ALTHOUGH THE Fullerton Lumber Co. remains interested in a mixed-use development for its vacant 65-acre Fullerton Fill site along the North Vancouver waterfront, North Vancouver City Council agreed Monday to the company’s request that the land re- main a special study area to aid Fullerton in its negotiations with the Vancouver Port Corp. City staff had recommended that the Fullerton site be des- ignated industrial, with some park space, in the draft of the Official Community Flan (OCP) update, which goes be- fore’ a public meeting next month. The agreement currently be- ing negotiated between Fuller- ton and the port would give the port the right to acquire Fuller- _ ton’s property, while not oblig- ing the port to purchase the site, according to a Jan. 13 let- ter from Martin Donner of Ladner Downs, the law firm representing Fullerton. Donner later told the News that Fullerton’s negotiations with the port are nearing com- pletion; the agreement that will probably be signed between the two, he said, will give the Van- couver Port Corp. a year to . decide if ie intends to buy the property. Donner said that even if the port purchases the Fullerton site it has no immediate plans for the property. In his letter to council, Don- ner said that changing the site’s GCP designation to industrial would make it difficult for Fullerton to consider any alternative proposals for the site if negotiations with the port produced no signed agreement. : The Vancouver Port Corp., Donner said, is the only poten- tial purchaser proposing an in- dustrial use for the Fullerton site; ne added that others have By Pameia Lang Co.ttributing Writer expressed an interest in devel- oping a aon-industrial use for - the property. “‘A designation of the prop- erty as an industrial site,’’ Donner said, ‘‘would have a significant negative impact on the value of the property, and will likely interfere with the negotiations.’* Donner said that Fullerton had intended to make a pres- entation to council for a mix- ed-use development prior to the start of the negotiations with the port; he added that if the negotiations with the port are unsuccessful, Fullerton is prepared to proceed with the original mixed-use plan. “Fullerton is of the opinion that its proposed development offers significant benefits to the city and its citizens in terms of jobs, increased tax revenues, access to the waterfront, and a home for a variety of public facilities,”’ he said. Donner later added that his firm, Ladner Downs, has seen some support from council and received relatively favorable response from the Squamish Indian Band owners of some adjacent property especially to the idea of giving the development an Indian name. But for now, he said, Fuller- ton is ‘*going the path of least ee NORTH VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL #95 resistance the Vancouver Port Corp. and some members of council have opposed a mixed use plan for the Fuller- ton site in the past. “J don’t necessarily agree with what they would like to see as the final designation of that area,’’ said Mayor Jack Loucks, who added that there was no harm in agreeing to the special study area remaining for a short time longer. Ald. Stella Jo Dean said that because Fullerton has paid $354,000 annually in city taxes for the past 30 years on the unused land, consideration should be given to them now. She also pointed out that the city’s own land-use study recommended mixed use — in- cluding residential, commercial, and public space — rather than industrial, but council retained the special study OCP designa- tion after the port corporation objected to changing the site’s industrial use. Loucks reiterated his disap- proval of a mixed-used plan for the site that was described by Ald. Bill Bell as ‘the largest piece of undeveloped land on the waterfront.” - “Ym very strongly opposed to it,’’ said Loucks. Although Fullerton has not outlined a specific mixed-used plan, the company has_in- dicated to council that a number of private studies have been done, including en- vironmental, geotechnical, gen- eral engineering, a com- munity-needs assessment, an investment analysis and a transportation study. Said Donner, ‘Our client - Sunday, January 19, 1992 - North Shore News - 3 Fullerton site remains special study area 65-acre N. Van waterfront property eyed by port, commercial interests NEWS photo Hike Weketteld AN AATIST'S renearing of the proposed mixed-use develop- ‘ment on the Fulletivn site along the North Vancouver water-| front shows highrise residential and large public spaces, in- cluding waterfront access, a marivia and commercial ventures. (Fullerton) is keen on joint venturing (with other com- panies) on some mixed use.”* An artist’s rendering of the mixed-use development on the site shows highrise residential and large public spaces, in- cluding waterfront access, a marina, and commercial ven- tures, The draft of the OCP update is expected to go to a public meeting on Feb. 10 prior to a final draft being prepared for the beginning of the adoption process, The final draft would have to go before the public at least once more for a public hearing before being adopted by council. NV District adopts new pub application policy Hearings to accompany liquor-related proposals _ NORTH VANCOUVER District Council has adopted a policy that will require liquor-related applications to be treated like other land-use applications. The practical result of the poli- cy will be to enhance the organization and scope of public information meetings and to move away from using polling or refer-- endums to collect public input. Proponents of any large-scale - project, not Just liquor applicants, _ with a potentially significant im- pact on the surrounding neighborhood will be required to conform to the new guidelines for public information meetings. Council had asked staff to recommend an approval process before considering applications for neighborhood pubs at: @ Parkgate Village Shopping Centre in the Seycove area; @ Spicer Road in the industrial area adjacent to the Second Nar- rows Bridge; @ and Capilano Road close to Marine Drive. The Coach House Inn is also requesting a permit for a licensed beer and wine store. AW of the applications have been given preliminary site and applicant (PSA) approval by the provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCLB), but will not get their licence without municipal approval. By Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer Even then the LCLB couid still withhold final approval. The district’s approval process . will depend on whether rezoning is an issue. If a proposed use is permitted as an accessory to the primary use of the site, such as the expansion of a lounge in a hotel with an ex- isting bar or the addition of a lounge to a golf course, no zoning change is required. In all other cases rezoning would be needed and a public hearing would be part of the ap- proval process. To allow similar public input into applications not requiring rezoning, a public meeting will be used in the approval process. The public meeting, which would be held in council chambers, would be in addition to the public information meeting required for al! major land-use issues. The information meeting would be held in the community and conducted by the applicant, but under the new and enhanced guidelines. The applicant will be required to distribute an information package to all property owners and residents within a 350-metre ‘radius of the proposed develop- ment site, as well as community or resident associations, two weeks prior to the meeting date. . The notice will explain: e@ who is conducting the meeting; @ the topic of the meeting; @ existing and proposed zoning and densities; @ design and layout details; @ potential transportation; @ environmental and social im- pacts; @ community benefit; © tree retention; @ restitution landscaping and de- velopment phasing. District planning staff will in- clude a “‘fact sheet”? outlining the approval process, opportunities for public input and the availabili- ty of further information pertain- ing to council policy and official community plans. A mail-in sheet will allow for written comments to be submitted to staff. The applicant will also be re- quired to advertise the meeting by posting a sign on the site two weeks prior to the meeting (to be removed within seven days after the meeting) and place advertising in two issues of the News. The information meeting is a chance for the developer to ex- plain its plans to the affected neighborhood; staff will attend the meeting as observers, but will respond to questions on policy, process and long-range planning. Forms for comment or question for those uncomfortable or unable to express themselves publicly will be available. Under the newly adopted pro- cess council can either reject the proposal following the public in- NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL formation meeting or ask for a detailed staff repyrt and then con- tinue to the public hearing or public meeting, depending on whether rezoning is an issue. Only Ald. Paul Turner spoke against the new process. Turner said that he believed the information meeting would not provide as accurate an indication of public opinion as an opinion poll would be-ause many people are shy aboui: speaking out at meetings. Public meetings scheduled FOLLOWING THE adoption of a new procedure to gather public input on liquor applications, North Vancouver District Council agreed to allow two applicants | to hold public information meetings in the community. Owners of the Coach House Inn were given unanimous approval by council to hold a public informa- tion meeting to expiain plans for its licensed retail store. But an application for a neighborhood pub at 1790 Spicer Rd. was greeted far fess en- thusiastically by council. “The location is not residen- tially served. People will be driv- ing their cars to drink,”’ said Ald. Joan Gadsby speaking against the application. But other aldermen said they were interested in what the public had to say and in a 4-3 vote agreed to a public information -meeting. Ald. Rick Buchols said he was aware of sending the wrong message to the proponent and ac- knowledged, ‘I’m uncomfortable wiih the proposal.’” Dates of the meetings were not scheduled to press time Friday.