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_ PAGE 14,

WEST VANCOUVER District Council voted against the
controversial United Church senior citizens residence pro-
posed for Esquimalt Avenue, but didn’t shut the door on

the concept.

The decision, made at Monday’s
council meeting, was received with
less than enthusiasm by repre-
sentatives from both the church,
who are lobbying for the project,
and the neighborhood residents,
who have campaigned vehemently
against the project.

On the suggestion of the Plann-
ing Committee, council also voted
to create a task force to investigate
the housing needs of the communi-
ty, with particular emphasis on
housing for seniors and young
families.

The current proposal for a
four-storey building on two lots
has been rejected, but council will
consider future proposals for a res-
idence of no more than two
storeys, over three lots.

Municipal manager Terry Lester
has also been asked to negotiate an
option for the acquisition of the
third property, located at 1951 Es-
quimalt.

Bruce Scott, of the United
Church, was commended by the
Planning Committee for his
“tireless efforts on behalf of the
community’s seniors, and for br-
inging this housing need to the
forefront of community issues...”

While disappointed that the cur-
rent proposal would not be going
ahead, Scott told the News that the
United Church would look at what
could be done on three lots.

The church’s B.C. Mortgage &
Housing Corp. funding agreement,
which runs out Nov. 13, could be
extended, but Scott could not say
whether the church would be in-
terested in fielding what would be
a third proposal with the suggested
two storey, three lot parameters.

This is the second time council
has rejected a proposal for sub-
sidized seniors housing from the
United Church. The first project
was to have been located on the
church’s parking lot, which was
deemed too small for the density
of the building.

Esquimalt resident Karen Kinsey
was happy that a task force would
be taking other facts, such as the
needs of young families, into con-
sideration — but was not pleased
that a two-storey seniors residence
might still be considered by coun-
cil.

“We would still prefer single-
family residences there and we

: By MAUREEN CURTIS
Contributing Writer

don’t wish to see the zoning (single
family) changed. But whatever
goes in there, shouldn’t intrude on
the street,’’? Kinsey commented.
“The proposal is essentially a
good one — as it provides housing
for seniors — but the density is not

PROJECT Bruce
Scott...looking for alternatives.

Ald. Mark Sager questioned the
fact that council’s decision pro-
vides for the possibility of the
municipality purchasing a third lot
to bring down the density of the
residence.

‘This municipality has been in-
volved in every seniors housing
project in West Vancouver,’
municipal manager Terry Lester
informed council. -

Sager said he thought the
municipality money that might be
used to buy the third Jot, could in-
stead be used to ‘ielp purchase
property at a different location
already zoned for multiple-family
dwellings. :

Sager also stipulated that the
task force take into consideration
options for seniors that did not in-
clude building new structures.

“A trust fund might be a way of
assisting people to remain in their
current homes,’' Sager suggested.

Ald. Alex Brokenshire said that
the Planning Committee had dif-
ficulty with its decision.

“But the emergence of the need
to recognize the needs of young
families in the community — that
has been a great service the public
hearing has done,’’ he added.

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