NEWS BRIEFS Project proceeds WEST VANCOUVER District has granted a building permit to Twin Towers developers Gateway Pacific for the construction of the project's second tower following the district’s receipt of a 52.9 riflion letter of credit from the company. The move followed a month’s-long dispute during which the developer began construction of an electrical room which was located in the floorplan of the second, as yet to be constructed tower, but was needed to service the first tower. The municipality insisted that the electrical room con- struction constituted a construction start on the second tower, requiring the developer to obtain a building per- mit and pay the $2.9 million stipulated in the lease agreement. Drug bust A NORTH Vancouver man has been charged with a drug-related offence after the North Vancouver RCMP and West Vancouver Police drug squads executed a search warrant on Noy. 14. An RCMP spokesman said Peter Andrew Johnson, 32, of 1089 Mountain Hwy. in North Vancouver, has been charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. The charge was laid after police entered Johnson's home and seized a quantity of marijuana, drug par- aphernalia and an undetermined amount of money. Oil exercise LOCAL MARINE emergency response organizations held an oil spill simulation training exercise Wednesday at Ambleside Beach in West Vancouver. North Vancouver-based Burrard Clean Operations conducted the exercise along with the Canadian Coast Guard and Environment Canada crews. The spill scenario called the containment and clean-up of a spill involving 80€ barrels of diesel oil. Burrard Cleaner No. 9, the country’s largest self- propelled oi! skimmer, was put to the test with other skimmers and booms. Ssid Burrard Clean’s Martyn Green, ‘‘The main issue is can we boom a barge under certain conditions and what sort of precautions do we have tu take? The Coast Guard and Environment Canada people carried out their duties yesterday as though it was real. It seemed io go off actually quite well.’’ Parking restrictions raise WV merchant ire PARKING RESTRIC- TIONS on West Van- couver’s 18th and 19th Streets are having a negative impact on local businesses, businesswoman Barbara Lacey told West Vancouver District Council recently. By Maureen Curtis Contributing Writer Lacey said she had no trouble collecting more than 90 signatures of merchants and employees pro- testing the two-hour parking restrictions recently instituted by West Vancouver in response to pressure from residents on 18th and 19th streets. ' **Phis has impacted the local businessess and employees and 1700-block and 1800-block Marine Drive immeasurably,”’ said Lacey. Businesses say that customer parking spots are being taken up by employees who then have to dash out to move their cars around periodically through the day. “‘They are forced to find park- ing vherever they are able,” said Lacey. Meanwhile, 18th and 19th streets are hardly used for parking now that the twg-hour restrictions are in place, Lacey said. ‘“*Let common sense prevail,’’ she said. She urged council to remove the restrictions on the east side of WEST VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL 18th abcve Duchess Avenue and from the entire east side of 19th. Ald. Pat Boname said the situa- tion was a case of council trying to address the needs of one sec- tion of the community (the resi- dents), and in doing so, inconve- niencing another section of the community (the merchants). She referred the matter to the public works committee for review, Gerry Harrington of the new Ambleside Marketing Organiza- tion urged quick action on the part of council, because of the upcoming busy Christmas shopp- ing season. Parking restrictions came up again during the meeting, and this time council moved to reinstate the three parking spaces on the west side of £3th Street in front of Pat’s Restaurant. The spaces were originally removed to improve the traffic flow onto Marine Drive. But traffic blockages in the area are relatively infrequent; senior West Vancouver engineer Gordon MacKay has now deiermined that the removal of the three spaces was excessive. Ald. Diana Hutchinson called for their reinstatement, but asked municipal staff to continue to monitor the traffic situation in the area. Apartment approved in commercial district MOGITY COUNCIL NORTH VANCOUVER City Council approved Monday the addition of a second-storey apartment to a building in a city com- mercial district. By Pamela Lang Contributing Writer The commercial building at 987 Marine Dr. will have an apart- ment added to the top for the building owner’s use. “This is a dangerous precédent for the densification of a com- mercial core,’ said Ald. Red Clark, adding that the owner's reason for wanting the addition is also dangerous. Clark said that although the building owner wants to live above his business because of problems with vandals, being on hand to deal with the vandals smacks of vigilanteism. From a safety point of view, Clack said it’s like ‘‘niixing fire and oil.” Ald. Stella Jo Dean said that by setting the precedent, council runs the risk of having every businessperson come to it with the same reasons for wanting to put a residence into a commercial area, Some of the applicants, she said, will be looking to gain more revenue from their property by renting the apartment. Security, Dean said, is not a good cnough reason for putting a residence into a commercial zone. She added that there isn’t a lot the city can do about the vandals. But Mayor Jack Loucks pointed out that there is less chance for problems when someone is near- by; having someone living in the building, he said, may deter van- dals. The building owner’s request was approved, with Clark and Dean opposed. 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