WV considers
conservation
powers

Catherine Barr
Contributing Writer

FROGS, kids, traffic
and recently enacted
provincial legislation
have left British Pacific
Properties’ (BPP) new
Whitby Estates devel-
opment in limbo for a
while longer.

Just when it looked like
BPP’s problems were coming
to an end, a series of new
questions has forced West
Vancouver Council to further
postpone «approval of the
proposed Whitby Estates
development.

The Local Governments
Statutes. Amendment Act
(Bill 26) gives municipalities
new environmental protec:
tion powers over private land.

rough Official
Community Flans, munici-
’ palities can include policies
covering the “preservation,
protection, restoration and
enhancement of the natural
environment” — the preser-
vation’ of natural features
such as creeks and fro;

BS. .
+: Walter Thorneloc, BPP’s

vice president of develop-
ment, was on hand to hear
the ‘bad. news and sce the
Whitby Estates project come
under fire once again. He last

Jni50

Oct. 20) when council held
the first series of public meet
ings and hearings.

Whitby Estates will be a
mix of single-family and
multi-family homes located
on fJand just north of the
Upper Levels highway and
west of the Westhill area.

The development requires
new zoning bylaws and an
amendment to the Official
Community Plan before pro-
ceeding.

Council’s first public
meeting on the issue ended
with a motion to reconvene
on Nov. 17. This was tu give
BPP and. district’ staff a
chance to re-examine the
traffic situation and to pro-
vide an updated traffic
report. .

The traffic report, provid-
ed by BPP and Intercad, has
since revealed that future
traffic congestion might best
be alleviated with the installa-
tion of a traffic light at the
intersection of 21st Street
and Westhill.

Coun. Ron Wood asked if
a traffic light would be neces-
sary considering that the cur-
rent traffic congestion is
being- caused by parents dri-
ving their children to
Collingwood school instead
of using schoo! buses as orig-
inally planned for. Municipal
staff are still working on the
problem.

Meanwhile on Oct. 27,
counci} heard from a group
of four children representing
the environmental project
group ORCA (Outdoor

Association).

The children have since
received national atrention
for focusing on a threatened
tailed frog whuse creek habi
tat lies within the boundaries
of the proposed Whitby
Estates development.

Backed by a strong group
of supporters, including
UBC's Dr. David Suzuki, the
children have forced BPP to
consult a number of experts
regarding the fragility of the
species and the impact of the
development on their habi-
tat.

Thorneloe rold council
that he is actively working
with his environmental con-
sultant, Helmut Urhahn, and
UBC Assistant Professor Dr.
Jokn Richardson to ensure
that the frog is protected.

Richardson, who is also a
senior scientist. with the
Wildlife Branch of the BC
Ministry of Environment,
Lands and Parks, states in a
letter to Urhahn that he “can
endorse the (current devel-
opment) plans in principal,”
but that “there are no guar-
antees that any amount of
riparian reserve will be effec-
tive for th: tailed frog con-
servation.”

The ORCA representa-
tives asked council on
Monday to ensure that a
100-metre creck buffer zone
be included as part of the
conditions for appraval of the
Whitby Estates development.

Coun. Bill Soprovich
commended the group on
their activities. He called

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them “champions for whar
{they} are doing,” and
assured them that) council
will attempr to assist them in
their cause.

Sopravich then called tor
the municipal solicitor to
fully investigate the powers
available to council through
the recently amended Bill 26.
He said: “We should have a
legal rendering to see if (our)
powers are stronger (now)
than in the past.”

Coun. Victor Durman
agreed. He had some angry
words abour the apparent
tack of infurmation provided
to council regarding Bill 26.

“It would be nice if some-
body actually told us‘ what
was) going = on,” said
Durman. “We are made to
look like total turkeys. It isn’t
too far to ask the municipal
solicitor to keep us up to
date,” he said.

Katharine Steig, a mem-
ber of Friends of Cypress.
was instrumental in bringing
the Bill 26 issue into ques-
tion. She said she would like
to see council study Bill 26
“extremely carefully”, and to,
“decide what powers they
have and do some really care-
ful looking at what they want
to protect on our mountain-
side.”

Once again council must
reconvene the public hear-
ings and public mecting.
They have scheduled. it to
continue on Dec. 1 after
which time no further public
input can be received.

For more on frogs please see

page 29.

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