85 pages

Owners of abandoned building
at Third and Lonsdale ordered

to appear before NVC Council |

THE OWNERS of a rundown commercial building that
has stood vacant and vandalized since 1988 on the corner
of Lonsdale Avenue and Third Street will be hauied before
North Vancouver City Council to explain why nothing has
been done with the site for the past four years.

The building, which has been
on the northeast corner of Lons-
daie and Third Street since 1972,
housed two nightclubs before it
became Sergio’s Oyster Bar. It has
sat vacant since March 7, 1988.

Some of the building’s windows
have been boarded up, others
have been smashed, and graffiti
has been spray-painted on the side
of the building.

Fed up over inaction on the
property at one of the city’s major

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

cerns with it because of broken
glass.

“*There’s been no effort on Mr.
Cressey’s part to clean up or make
repairs to the building.

“It remains as it did one month
ago,"’ said Caouctte.

He added that the province's

NEWS photo

THE RUNDOWN bullding on the corner of Lonsdale Avenue and
Third Street has been vacant since March 7, 1988.

intersections, North - Vancouver
City has now ordered the build-
ing’s owners, Cressey Develop-
ment Corp., to appear before city
council in a show-cause hearing to
explain why nothing has been
done to repair or remove the
building, described by North Van-
couver City Coun. Bill Bell as ‘‘an
eyesore.””

Francis Caouette, city ad-
ministrative coordinator of devel-
opment services, said the show-
cause hearing should be held in
about three weeks.

He added that city council in-
structed staff to call the meeting
to determine what plans Cressey
Development has for the site.

“The show-cause hearing has
been called because of the build-
ing’s condition. The municipal act
allows the city to look at it under
a nuisance heading.

“We're dealing with a building
that has been vacant for a number
of years. There are safety con-

REACHING E

municipal act allows council to in-
struct Cressey to take action to
deal with the issue.

Failing that, said Caouette,
council can go onto the property
and take what action it deems
necessary to correct the problem.

_The landlord would in turn be
billed for all the subsequent ex-
penses.

Scott Cressey, vice-president of
Cressey Development, said he has
been informed about the show-
cause hearing, but he said the sit-
uation is not as serious as the city
is making it out to be.

“We're just having a meeting,
that’s all. We'll meet with them to
see what can be done.

“If everyone can recognize
everyone else’s needs and just re-
alize that we can’t spend money to
renovate the building because of
its condition,’’ said Cressey.

He added that ‘“‘there’s no
reason’' to tear the building
down.

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Automotive:

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Distribution 986-1337

NEWS photo Paul McGrath

Cutting session

WEST VANCOUVER firetigitters Bob Altan (left) and Stu Sanders practise cutting the roof off a
car in a simulated accident test. The auto accident procedure is one of the techniques West
Vancouver firefighters retine with continuous training.

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VERY DOOR ON THE NORTH SHORE SINCE 1969