4- Friday, Auigust 1, 1995 - North Shore News

_ STAEF SEEKS TO STREA

THE. RIGHTS of property owners
“versus the expectations of the neigh-

borhood continue to bog down the -

North Vancouver District plarining
department,

_NORTH VANCOUVER
DISTRICT COUNCIL
By Martin Millerchip

But a move by staff to reduce the
number of development variance per:
mits it faces by streamlining some
aspects ° of the so-called. “monster
home" bylaw was deicated by coun-
cil recently in a deadlocked 3-3 vote.

Staff had hoped that -council
‘would: approve: sending. to public
hearing a bylaw amendment that
would regularize much of what they
say council is already approving ona
case-by-case basis: in terms of house
height. a

But the staff initiative drew damn-

ing criticism’ from’ full-time council

watcher. Corrie, Kost.; who was
“incensed that the proposed’ changes
. were scheduled for a public hearing
in the middle of August when many
people are on holiday. .

Kost. also’ accused the planning

department. of deliberately trying .to

hide from the public the importance ,
“and content of the proposed changes
through “misleading and i inappropri- ‘

ate wording of agenda items.”

Continued Kost:.“‘I find this con: .

get practice to be unfair,’ deceitful

~ and underhanded. |,
“It gives the « strong . appearance
“that certain members of the planning

_ department have the biased view that
all, property rights. are’ absolute and
that community concems’ are of no
importance.”

‘In’ May.1994 council adopted’ ia!
‘ -three-pronged approach to- address.’ :
the size of single-family houses in the.

‘district: The changes included:

@ amendments to the height, building 7

coverage and floor space ratio calcu-
" Jations in all single-family districts;

“Ml establishment of a neighborhood :

@ regulation of alterations, additions

‘demolitions “and = reconstruction in”
existing felebborhoods west. of, Lynn

will advally be superceded as indi-
‘vidual neighborhoods agree on ‘their
own n zoning and size restrictions...

01 ises from being rebuilt to a greater
height without’ individual and speci

ic permission in the fosm of a. 'devel-

iance permit for ot acest house :

height will only. be approved” with
neighborhood consultation — and
approval, .

However, the variance process
costs the homeowner, time and the
district money. Based on applications
made thus far in 1995, staff expect to
teceive between 45 and G4) this: yeu
—atenfold increase [rons the usu i
four to six.

And. with the requirement for
neighborhood approval. permit pro-
cessing time has incr Lfram 15 to
20 weeks ata cost that can run as high
as $1425. For most variance applica-
tions the fee is $310.

MLINE VARIANCE PROCESS

uce per

To reduce the number of vitriances
stiff had hoped council would

approve rebuilt residences up to °24
feet in height (7320) without, the.

need for permits,

But Kost charged that thy changes
would result ins neighbarhood-by-
neighborhood zoning being “biased
by the planning department against
the preservation of any single-storey
zones or modest (woestarey ones.”

Only Mayor Murray Dykenvan
and Councillers Don Bell and. Pat
Munroe supported the move.

Said Dykeman, “Tendorse putting
in sample numbers. what is the rule

its rejecte

rather than dealing with exception
after exception aller exception.”

Dykeman also defended the mid-
summer approach to what has been a
contentious issuc. :

“We simply can't aecommodate
holidays from June 15 to September
1S. This is simply an expediting of
the process,” siid Dykenian,

But: even Bell und Munroe
expressed concern us.to the timing of
the public hearing, with Munroe
pointing out that council has already
set a precedent this summer by’ post-
poning hearings on the Montroyal
connector, !

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Councillors “Ernie Crist, Jim
Cuthbert and Janice Harris all
claimed that both stuf and council
should be able to cope with the work-
load involved in administering the

variance process.

Said Crist. “This is clearly con-
trary to the spirit of (bylaw) 6645
which is that neighborhoods should

be consulted.”

i
fi

. i
Cuthbert agreed with the. danger i

of pre-einpting the neighborhood /
zoning process and pointed out that
council: was only dealing with one}
variance permit Wednesday night
under the provisions of Bylaw 6645;

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