25 cording to a recent survey. It features a shopping district running along Lonsdale Avenue THE CITY of North Vancouver, with its central location, has always had a distinct role to play on the North Shore. And while it no longer has the majority of the population, it remains an important centre for business and services. Shipbuilding is not what it once was — witness the empty shell of the Versatile Pacific yards — and most lumber is processed elsewhere, but new enterprises, such as the headquarters cf the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), have moved in instead. The city is the only part of the North Shore which can claim to have as many jobs within its boundaries as it has members of the workforce. And it is recogniz- ed as one of six regional town centres in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. North Vancouver City mayor Jack Loucks is particularly proud of the munsicipality’s record on parks, a number of which have been recently established or itm- proved. About 10% of the city’s area is covered with parks, and they will be needed to serve a growing population, in a jurisdiction which is already one of the most densely populated in the Lower Mainland. Revitalization The city is focused around Lonsdale Avenue, which bisects the community, running from the waterfront up to the city’s northern boundary, just above the Upper Levels Highway, and beyond into the district. The Lonsdale corridor will see a lot of changes over the next few years. Years of reports on the area — including the recent Lonsdale Towncentre Revitalization strategy and Lower Lonsdale Planning Study — are set to become a plan of action in the near future. A first step will probably be the Lower Lonsdale area, which is seen as neglected and run down. At. a recent. city-organized forum to solicit ideas for the area, the public contributed ideas for facilities in a six-block special study area, straddling Lonsdale Avenue, and bounded by Esplanade, Third Street and Ches- terfield and St. Georges avenues. The city owns about a third of the land in the area, much of which is under-used. In future, it is hoped that amenities such as a park, a museum, theatre perfor- mance space and other services will be put in place to make the neighborhood more attractive. Reports by consultants and city staff have recommended that pe- @ incorporated in 1907 ® 10.77 sq. km @ police — RCMP, serving ooth ihe district and the city, 154 uniformed officers @ firefighters number 51 @ urban centre of North Shore, surrounded: by N. Van District and Burrard Inlet @ contains mix of specialty shop- ping and maritime industry, con- sisting largely of Shipbuilding, tug operations @ its‘employment amount excceds the resident labor force and future employment is projected to grow at a faster rate than population @ city core was the first North Shore area to develop as service area for pre-First World War logging and sawmilling operations on North Shore _@ city’s: Pacific Marine Training Institute draws students from all over the world for its technology and training e@ city is reknowned for techno- logy-based companies, such as North Shore Studios and more than 300 other technological firms. By Stephen Wisenthal Contributing Writer destrian routes be established to encourage visitors to Lonsdale Quay to head up the hill and filter down past the shops which line Lonsdale Avenue and neighboring streets. Another part of the mix will be housing, to serve the growing population and keep the area vibrant and lively. During development, long- standing concerns about views in the area, which siopes down toward the harbor, will lead to further demands for restrictions on building heights. The city is expected to use both its ownership of land, and zoning bonuses, to encourage developers to cover much of the cost of desired amenities. But whatever happens, Loucks is keen to See some action soon. “What we're waiting for is enough information so we can go ahead and solicit interest from developers.”’ Further up the hill lies Central Lonsdale, which is less run down than Lower Lonsdale, but still lacks character and interest, ac- from Eighth Street to the Upper Levels Highway. But it attracts little business from the bottom of the hill. Ideas to solve this have included run- ning a. streetcar up Lonsdale Avenue from the SeaBus terminal, in order to draw tourists and resi- dents up the slope. Beyond the Lonsdale area lie a variety of neighborhoods. A Jot of these areas remain filled with single-family homes, but pressure is increasing for higher densities. City council is about to decide whether to allow secondary suites in all single-family seighbor- hoods, and other areas are rapidly filling with duplexes or higher- density developments. Warns Loucks, ‘In certain areas it’s only people with money who can live there. As land becomes more expensive, there is increasing pressure to do away with single-family homes. The pressure of change is going to keep pushing out.”’ But the city has backed residents’ plans to retain single- family neighborhoods in the past, and it is likely to be a long time before the whole city is covered with townhouses — if it ever hap- pens. t CanadianOxy, we are working diligent- ly to make you proud that we are part of your com- munity. A responsible member of the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association supporting our Responsible Care® initiative. INDUSTRIAL SITES CANADIANOXY CHEMICALS A RESPONSIBLE CARE COMPANY 100 Amherst Avenue, TZ orth Vancouver, B.C. V7H 1S "NEWS photo make access to North Vancouver City’s waterfront rare, but these industries provide a large part of the municipality's tax base. Responsible Care A Total Commi tment