and Michael Lang
think it unfair that they might be
evicted to make room for an arts
group, especially after being on a
waiting list for years to get into
their house on Argyle.

They were also offended at the
way they learned of the proposed
plan last year when arts group rep-
tesentatives came into their yards
and started questioning them
about their houses.

The tenants are not eager to
leave the area, for despite the in-
conveniences of their rickety
homes, they enjoy the charm of
the area, the beach and the oppor-
tunity to live in West Vancouver.

“If we are evicted, we would
definitely have to leave the
district,”’ said Sorrentino.

Alternate rental housing would
be more costly, according to Sor-
rentino, who said that there is a
four-year waiting period to get into
the small number of West Van-
couver apartments that accept
children.

“Our children grew up in West
Vancouver. and they have a con-
nection with this community,”’
said Michael Lang, who wondered
if replacing his family with arts
groups would really be for the
“greater good.”’

Many of the rental houses are
occupied by families, such. that
there are about 14 children on the
1500 block.

“We think the district should
maintain the existing ambiance of

‘the block and let it remain residen-

tial,” Miller told council.

At present, it’s the kind of
neighborhood in which everyone
knows one another. They look out
for each other's property and keep
a collective eye on the local kids
playing on the beach.

“My husband and I! feel very
fortunate to be able to live where
we do and realize in time this will
come to an end as the municipality
proceeds with the Ambleside-by-
the-Sea project. To evict families
at this point for a temporary solu-
tion for these cultural groups
seems quite unfair and imprac-
tical,” said Laura Vittery.

“Council would be breaking
faith with the original concept for
those lands — that they would
become park land for public use,’’
Duchess Avenue resident Lance
Kenworthy told the Villager.

Jean Greenwood, who has life-
time tenancy in a 1500 block
Argyle home, called the scheme
“impractical,’’ even though she is
also a member of a potential user
group, the West Vancouver Sketch
Ciub.

Residents also wonder how turn-
ing the houses into arts facilities
will affect the currently overloaded
parking situation and suspect that
intermittent occupancy. will in-
crease the crime level and fire
hazard in the area.

Godfrey Lynum felt that actors
and actresses, whose lives may be
“mixed up with divorce, alcohol,
drugs and undesirable qualities,’
should be housed in ‘‘quarters out
at Lighthouse Park where they can
carry out their fantasies.’”

Red Flame

Iw

7