WEST VANCOUVER residents renting municipal proper-
ties on Argyle Avenue were given one year, instead of 2
proposed six months, before they must move to make way
for development of community arts facilities and expansion
of park space on the waterfront.

“‘We felt it was a good time to
bring some of the property bought
with tax dollars into the hands of
the people,” explained Ald. Pat
Boname, who has been a strong
supporter of the arts within the
community.

But Capt. George Murrell of the
Ambleside Dundarave Ratepayers
was against ‘“‘turfing out young
families and senior citizens,’ and
recommended tabling of the mat-
ter.

Boname said six-month’s notice
was hardly a matter of eviction,
and begged council not to tell local
arts groups, once again, ‘‘It’s not
your turn, go back to the back of
the line.”

Although Ald. Mark Sager
seconded her motion to go ahead
with the plan to develop arts facili-
ties, a1id while confident that the
cost would be ‘‘miniscule com-
pared to the enjoyment hundreds
of thousands of people would get
in future years,’’ he then turned
and proposed an amendment to
give tenants a full year before hav-
ing to vacate the premises.

“T urge council to live up to the
commitment to the arts that we all
make every year, but somehow
never commit any money to,”’ said
Boname, protesting strenuously.

Ald. Alex Brokenshire said that
there should be no surprises to the
tenants of the properties who have
been renting on a month-to-month
basis, and are fully aware of the
future plans for the lands.

But he backed Sager’s delaying
amendment, along with the rest of
council, excepting Boname.

By MAUREEN CURTIS
Contributing Writer

In 1974, the municipality began
acquiring waterfront properties for
future seawalk and public use.

Although all the houses have not
yet been purchased, West Van-
couver’s Parks and Recreation
Department came up with a pro-
posal that would see two rental

ALD. PAT Boname ... wants
council to live up to its commit-
ment to arts groups.

houses in the 1500 block Argyle
turned into a community art
gallery and a production house for
West Vancouver Little Theatre.

Three of the most westerly
houses would be levelled and
grassed in as park, becoming an
extension of John Lawson Park,
with the closure of 16th Street.

To the east of the Little Theatre
Production House, the next prop-
erty would be opened up, by
removing a house, and landscaped,

REPORT DUE NEXT WEEK

NVC illegal suite
policy criticized

AN ATTEMPT to defer action on shutting down current
secondary suites was defeated Monday night at North Van-

couver City Council.

Instead, city staff has until next
week to set a date for the release of
its report, after which the issue will
be opened to the public for debate
at a council hearing.

The motion was in response to
the latest o7 several recent appeals
asking council to delay shutting
down suites until the release of the
report.

A representative for the owner
of the secondary suite that came
before council said the ad-hoc ap-
proach by council made him feel
he was singled out. He said he was
not unhappy with the decision, but
had hoped for a deferral so council
could deal equally with all second-
ary suite owners.

‘The city has an extensive list of
illegal suites," said Mr. Zilahi-
Balogh, ‘‘they just pick and
choose.”’

Ald. Rod Clark agreed that
Zilahi-Balogh had been victimized,
and criticized the decision to con-
tinue pursuing secondary suites
until the report is filed.

Clark said by initiating pro-
ceedings against an owner that had
previously appeared in front of
council without receiving a written
complaint, city staff had violated a
‘dong-standing poiicy’’ that they
would only proceed upon com-
plaint.

“Our current policy is founded

By CORINNE BJORGE
Contributing Writer

literally on quicksand,’ he said.

Clark pushed for putting a rush
on the final report on illegal suite
policy, which had previously been
slated to be refeased in December
of this year.

‘“U ue Mahon area is littered with
secondary suites,’’ said Clark.
“The issue has come to a head, we
must address it within a few mon-
ths or the community will boi! over
with resentments.’’

Clark suggested that council had
the option of legalizing suites by
neighborhood, legalizing only
owner-occupied suites, or a com-
plete legalization of secondary
suites,

Ald. Stetla Jo Dean said council
was not acting in a logical fashion
because several weeks earlier it had
defeated a similar motion to rush
the release of the report.

“I don’t think this council even
knows what it’s doing,’’ said
Dean.

Mayor Jack Loucks disagreed
with Dean, saying the issue of sec-
ondary suites was ‘‘not unique to
this particular council.’’

He said North Vancouver City’s
secondary suite policy was similar
to ones set out by many other city
councils.

allowing pedestrian access to the
beach; whiie the 15th Street street-
end would also be closed, another
house knocked down and devel-
oped as public open space.

While delaying resident notice to
vacate from six months to one
year, council did support the
overall proposal for arts facilities
on the waterfront properties.

The plan was applauded by
Capilano College’s Alan Smith,
secretary treasurer of the North
Shore Arts Commission, and local
arts group representatives.

‘*We need permanent gallery
space that can be counted on with
plenty of walk-by traffic,’’ said
Sheila Dallimour, president of the
West Vancouver Sketch Club, one
of the largest of its kind in the
Lower Mainland.

West Vancouver is one of the
few Lower Mainland
municipalities that lacks a gallery.

Mary Caple of the 44-year-old
West Vancouver Little Theatre
spoke of the difficulties incumbent
with the group’s lack cf permanent
space, while Lee Gavel of the West
Vancouver Arts Council pointed
out the inadequacies of the existing
Klee Wyck facility.

“This ties in with the vision of
Ambleside-by-the-Sea as an active
and dynamic place; a park is not
just a green and open space,”’ said

3 - Wednesday, .April 5, 1989 —- North Shore News -

But there were protests from
Argyle Avenue residents who
argued that it would be better to

my,

ALD. ANDY Danyliu ... develop-
ing properties is throwing arts
groups ‘‘crumbs.”’

keep the $100,000 or so acquired
through rental of the properties
and put it towards the $5 million
major arts facility being planned
for the West Vancouver Recreation
Centre site.

“That’s still in the plans, but $5
million is a lot. We're trying to go
about this in an evolutionary
way,’’ countered Boname.

District resident Jack Howard
baiked at adding the estimated
$100,000 cost of the park and arts
facility project to the loss of rental

Jevelopment of Argyle Avenue

arts facilities put off till 1990

revenue into tis year’s budget
with its proposed tax increase.

Other Argyle residents expressed
anger at the lack of communica-
tion they felt there had been be-
tween themselves and the
municipality.

*“We are part of what makes this
community rich...we should be
considered as much as any com-
munity group,’’ said Jeannette
Morrow.

Joan Greenwood, who has life
tenancy in the house she sold to
the municipality, was. still
dismayed at the prospect of having
a public building next to her home.

As a member of the Sketch
Club, Greenwood called it ‘‘an in-
sult to offer us crumbs, (the
houses) rather than the loaf (a full
arts centre)....°

“‘The majority of our parks were
once houses. Not to use these
houses for this purpose would be a
waste of public money,”’ said Ald.
Rod Day.

Only Ald. Andy Danyliu,
former mer:ber of the West Van-
couver Little Theatre, stood out
against the proposal, on the
grounds that developing the pro-
perties as arts facilities was throw-
ing arts groups ‘‘crumbs.”’

“IT don’t think they'll mind
crumbs — they’ll take them,’’ said
Boname.

Sie

NEWS photo Neil Lucente

LAWSON CREEK area resident June Johnstone holds up a bucket of creek water after it turned bright
orange Friday. The discoloration resulted from iron oxide being flushed into the creek from storm drain
maintenance in the British Properties.

Creek waters run orange

THE WATERS of West Vancouver’s Lawson Creek ran
bright orange Thursday with what area residents feared
was upstream pollution, but the discoloration turned out
to be the result of storm sewer maintenance.

West Vancouver’s manager
of public works John Pollitt
said district crews in the western
British Properties around
Camwell Drive were flushing
plugged storm sewer drains in
the area. The work released

: iron oxide that had ac-
cumulated in the drains
downstream into the creek,

Barbara McCreadie......42
Business .............. 34
Doug Collins............9

which is located just west of
15th Street in West Vancouver.

Environment Canada of-
ficials said the orange substance
is naturally occurring in North
Shore creeks and a slug of ore-
rich mud was disturbed during
the drain flushing. It posed no
threat to the creek environment,
they said.

Dr. Ruth...............44
Lifestyles..............41
Mailbox ......

North Shore Now......
TV Listings............28

Area resident Alan Johnstone
said the creek water was
discolored from about 10:30
a.m. to 3 p.m.

‘It was quite alarming,’’ he
said, ‘‘because it was such a
bright orange.’’

June Johnstone, Alan
Johnstone’s wife, said West
Vancouver should have warned
area residents about the sewer
flushing.

Virtually all storm sewers on
the North Shore run into area
creeks and rivers.

Sports ..........
What's Going On........13

WEATHER

Wednesday, rain and wind,
high 12°C. Thursday and
Friday, periods of rian.

Secoad 1 Class Registration Nomber 3885