THE No Growth Gang
has ridden into the
Maplewood ncighbor-

hood with guns blaz-
ing.

At stake is perhaps North
Vancouver District’s last
chance to develop a signiti-
cant business residential core
that will generate some much
needed tax revenue and
employment opportunitics
for the municipality —~ tax
revenue that is not entirely
drawn from the pockets of
the municipality's residential
property owners; concentrat-
ed employment opportunities
that do not reside elsewhere
in the district.

But the forces of no-

“growth-anywhere-anyhow in

_ the district are strong and
getting stronger — even
though unpleasant economic
realities are fast sneaking up
on district taxpayers.

The freezing of residential
development in the Cove and

Mountain forest area has, for

example, removed a large

chunk of potential residential

tax money from future dis-

trict budgets.

_ Green consciousness is

Nadmirable, but the fact is thar

North Vancouver District

-. Spénds more than it reaps in
tax revenue.

~ mailbox

Dear Editor?"
“2 What a’ great April fool’s
"joke (page 1 April 1 News). I
must’ say.“you. had my blood
boiling. oo
“A ‘front page story about a
$15. million: Mulroney muse-
um. beside an article outlining
pathetically. minimal tax cuts.
Avshrine to help build unity
as in fact-the only state-
ment that cai be made is that
- Canadians | “unanimously”
‘reduced? the historical
Conservative party to near
On, after” Mulroney’ $

Lindsay’ Kt By
“West: Van ouver

* Dear: Editor: : oe
Re: . Mulroney . museum
(page 1 April: News).
“That / was .a great’ April
Fool’s story‘... you got me

I was aghast . _ fabled time
ndeed, I said to myself, Good °
heavens, to. have ‘to actually
‘a- bust of that man’s
1)<.who would actu-
pay, moncy to'see THAT
nid Mila’s shoes to’ boot?

cowe'll be carving his
2.on.. Me. | Seymour.
ag-in a. semi-.
this morning (yes,
took a: full day). P'm_- so
cit! ‘You guys are.

Get Maplewot

yarns

Thus the debate over pil-
laging the district's land bank
and Heritage Fund to bolster
capital and « operating budgets
as presented in an earlier col-
umn.

But with the Maplewood
area we are not talking abour
any green oasis.

It is an industrial-residen-
tial area in need of overhaul.
It represents muititold
opportunity for the district

and its residents,

Where ti start?

How abour with jobs? We
can’t do with too many of
thase, but the district cur-
rently has a shortage.

If vou remove the indus-
trial core of North Vancouver
City, North Vancouver
remains predominantly a bed-
room community. Primarily
residential with few areas that
can support concentrated
commercial /light industrial
job development.

Arlene Jackson
North Vancouver
arlenej@axionet.com

Dear Editor:
Knowing that today is the
first day of April, and thus

April Foo!’s Day, Tam hoping .

that the article on the front
page of today's (April 1)
North Shore News regarding

“Mulroney Museum” is in
fact a lark.

Dear God, I hope so!

If true, however, is ir yor
bad enough that. our. hard
earned, multi-taxed dollars
have’ been invested in’ this

property spoken of located at:

the foor of Capilano Road for
so many years with out bene-
fir?

Now a further insult of

building -a museum of this
kind,
effective use of federal dollars.

_ Please tell me. this is an April

Fool’s Joke! -
“Karenn Bailey

_ North Vancouver
“ whailey@axionet.com

— Editor’s note: An April:
. Fool’s joke. it was... The real
_ waste of federal money on the

site’s lease aver the years, howev-
en, is not very amusing.

Dear Editor:
I thought I was crazy. I
never had the courage to tell

anyone. of this event. A couple

of years ago | was fishing
beeween Gibsons ‘and Keats
Island when J observed a man

° Retirement

988-7832

that surely is not an

* Self Employment income
« Employment Income

Maplewood is one of
those areas.

Rezoning the 30-acre
piece of property that cur-
rently serves as a buffer zone
berween Canadian Occidental
Pe:
CXY chemical plant and
existing area business and res-
idential is the first step in
realizing a huge economic
development opportunity for
North Vancouver District.

If vou combine the 30
acres of CanOxvy property
with the three adjacent
Maplewood-area sites that
could be developed over the
next 10 t 15 vears — 40
acres owned by the
Vancouver Port Corp. north
of the Dollarton Highway
anchored by the Crab Shack;
an adjacent 25-acre site
owned by the district and the
20-acre Tolko Sawmill site to
the cast of the CXY plant -—
you come up with 115 acres
of developable property that
could eventually generate an
estimated 6,500 jobs and
countless new business
opportunities in North
Vancouver District.

That is a significant num-
ber by any measure.

In addition to the jobs
would be the commercial and
other taxes generated by such

trolling the other way past
me. I did a double take! It was
John Lennon! He was even
humming Al? You Need is
Love! No sign of a cribe,
though.

I think all those people and
groups fighting over owner-
ship of that amazing Inca stat-
ue should quit, and donate it
in the spirit of true friendship
to the new Mulroney muse-
um.

Blocks
of Life

Sat pees memento

roleaum Lrd.’s (CanOxy’s) -

_ the

Vitamin House
‘The Building

homegrown initiative.

The district currently has
one of the most lopsided resi-
dental-to-commercial/indus-
trial business tax sitios in the
province, Residential raxpay-
ers currently contribute about
74% of the municipality's tax
total.

Which means that residen-
tial property taxes currently
keep the district afloat.

CanOxv’s CXY plant, an
$80 million per year business,
pays the district approximate-
ly $1.3 million each year in
taxes — one of the biggest
industrial raxpayers in the
municipality.

But apart from the chemi-
cal plant there is precious lit-
tle else on the district’s indus-
trial tax rolls.

The plant has been in
operation since October
1957; it remains a viable
business, earning annual prof-
its in the $25 million range.

It is not going any where
folks.

Ifthe current rezoning
trom heavy industrial to light
industrial /commercial is not
approved, the chemical plant
will carry on turning ovt
chlorine for the vinyl industry

and caustic soda for the pulp -

industry,
{ts 30-acre buffer zone

pril fooled by News museum piece

In a niche, at the entrance,
it would look better than. the

bronze bust suggested. Ie’

even has some symbolic sig-
nificance -— nothing like
“ripped -off gold to welcome
people to this s wonderful site.
Thanks for making my day.
I needed to read seme articles
like these when I gor home

“today. Happy April |

Dave Tingey
dtingey@axionet.com

High Protein Supplements

. 1929 Consdale Ave. North Vancouver fl
j,2470 Marine Drive, West Vancouver ‘\
2635 West 4th Avenue, Vanco er. -

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Sunday, alk 5, 1998 - North Shore News ~ 7

could be used for some other
heavy industrial operation:
anyone for a Maplewood
conerete plant?

Litde wonder that North
Vancouver District initiated
the push te rezone the Jand
six Years ago.

CanOxy, which owns
about half of the 55-acre
property its CXY plant sits
on, would benefit trom
enhanced land value if the
buffer zone were to be
rezoned.

But the district's payotf
would likewise be substantial.

The No Growth Gang has
raised fegitimate concerns
about such issues as increased
traffic and the development
of any kind close to a chlo-
rine plant and the dangers
posed by it.

But deaths attribured to
chlorine plant gas leaks since
the plant began operation
back in 1957 thus far rota]

zero.

The spectre of a major
chlorine leak resulting trom
an earthquake is serious but
thar occurrence would be
scrious regardless of whether

d area upgrade in gear

the Maplewood industrial
area is developed or not.

The Maplewood develop-
ment issue has ground
through various studies, risk |
assessments and reviews since
1992. Ir is long past time to
move forward.

There will be complica-
tions from the area's re-devel-
opment. There will be
increased traffic, more activi-
ty, safery concerns.

But there will also be'a
made-in-North Vancouver
District bonanza of jobs and
tax revenue that will pay off
for the municipality and its
residents for years to come.

it will spell tax reef and
local business vitality like no
other opportunity the district
has in its arsenal of expansion
and growth.

You can save the district’s
green heritage, but unless
you develop its commercial
and business opportunities
the cost to maintain the
area’s lifestyle will fast
become too much for current
taxpayers to bear.

Even the No Growth
Gang has to sce that reality.

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