42 ~ Wednesday, July 28, 1993, North Shore News oking into our com North Shore municipalities comes nowhere near the rate of den- sification that will be taking place over the next 30 years in such “cities’? as Burnaby and New Westminster, not to mention the Lower Mainland’s ‘‘tri-city’’ area By Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer TALK TO homeowners across the North Shore about their concerns for the future and the subject of continuing housing development and its effect on the quality of life is usually the first fear to be voic- And yet the population growth predicted and planned by ail three “, ay PBR pg aig te sen ate NEWS photo Torry Poters _HIGHRISES LIKE The Observatory in Lower Lonsdale caused some controversy when they were being built, but area residents will likely see the density of their community increased further. “Medicare is worth working for — You and I — Together!” Come to visit os call. #11A-221 West Esplanade North Vancouver $88-8513 Authonzed by the official agent for Mobina dattet A Georgia _Pacific™ Roof offers: ° A range of duroid asphalt shingles © Class C fire rated © 20-25 year warranties ° Canadian tested & Canadian warranty © A less expensive alternative A TAMKO™ ‘Roof Offers: © A range of fibreglass asphait shingles © Class A fire rated © 20-35 year warsanties © Canadian tested & Canadian warranty © Moss resistant Heritage _ fibreglass Shingles offer the beauty of shakes without the cost, rot or fire hazard. 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West Vancouver District Surprisingly, it is the District of West Vancouver that will show the greatest increase in population over the next 30 years if GVRD predictions hold true. Planner Steve Nicholls confirms that the maximum population contemplated for West Vancouver in the '70s was 60,000, which would represent a 50% increase over the present 40,000 level. Where such a population might live (if it ever comes to pass) is subject to speculation. “We don’t see significant growth or. population growth now,”’ says Nicholls. At the historic level of devel- opment ‘of ‘approximately 2” units per acre there. are, at. the most, 3,000 units of housing possible on the remaining land stock below the™ 1,200-foot con- _ tour. That’s an addition of only a lit- tle over 6,000 people at the mod- ern family rate of just over two people per household. But it seems fairly obvious that West .Vancouver will be facing two or three densification challenges over the next 30 years. . An aging population in a com- munity of very. high land values will continue to, require smaller, more affordable homes. It is certain that the demand for apartments: and. townhomes for. empty nesters will continue to rise, creating pressure for. denser and infil! housing stock, ; In addition to its 1,200 undeveloped acres below the 1,200-foot : level, British Pacific Properties owns another 1,200 acres above the present develop- ment limit. Asked what is the biggest plan- ning challenge facing West Van- couver, Nicholls responded, “How to deal with a mountain ‘slope and how to deal with it. more sensitively. How to deal with it above the 1,200-foot level because of the difficult terrain.” Nicholls notes that environmen- tal concerns over past develop- ments have prompted an outside review of the district’s physical 1961 1976 ty’s crystal ball development policies with a view to creating other controls beside development permits. Finally the lands owned by the Squamish Indian Band south of: Marine Drive could also be devel- oped in the next 30 years. Perhaps West Vancouver’s Long Range Planning Task Force vision of Park Royal as a ‘‘people place’’ with ‘‘tightly. packed houses” in Mediterranean. village style, spilling towards the sea will not be so far off the mark if the present retail rejuvenation of Park ‘Royal continues to attract invest- ment. North Vancouver City Planner Richard White is: con- fident that his department’s .Of- ficial Community Plan will ac- commoedate the city’s anticipated population growth. “We will max out at around 45,000 compared to. our present 39,000 (an increase of 18%) with the majority going into the Lons- dale town cent:e,”” says White. The city plan is to use a floor space ratio control to’ encourage smaller units. White says the. city wants to make as much of. the new devel- ~ opment that occurs as affor. dable as possible. ; He rejects any suggestion that the. city will compare to Van- couver’s West End. : “A ratio of 2.6 times the lot a density is less than the floor space ratio allowable in some areas. of downtown and half what is pro-« posed for some areas of Broad-' way,’’ says White, though he con- .... cedes it may be slightly more'than | - Richmond’s, : While greater residential density «in the area may revitalize. Lons- ~ dale, White sees: population and employment growth at a lower rate than -the regional ,. norm resulting in less than the regional: average of transport. oppor-— tunities. ; ; Lo “If a bridge is required’ to “be | ° replaced we'll get it, but a Low Level road which we might want . may be more’ difficult to argue or, “Westview is very congested and we are very anxious to get it~: done but there is congestion in. a lot of places,’’ says White. ' ’ As for rapid transit, White, like Nichoils, holds little hope. “Extending Skytrain. to the ‘North Shore would be a very ex-. pensive proposition and i’m not sure the North Shore. wants the ‘density to justify rapid transit.” White and his department face two major unknowns at present. The port facilities at Fullerton and Versatile Pacific Shipyards See North page 43 2006 . * all figures aro approximate 1991 (] NORTH SURREY/NOATH DELTA VANCOUVER BURNABY/NEW WESTMINSTER Comparisons of projected population growths . MEWS graphic Joan Pedersen