ROUND Two in West Vancouver’s Big Boxing match. This time out, reflection on details overlooked in Round One, when emotions ruled the bout. Reflection one: the reality of Park Royal business. Ir wil. expand or stagnate. And stag- nation is not a characteristic of the Larco lads, Park Royal’s hard-nosed owners. Especially considering that their initial investment in the shopping centre’s purchase was about $160 million. Reflection nyo: Consider the expansion options: ® A hotel -— the site is nor zoned for hotels, but even if it were transportation access and location are issues that would deter the business traveller, which is a mainstay of the quality hotel trade; the Larco lads consider a hotel on the Park Royal site to be a nor-starter. @ Highrise residential towers — they could generate more traffic than the big boxes depending on the configura- tion; as it is the proposed expansion would generate traffic equivalent to approxi- mately 200 single-family units. @ A virtual reality entertain- ment arcade complex — apart from the questionable esthetics of such a facility, its shelf-life is limited; it would age fast. This week’s enter- tainment feature of the decade is next week's white clephani. B® A casino — according to Larco flacks, there are no plans for a casino on the Park Royal site and no applications to that effect from the Squamish band. M Office space — an option that Larco did not consider, probably because demand for North Shore business space remains soft. @ Expanded conventional mall with scores of smaller stores — this would likely have more impact on more local businesses than what is being proposed; it would also cannibalize the stores in the existing shopping centre. That brings us back to the big box hogeymen and the current $25 million Phase IV expansion plans thar call for an additional 253,345 square feet of commercial rerail development at the south mall. Seary stuff But rather than fear, per- haps it should be heightened mercantile adrenaline that fills the air, which would be good for shoppers everywhere. Take it from retail market- ing guru Len Kubas. He is a feel-good retail motivator. In town Tuesday, the pres- ident of the Toronto-based Kubas Consultants was speak- ing to local retailers about the good news that abounds in this West Coast land. Easterner, yes, but bullish on BC. From beyond the Rockies he sees: best GDP gains since 199), high population growth, strong retail sales gains, low unemployment. Economic buoyancy we have, despite the efforts to the contrary of the socialist hordes in Victoria. As to big box fever, Kubas lists a dozen guns local retail- ers can load up in the retail war. They range trom staying open longer and knowing your customers to being smart in pricing, shopping your competitors and contin- uing to advertise. A mix of common sense and competi- tive smarts. Not much in Kubas’ arse- nal about crying in your beer and lamenting the disappear- ance of a rosy past and the approach of an apocalyptic future. Other big box reflections: The design of the expan- sion itself. Grey monolithic boxes? From what I can deter- mine: an appealing architec- tural appendage in keeping with the improved look of the mall since Larco took “INJURED INA. © “-CAR ACCIDENT? - Call DEREK A. CAVE Trial Lawyer Get the settlement \ you deserve. #5u2, Kapilano 100 Building 100 P.rk Royal, West Van. 925-7880 Serving the KS Lower Mainland since 1971 >= Another one of our designs. For Free Estimate call 922-4975 or 987-2966 task about our Seniors Discount) Labour $10.50 per panel unlined, $11.50 Lined. Low Lew Prices jiher swing a aver back in 1990 and initial: ly sunk $20 million into over- hauling the shopping centre. Yo date the company has sunk $45 million into mall upgrades. Big boxes will cannibalize small local merchants? Not being much of a pro- fessional shopper, I tind this to be somewhat of 2 smoke- screen argument. Local merchants only sur- vive if they are patronized by local residents, which means they have to work for local customers better than other merchants. See Mr. Kubas’ advice above. And local customers, if they truly believe in support- ing local merchants and their local village cores, have to put their money where their mouths are: in their local shops. If they do all their shopping at big box retailers, they don’t have much of an argument about big boxes raping and pillaging their local merchants. Last but not least, traffic will increase. According to Park Royal's study (prepared by Bunt and Associates Engineering Lrd.), traffic will rise about 11% in the weekday peak over the current 3,940 vehi- cles per hour and 14% over the current Saturday peak rate of 5,765 vehicles per hour. But improvements to traf fic flow in and around Park mailbox Royal make a lot of sense if you are investing $25 mil- lion in a mall upyrade. Gridlock would not be in the interests of merchants or customers. Included in Larco’s pro- posed improvements to that flow contained in the Phase IV plan are a new intersec- rion west of the western- most pedestrian overpass and further development of a Tow Jevel road diversion trom the main Marine Drive corridor. But use of the Pound Road strip of asphalt that runs adjacent to Ambleside park playing fields is a bad idea. It is too dangerous — trucks and kids* sporting events don’t mix — and erases any buffer zone between the mall and the park. Proposed traffic improve- ments to north mall parking would be welcome. The cur- rent set-up is a mess. One last reflection: This might be a trite observation but the shopping centre already has big, boy stores. London Drugs, for instance, was installed in 1992 to out- rage the length and breadth of the West Vancouver Jand- scape. It appears to be well patronized, and I would ven- ture to argue that many of those patrons are the same people who roared opposi- tion to its installation back in 1992. Helping beauty bloom Dear Editor: As the recently retired chairman of the North Shore Gardens Contest Society, | would fike to publicly express my thanks to all the gardening enthusiasts, garden clubs, corporate sponsors, the three North Shore municipalities, our annual private garden tour patrons and all volunteers who have so gencrously sup- ported our cause of civic beautification. And to the North Shore News, a very special thank you for its support and encouragement in helping foster our goals and making our North Shore community a beautiful place to live. Aimee Murrell West Vancouver MIDLAND WALWYN OLUt Cure Termereer CHRIS CARTER FINANCIAL ADVISOR Email: chris.carter@midwal.ca ™Blue Chip Thinking is a trademark of Midland Welwyn Capital Inc. 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