LIKE MANY people, Ihave an opinion about so-called monster houses. Generally, single- “family dwellings that - look like giant pink wedding. cakes turn me off — especiel- ly when they’re on a Jot where every last tree has been removed, as if trees are some sort of nuisance. That said, Pm a tad uncomfort- _able with some of the pronounce- ments and opinions that come up in (the monster house debate. First of all, we should acknow!- “edge that there's some subjectivity involved here. This debate isn’t just about large houses that take up most of a proper- ty. It’s also about the appearance of those houses. { may not like them, but what gives me the right to say that pink houses are blights on the neighborhood landscape? Maybe there are homeowners or patential homeowners out there who feel pink ~ houses lend a warm, Mediterranean uccent toa neighborhood, Some of the large, vertical woud- panelled boxes that are probably «representative of modern West “oast architecture leave me cold. | find them uninviting and heartless, wich leads me to ask ... who deter- ntines that much-employed phrase “the character of a neighborhood?" Fine to say citizens will deter- mine the character of their neighbor- hood through a neighborhood plan- ning process, but how do you decide what is in keeping with the character of a. neighborhood? There's aa unspoken warning froma lot of neighborhood cru- saders along the lines of, “If you don’t build something that looks like the charming, tasteful homes that have been here for 30 years, mate, you're in deep trouble,” As different people with different housing needs and priorities move into an area, neighborhoods arc bound to evolve and change to a cer- lain degree — and it might not always be for the worse. I can think of one neighborhood Applause to NV District for monster home action : Dear Editor: "This refers to the’ letter “Sensationalized coverage unfair” from Brenda Kinnear, president of the North Vancouver Division, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, in your April 17 North Shore News. Trust the squawking mob of ultra-rich (from thousands of dollars, of commission) real estate” ‘merchants to come to the top of the caldron of boiling oil. -. They are screaming because they might be denied some of their “believed” right to dictate to the tens of thousands of North Shore residents “who are finally venting their feelings about monster homes. These feelings are about. having their views and neighborhoods distort- éd.and their privacy violated by: these dreadful monster houses. Naturally the real estate board is going to Scream, but I hope you will receive many. letters and phone calls from those of us who object to what has been going on for too many years... Although not personally a reSident of North Vancouver District, I have ‘to. compliment the district in proposing these new bylaws, and ! hope that . West Vancouver Council can be pushed along the same route. : “<. 1 would’also like to thank the North Siiore News for giving so much coverage to those of us who object’'to our peaceful and pleasant neighbor- hoods of smaller homes being destroyed. ~ John S. Fawell >. West Vancouver | a Show Her You Care With Long Stemmed Roses CASH & CARRY Yes, We Deliver! Fresh Cut Flowers at Wholesale Prices! Making fresh cut lowers an affordable, everyday event! 992 MARINE DR. 1347 A PEMBERTON AVE. 1529 MARINE DR. N. VAN. 985-7673 SQUAMISH 892-9082 W. VAN, 925-3177 a Catherine Atyeo JUST ADD WATER where a tasteful (not a wedding cake) large home was built among ~ some drab, 30-year-old BBBs (that’s your Basic B.C. Bungalow). The newer home might not have fit in - with a perception of the neighbor- hood’s character, but it sure sets an impressive standard for future hones is the neighborhood, An eagerness to blame newcom- ers from other countries for the appearance of monster homes is probably the most distasteful feature of the monster house debate. With his usual eagerness to pin the blame on everyone but fine, upstanding white folks who speak his Tamguage and come from the “right” part of the globe, columnist Doug Collins has decided we have z monster house problem because of newcomers. Never letting responsible journal- ism and responsibility to the com- munity get in the way of his para- noia of anyone who is different, Collins fails to point out that it is municipal governments (still made up primarily of white folks, Doug) who have passed the hylaws which have allowed monster houses to be built in North Shore neighborhoods. But heaven forbid that white folk take some of the heat for a perceived problem — Doug would prefer you aim all the hate and fear you can muster al your new neighbor from {he Orient or the Middle East who just wanted (o buy a large home that wits on the market (and which may be housing his aging parents — an _itrangement considered incanve- nient by many white North Americans, who can't ima-gine three generations actually living har- moniously under one roof). Sarry to break the news to you, Doug, but a Jot of white folks (pre- sumably without taste) would love to live ina monster house in North Vancouver — they just don’t have the dough to buy themselves one. ' Some citizens have expressed shock and dismay that municipa officials have allowed monstez hous- es to be constructed in neighbor- hoods, Why are they shocked? In the end, monster houses just reflect what this society's real priorities are — make it as bigs you can to get the most money: possible. These newcomers didn’t bring unrelenting grecd to this country — it was firmly established here already. Let’s reap the casino windfall - Dear Editor: Right on! Paul St. Pierre (April 15). We do not want a Mirage- style casino on our. Vancouver waterfront —- but we do want a. casino! No flame-spewing vol- canos. No sinking galleons. Just an architecturally beautiful build- ing that would befit our great city. - The naysayers would have you velieve that we would be buried: - ina sea of prostitutes, pimps, | dope peddlers; Mafia hoods and the city of which we are so proud. would slowly disintegrate and drain away with our wi sewage. They paint a terrible picture. of how casinos turned Atlantic City into a wasteland behind the glit- ter. Those who knew that city before the advent-of casinos are -aware that.the wasteland existed along the. boardwalk before that event. With the possible exception ‘of Montreal, we do not have the advantage of Canadian. compar- isons so we must turn to Europe and ask ourselves if any of the following cities experienced the horrors of casinos: Monte Carlo, Wiesbaden, Spa, Baden Baden, Aachen, Beirut. Or have. they been enhanced, beautified and benefited from their presence? Casinos will surely come in some form or other on Indian lands and through changes in our ~ provincial gaming laws. Let us do, it right, regulate them properly. . and reap the many benefits for our’ city and province and get on with our lives! 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