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NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

THIRTEEN-YEAR-old Chris Scott examines a truck that cecently roiled through his family’s property. In the past three years, the Dresden Way
residents have had three driverless vehicles roll through their lot. Families living on the street are demanding action from North Vancouver District

officials to help solve the problem.

VEHICLES KEEP CRASHING ONTO PROPERTY

‘Families fed up with runaway cars

DRESDEN WAY residents, whose properties have been
hit three times in as many years by runaway vehicles, are
demanding that North Vancouver District engineers make

their street safe.

At about 4:30 p.m., Jan. 12, a
truck parked just up and across
the street from the homes of
Janice Lee and Sidnee Scott roll-
ed and struck a parked car.

Said Scott, ‘*The car rolled in-
to the yard below us. The truck
kept going, jumped our retaining
wall and landed in a fence.’’

Scott estimates the mishap
caused approximately $2,000
worth of property damage. ‘‘It’s
always been iate afternoon, when
everybody’s around on the street.

By MICHAEL BECKER
News Reporter

The fact that there has been no
loss of life has been a miracle,”’
she said.

According to Lee, many of the
street’s residents, like her family
and the Scotts, have children.
“The issue is somebody is going
to get creamed here. We’re con-
vinced our children will get hit
the next time,’’ Lee said.

The first two rollaways were

written off by officials as freak
accidents.

The first time, a car parked
without brakes or wheels turned,
rolled, struck a parked car and
took off the corner of the Scott’s
garage.

Six months later, a car parked
without emergency brakes and
without wheels turned, rolled and
crashed into a landscaping truck
parked in the Scott’s driveway.
The truck was being loaded by
the contractors and children were
playing on the other side of it.

“It’s fortunate that it was
there. It saved the lives of the
kids playing on the other side of
the truck,’’ Scott said.

The mother of three believes

FACED WITH 3,000% CO-OP RENT HIKE

Tenants say they were unaware

From page 1

leased from Standard Life
Assurance in 1969. It was con-
verted to aco-op in 1974.

The co-op adopted the original
66-year lease’ covering the years
1968 to 2034 from Camosun,
Wilson and King, the co-op’s de-
velopers, who had taken on the
lease from Standard Life.

According to that lease, the rent
on the property would be $21,225
annually until! 1990.

But from 1990 to 2012 the rent
would be 7.5 per cent of the prop-
erty’s value as assessed in
September 1989. And from 2012 to
2034, the rent would be 7.5 per
cent of the land’s value as assessed
in September 2011.

Recent appraisals of the seven-
acre property have put its value at
between $6 million and $9 million,
which would have raised the prop-
erty’s rent from $21,225 per year
to between $450,000 and $675,000

per year starting this year. Annual
rent per co-op share would have
jumped from $6.65 to $211.59.

In an April 1987 News story,
co-op president David Chodzko
said he discovered the rent escala-
tion clause in early 1986. He
subsequently met with a repre-
sentative of Clark, Wilson — the
co-op’s lawyers — to try to work
out a solution that would head off
the huge rent increase and protect
the co-op members’ investment.

In late 1986, Standard offered
the co-op three options, the least
financially onerous of which was
for the co-op to purchase the
Cedarbrooke property for just
under the $4.8 million assessed
value of the property at that time.

The property was purchased in
November 1987 for $4.2 million,
but, because many of the co-op’s
members could not afford their
share of the purchase, additional
financing was arranged, bringing
the total cost of the purchase up to
approximately $8 million.

But many of the co-op’s
membership were still unable to
meet their property purchase pay-
ments, and were forced to sell their
interests in the co-op at cut-rate
prices, as the market for their
shares nose-dived with the public’s
awareness of the rent escalation
clause.

The co-op is made up of
members with 22-share and 33-
share units, who are seeking just
over $60,000 and $90,000, respec-
tively, in rental increase costs and
mortgage costs they contend they
have incurred by extricating
themselves from the consequences
of what they allege is the negligent
advice they received.

According to the case for the
plaintiffs, neither the assignment
and assumption agreement nor the
proprietary lease made mention of
the rent escalation clause.

Tne plaintiffs are claiming dam-
ages from various real estate
agents, who, they contend, had a
duty to advise buyers of all the

the recurring sioppy parking
problem is compounded by the
“‘deceptive’’ slope of the street,
and ineffective curbing.

Scott and Lee met with district
engineer John Bremner Saturday
to press for a solution. According
to Scott, Bremner tested the slope
in a controlled roll of his own car
and found that the car also
veered in the direction of their
houses.

Scott said the district intends
to post signs reminding drivers to
turn their wheels when parking in
the area. A poll of residents
along the street will determine if
the installation of ‘tno parking’’
signs is acceptable by residents
living on Dresden.

of clause

facts involved in the co-op-share
purchase; various lawyers and
notaries retained by the pur-
chasers, who the plaintiffs contend
had a duty to ensure that pur-
chasers knew exactly what they
were purchasing; Clark, Wilson,
which the plaintiffs contend acted
for the developers, the co-op and
all initial purchasers, but did not
tell anyone about the rent escala-
tion clause; and the developers,
Camosun, Wilson and King, who
the plaintiffs contend were
vicariously liable for the actions of
their real estate company (Pacific
Rim Realty Ltd.) and their agents,
Clark, Wilson.

The various defendants in the
suits have contended that they
were either unaware of the rent
escalation clause themselves or had
no duty to inform the purchasers
of it.

The case, which is currently be-
fore the courts, is expected to take
nine weeks to complete.

Two men
piunge off
Lions

Gate
Bridge

A MAN WHO jumped from
Lions Gate Bridge Sunday
afternoon survived the 200-
foot plunge, walking away
with only minor injuries.

By MICHAEL BECKER
News Reporter

Burnaby boater Barry
Washburn saw William Russell
Sweet, of no fixed address, leap
from the east side of the bridge
mid-span just after 4 p.m.

According to West Vancouver
Police, Sweet had lett his shoes, a
jacket and passport behind on the
bridge.

Washburn retrieved the jumper
and pulled him into his boat.

Sweet was brought to Ambleside
Beach where he was transported to
Lions Gate Hospital for treatment
of hypothermia and a dislocated
shoulder.

When questioned by police,
Sweet reportedly claimed he ‘‘did
not want to die,’’ but wanted ‘‘to
go for a swim.”’

Police credited Washburn’s
quick life-saving action.

But a second man, who jumped
from Lions Gate Bridge just after
4 p.m. Wednesday, was not as
lucky.

West Vancouver Police were
called to the bridge to investigate a
compiaint cf a suspicious man
standing ai ihe north end of the
bridge. Before police could assist,
the man jumped over the west side
of the bridge and fell onto
Pipeline Road, approximately 70
feet below.

The victim, a 32-year-old Van-
couver man, was transported to
Lions Gate Hospital, where he was
pronounced dead three hours later.
Police are withholding release of
his name pending notification of
next of kin.

Automotives............25
Classified Ads..........30
Editorial Page.......... 6
Home & Garden.........19
Maitbox .... seceee 7
What's Going On........23

WEATHER

Friday, cloudy with a chance
of showers. Saturday, cloudy
with showers. Highs near
8°C; lows near 2°C.

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