June 25, 1993 104 pages Fe RAS 4 wae Office, Editorial 985-2131 EVE STRAIN Teens sick and tired of constant adult surveillance. Display Advertising 980-0511 high-performance TAURUS SHO Ford family sedan uses engine from Yamaha. NEWS photo Pau! McGrath WILDLIFE CONTROL officer Dennis Pemble (foreground) and conservation officer Kevin Van Damme tracked a five-year-old male coucar into a ravine near the 500-block of Keith Road in West Vancouver on Wednesday. The big cat was treed by dogs end tranquilized. Health club A PROPOSAL to build highrise towers on a site currently housing the Capilano Athietic Health Club has the club’s owner vowing to fight the development plan by taking his landlord to court. The property’s owner, Larco Enterprises Inc., has unveiled new development plans that involve highrise construction on the site. But club owner Keith McKenzie and area residents are crying foul. Residents fear the proposed de- velopment will destroy the charac- ter of their neighborhood. According to drawings prepared by Creekside Architects, three de- velopment options have been con- By Chris Wong Contributing Writer sidered for the 4.5-acre (1.8- hectare) site between Fullerton Avenue and Curling Road west of Capilano Road in North Van- couver District. Larco senior vice-president Shiraz Lalji sues company is owner vows to fight proposed development in favoring the option that includes the construction cf two residential towers, a seniors’ housing project, and a community centre. The plan would require demolition of the health club. “We feel residential housing is the best redevelopment option available at this time,’’ Lalji said. “Larco's wish to put something back into the community is reflected in the 40-unit seniors’ housing project and the communi- ty centre we are offering to pro- vide as part of the redevelopment proposal,’’ he added. ‘*Our finan- cial commitment in this regard the court would be substantial.”’ ; But McKenzie, whose lease with Larco expires on Aug. 31, 1996, claims @ growing number of members have left the club because of uncertainty about the club’s future. “We've got a business that’s going down the hill,’? McKenzie said. ‘‘The business is wrecked because af this.’’ George Cadman, McKenzie’s lawyer, said he will be seeking an injunction to stop further devel- opment plans. The club will also be: secking damages for loss of See Gadsby page 3 WV study finds 20% of seniors sick, poor WHILE ABOUT 80% of West Vancouver seniors are healthy and relatively affluent, a recently completed survey prepared by the Lionsview Sentors Planning Socicty reveals the remainder to be ail- ing and living close to and below the poverty level. WEST VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL by Maureen Curtis Society representative Sheila Gilmour presented the report to West Vancouver District Council on Monday, June 21. The study focuses on hous- ing and services for seniors and is being sent to municipal staff and local commissions for review. In West Vancouver, 20% of the population is over the age of 65. Report results show that 12% of seniors living in the municipality survive on in- comes below the poverty level of $15.175 per year for one person. Of the 230 households surveyed, almost half of the seniors are unmarried and 88% of them are women. Almost 60% have lived in their present homes for at least 10 years and are strongly attached to their neighbor- hoods. But there is a cost to living in West Vancouver: 31% of seniors surveyed spend more than 30% of their income on housing-related costs, while 14% have difficulty meeting their taxes and other housing costs. Approximately 63% of West Vancouver seniors are ready to sell their homes and move into apartments or townhouses, but a local lack of affordable housing is forc- ing many to move to other municipalities. “You're losing seniors — 400 in the last 18 months,” Gilmour told council. When British Properties resident Jim MacCarthy sug- gested council review its posi- tion on seniors’ housing, Coun. Andy Danyliu challenged local residents’ groups that have fought against seniors’ housing pro- jects to do the same.