Residents

WHEN ANNETTE Malecek
moved into her run-down
rancher on Lynn Valley’s
Burrill Avenue three years ago,
she had no intention of letting
it stay that way.

By Kate Zimmerman
News Reporter

Maiecek, an accountant, expect-
ed that as a homeowner, she would
be able to add onte her property and
increase its worth over the years.

Recently she applied fora per-
mit to build a second storey on one

Side of the house she shares with
her baby and her civil engineer hus-
band, Mark, only to discover they

will have to get written approval _

from all the neighbors,

“They're all supporting me,” she
‘said. “I’m hoping that in my cir-
cumstance it won’t be a problem.”

' But she can’t help wondering
what would have happened if even
one neighbor had decided to veto
the proposed addition.

North Vanccuver- District has -

_ initiated on an interim basis Bylaw
6645, which regulates additions,
alterations, demolitions and recon-

~~ struction west of Lynn Creek, pend-

ing the district’s long-term neigh-'
borhood-by-neighborhood estab-—

lishment of zoning bylaws.

'° Malecek believes the move will
‘quash the hopes of ‘people like her
who bought modestly sized first
_ homes only to discover that-now

"additions are being roundly dis-

couraged, if not prohibited.
She said this is the most unfair

: aspect of the proposed bylaws. The .

zoning legislation is intended to
limit house size in an effort to com-
bat “monster” homes.

“It has already pitted. ‘North Shore

realtors, who claim to, be protecting °
“" homeowners’. rights, against resi-
dents who feel the character of their’

neighborhoods’ i is being destroyed
by over-sized domiciles.

«thereby drive values down —

NEWS photo lke Wakefleld

NORTH VANCOUVER District homeowner Annette Malecek, seen here with son Carl, hopes that
monster-house bylaw resirictions won't wreck ker plans to: improve her home. Approval from
neighbors will te needed to go ahead with renovations.

If the proposed bylaws are.

passed after the April 12 public
hearing at Carisbrooke school,
Malecek said district houses west of
Lynn Creek will have to conform to
their current configuration — ranch
houses only in rancher areas, and so
on.

This doesn’t sit well with her.

“Y think they need to be creative
about their: bylaws,” she said. “It’s
an unhealthy nisrketplace if there’s
too much uncertainty.”

Malecek said. the proposed
restrictions: will alse inhibit
improvements to property and
a par-

SEA? Cpt EE EDL LEED

ticular problem for people whose
main investment is their house.

“There are nol a Jot of ways to
get ahead in life and build a bit of
equity,” she said.

. The partners of North
Vancouver’s Synthesis Design Inc.
share. Malecek’s concerns.
Designers Jeff Keate and Curtis
Krahn recently sent a letter to head
North -Vancouver District planner

_Irwin Torry, voicing their “adamant

opposition to Bylaw 6645.”

“We're totally opposed to mon-
ster homes,” said Keate. “We. have
no problems with the restrictions on

height ... (but) it’s really not fair to-

EFA DE MENT Fen Teed Rd te

Proposed single- family bylaws

BYLAW 6644
a Purpose:'to- reduce. the height and size of sin-
“gle-family houses being built throughout the
_ District of North Vancouver.
Amendments:
‘ @) Maximum building heights/ maximum eave
“heights: to be reduced by two feet (0.6 m) for all lots
~ 40 ft, (12 m) or greater in width. For lots less than 40
rft., existing regulations remain.
“. i Site coverage: will be reduced from 40% to 35%.
“On a typical 60 ft. by 120 ft. lot (18 m by 36 m), the
* maximum site coverage would decrease from 2,880
sq. ft. (266 sq. m) to 2,520 sq. ft. (234 sq. m).
& Floor Space Ratio: Open areas such as vaulted
: ceilings and high foyers currently contribute to the
-bulk of a house but are not included in calculation of
the total floor area. This would change, so open areas
above 12 ft. (3.6 m) in height would be included in

‘the calculation as though there was a floor at that,

“level,

Maximum ‘Building Depth: Current maximum
- building depth is 65 ft. (20 m), excluding garages
and carports. This would change to include attached

‘garages and carports in the 65-f1. maximum.

Building Bylaw:

A new clause will be added to Building Bylaw 30
requiring (hat any buildiug permit for demolition
work involving a building or structure include:

§ a title search of the property upon which the work
will be performed;

a topographic survey indicating plan dimensions
and location of the buildings or structures, the site
development and topography as existing and as pro-
“posed.

[ The topographic survey will indicate the height

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983-2208

and eave height as designated and defined in the
District of North Vancouver Zoning Bylaw.

Neighborhood Zoning Initiative: —_;

The development of neighborhood-specific zon-
ing regulations through consultation with local resi-
dents will begin this year with Norgate, Marlborough
Heights, Delbrook and Keith Lynn.

BYLAW 6645

Regulation of additions, alterations, demofli-
tions and reconstruction. -

Purpose: to protect the character of existing
neighborhoods until zoning regulations developed
on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis are
adopted by council.

B While neighborhood zoning is still being dis-
cussed, the character of existing neighborhoods west

of Lynn Creek will be protected by the regulation of

additions, alterations, demolitions and reconstruction
beyond the height of existing residences. In cases
where the change would exceed the maximum build-
ing and eave height of the existing single-family
dwelling, applicants would be required to apply for a
development variance permit. The bylaw excludes
the newly developing Braemar area and the North
Lonsdale historic area.

All building permits that exceed the height of the
existing single-family house in the affected areas
would be referred to council for consideration:
Council could decide to withbold a permit for an ini-
tial 30-day period and possibly for a further 60-day
period. depending upon the degree to which the pro-
posed house exceeds height limitations and the
impact it-has on the immediate neighborhood. A
mechanism for neighbors to review and comment on
infill development will be provided.

the people who bought a house with
the intention of raising it eventually
and the houses on either side of
them are (already) a storey higher.”

The majority cf Synthesis
Design’s clients are young families

with children who wish to remain '

in their current homes, Keate and
Krahn said. As their families grow
they need more space.

In the letter, the partners main-
tain that the new bylaws will erode
the businesses of designers, archi-
tects, engineers, contractors and
subtrades as well as real estate
agents. :

According to Keate and Krahn,

say proper ty values threatened by proposed . NV District megahome bylaws

the existing regulations should be
good enough until the district estab-
lishes its proposed neighborhood-
by-neighborhood zoning regula-
lions. They also wonder what hap-
pened to the neighborhoud-specitte
zoning regulations established a
year ago,

Coun. Ernie Crist, one of the
masterminds of the proposed
changes, said the previous regula-
tions only applied to Norgate, and
the process of getting them to epply
to cach of the 39 neighborhoods in
the district would have taken far too
long.

Maleeek said the proposed zon-
ing bylaws are “too much of a
catchall.”

She can understand why some
homeowners want zoning that will
ensure their views are protected.
But, she asked, “Why not make
bylaws apply where views are an
issue?”

And Malecek asked why the
proposed zoning changes would not
apply to the houses in the Upper
Braemar region — could it be
because the district itself owns
property there?

Coun. Crist admits this is true.
He also admits that it’s wrong. ~

“! think what has happened is
that we (NVD council) have com-
promised ourselves by having to
rely on land sales for operating,” _
said Crist, noting that he agreed to
exclude Braemar and the Lonsdale
historic district to.ensure that the
proposed zoning changes would
continue to make their way through
the municipal bylaw process. ,

“t think all the areas in the dis-
trict should have been included,” he
said. “There’s still-an opportunity
to extend it at the second reading.”

Malacek-said everyone she has
spoken to about the proposed
bylaws is against them. ~~ /

“Everyone’s s been on-side, that’s
for sure,” she said. “People’s prop-

‘erty values are being significantly

undermined.”

Property values versus:
neighborhood values

From page 1

erty of smaller homeowners to fall
and make “monster homes” look
better by comparison. But the dom-
inant sentiment was that the oppo-
site would likely be the case.

“Over the long term, areas that
have a consistent neighborhood
style have a higher real estate
value,” said Beamish.

The benefit of a uniform neigh-
borhood, she ‘said, is that property

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values will reflect both the land and

the building because the house ‘will:
seem to have value as a place'to

live, The alternative is a patchwork

of housing styles where the proper-”
ty is everything and the house is

just something to tear down.

The ratepayers” motion to sup-
port the bylaws passed 34-4. The
scene now shifts to an April 12
public hearing at Carisbrooke ele-
mentary school, S10, East
Carisbrooke Rd., at 7 P. ni.

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