i ELL BIE MNES SAULT FRIDAY June 16, 1995 = rr a Hi How to keep your blooms pest-frea: B Weekly Real Estate listings: 13 &% Classifieds.... @ Crossword..............47 B Day in Court.................10 8 Horitage Sights............14 & Home & Garden......13 i insights... ; inside Stories... et ee 2 Pt) ay | N. Shore Alert...............72 i Overdrive.....................34 @ Real Estate. & Shore Shots... 29 @ Tide Charis... 42 MTV Listings.......30 Our Summer at Horne feature offers tips on how to beat the heat. os os £804 anak Nace 26 UNCERTAINTY SURROUNDS the Northlands golf course development fol- lowing North Vancouver District’s deci- sion to consider preserving Mountain Forest and Cove Forest as parkland. By lan Noble News Reporter In a June 8 Jetter, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) withdrew an offer to ‘swap its land for the district’s Jand in Mountain Forest until CMHC clarifies with its provincial partner the impact of a potential rezoning that would give Mountain Forest Park, Recreation and Open Space (PRO) status. CMHC’s fand is slated to be part of the dis- trict’s Northlands golf course, which is now being built. When the deal was struck to trade the 2.8 hectares (seven acres) needed for the golf course for a similar-sized chunk of district fund in . Mountain Forest, both pieces of property had the same development potential, said CMHC project manager Tony Tse. a gat Sf! VA eet oe Saturday: Cloudy with showers High 18°C, low 10°C. NEWS photo Brad Ledwidge MARY WRIGHT lends her support to North Vancouver School District 44's" embattled crossing guards by signing a petition circulated by sign-holding parent Carel Nordby. Guards were to be cut under next year's preliminary budget but have been given a reprieve. (See story page 5.) CMHC withdraws offer in forest fallout But if the resident-driven, demand to change Mountain Forest to parkland goes ahead, the two properties will no longer have the same develop- ment potential, Tse said. “It’s not the same deal,” he said. Therefore, he added, the agreement has been withdrawn and the issue will be discussed with the district. “We're not saying the deai is off. That is mis- leading.” ‘fse said. “What we're saying is let’s look at the deal again.” Me suggested the CMHC may settle for anoth- er piece of Jand equal in development potential to the land the corporation gives up for the golf course. A negotiation date for CMHC and the district has not been set. The Mountain Forest area sits north of Mount Seymour Parkway, bounded on the west by Berkley Avenue and on the cast by Mount Seymour Road. Under the current Mount Seymour Official Community Plan, Mountain Forest is earmarked for the development of 1,250 residential units. However, those units may never be built if the area is preserved. Horse riding, biking and hiking trails winding their way through the area became a catalyst for a determined bid by local residents to save Mountain Forest from development. Ata June 5 council meeting, council voted 6- 1 to proceed with the process to designate the area as PRO tand. The parkland proposal will be debated at a fall public hearing. District municipal planner Mel Palmer said he’s not sure how CMHC’s land withdrawal will affect the district’s golf course. “Atthis point I have no idea what the solution is.” he said, adding the issue is something that will have to be looked at. ; At the June 5 council meeting, Palmer asked council to request a staff report on the financial implications of moving the Mountain Forest and Cove Forest to PRO status. He. said hundreds of millions of potential dis- trict dollars are at stake if council nixes develop- See Parkland page 3