Lower Lonsdale

building

heigitts

to be limited

BUILDING HEIGHTS should be limited to six siereys in
most areas of Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver City

Council decided last week.

The council decision ends
months of public debate initially
generated by the decision to allow
Cressey Development Corporation
to build a 28-storey tower on the
former St. Alice Hotel site in
’ Lower Lonsdale. :

The proposal sets zoning heights
at about two-thirds the heights in
the . Ofricial Community Plan,
allowing developers to approach
council for rezoning if they want
to build to the OCP height.

“Pm quite pleased,’? said Ald.
Bill Bell. ‘‘Quite often developers
put pressure on council (to buiid to
the unlimited zoning heights). The
difference now is not quite as
massive ‘between the zoning and
the Official Community Plan
(Oc”).”

‘ne only exception to the six-
siozzy height limit zoning in Lower
Lonsdale is a patch of land be-
tween Chesterfie!d and Lonsdale,
and First and Second streets that is
zoned at 100 feet, with a proposed
OCP height of 120 feet (12
storeys).

Council voted against a zoning
height of 120 feet in the area next
to the Talisman Towers, at St.
Georges and Second Street,
because of the number of highrises
already proposed for that area.

*¥ have often stated I see a
sprinkling of highrises, not a wall.
This would be a wall,’”’ said Ald.
Rod Clark.

Ald, Stella Jo Dean said she
thought city residents would like
the zoning changes.

. Some areas are zoned 25 feet,
she said. ‘‘That is a Jot less than
what the petitioners had antici-
pated.”

Ald. John Braithwaite, who has
been a vocal proponent for a six-
storey height limit in Lower Lons-
dale, argued in. favor of keeping
zoning and official community
plan heights equal. .

“] think this council should not
support any differences between
the Official Community Plan and
.zoning,”” Braithwaite said.

Braithwaite said he was opposed
to getting involved in ‘‘dangling
the carrot before the develdper’’
because it would lead to an in-
crease’ in development permits
coming before council.

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| By CORINNE BJORGE
Contributing Writer
City staff in the past hus sup-

ported differences detween zoning
and the OCP saving it gives coun-

“cil some bargaining power if the

developer wants to rezone to
height limits.

Braithwaite argued that most
developers wouid want to tak: ad-
vantage of the higher building
heights in the OCP, and the in-
crease in reports would be a drain
on staff.

“If we are going to get into de-
velopment permit syndrome, there
has to be an increase in staff,’’
said Braithwaite.

Ald. Barbara Sharp disagreed.
“¥ don’t have a major problem
with seeing a difference, because
finally we’re in a position where
the zoning is less that the OCP. I
like to think of it as some form of
an incentive for creativity on the
developers’ part.’”

And in a related motion that was
defeated, Braithwaite said city res-
idents should decide the issue
through a referendum.

Sharp said she wanted more.

feedback from residents. ‘‘I
haven't heard from the ‘silent ma-

. jority’. When the issue is big

enough and crosses enough
borders, I don’t see a problem tak-
ing it to a referendum. It should be
taken to the community to let the
people decide.’

But Mayor Jack Loucks
disagreed: “I never have been in
favor of a referendum. ! feel we’re
elected to make decisions. We’ve
made decisions as big in the past.
There’s a referendum every three
years that tells us if we’re doing
the job,”’ he said.

Clark said he was against the
referendum. “I don’t think the
Citizens’ Action Group of Lower
Lonsdale (CAGLL) can claim rot
to have been heard. I think we
have been most patient and ac-
commodating to them. It falls on
our shoulders to make many dif-
ficult decisions, the gaggle from
CAGLL aside.”’

A public meeting to get com-
munity reaction to the changes to
the zoning and OCP heights will be
held in a few weeks.

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Second Ctass Registration Number 3885

3 = Wednesday, September 20, 1989 - North Shore News

NEWS photo Nel! Lucente

ONE TOUGH hombre — a.k.a. West Vancouver Mayor Don Lanskail — was put bebind bars iast week
during Capilano Motor Court’s ‘Saga of the Old West’’ event. Residents of the West Vancouver trailer park
— including (eft to right) the sheriff’s men, Sid Porter, Roy Dunwoody and Hal Johnson — threw a
western-style party and barbecue to wind uj the summer.

EXPANSION PLANS TO GO TO HEARING
City wants Neptune

REZONING PLANS allowing Neptune Terminals to ex-
pand its potash storage space will proceed to a public hear-
ing, but North Vancouver City Council members say they
are hesitant to support the plans until they receive guaran-
tees that Neptune will cut down on noise‘and air pollution

frozs its operations.

“Pry willing to see it go to a
publ.c hearing, (but) I want
assurances that Neptune is going to
clean up its act,’? said Ald. Bill
Bell

The city has been cautious about
proceecing after receiving dozens
of angry Setters from residents
complaining about dust and noise
pollution coming from the termi-

nal.

Ald. Frank Morris said Neptune
does not have a good record of
responding to residents’ com-
plaints and should not be allowed
to present its case at a public hear-
ing on the strength of future-prom-
ises.

“<I don’t believe it’s ready to go
to a public hearing. Neptune has to
do more than demonstrate its will-
ingness. It has to issue some form
of guarantee that it will meet min-
imum standards {of noise and
pollution control). We’re past the
promise stage,”’ said Merris.

But Neptune president John
Wilcox said his company is listen-
ing to residents and is taking steps
toward controlling the dust and
noise.

“We've spoken to quite a
number of residents personally.
We have made an effort,’’ said
Wilcox.

Wilcox said Neptune has
budgeted $1.7 million towards im-
proving its pollution control system
and cutting down on noise eris-
sions.

Improvements include the addi-
tions of two more spray-poles to
control dust from the potash. Nep-
tune is also trying to reduce noise
from the plant by installing on-line
lubricators on the railway tracks

and negotiating with CN to reduce

the speed of rail cars while they are
on the Neptune site.

But Morris said Neptune isn’t
going far enough.

“‘As a council member, I want
something more done wth respect
to noise. The noise is intolerable
(for residents),’’ said Morris.

“I believe coth Neptune and CN
have a responsibility to do more
than simpiy install more on-line

Contributing Writer
lubricators and slow down some
trains,’’ said Morris, adding that
some form of “‘liaison between
representatives of the community
on the hill and Neptuine’’ should
be set up.

“I don’t believe it’s
ready to go toa
public hearing.
Neptune has to do
more than
demonstrate its
willingness. It has to
issue some form of
guarantee that it will
meet minimum ,
standards (of noise
and pollution control).
We’re past the
promise stage.’’

—NV City Ald.

Frank Norris

Morris also suggested that the
Port of Vancouver should help
find solutions to the problem.

“My understamding is that the
Port of Seattle, in recognition of
problems with respect to residents
impacted, (has developed) long-
range compensation packages,’’
said Morris.

Port of Vancouver repre-
sentative Tom Shortridge said the
port supports Neptune’s bid to
enlarge its storage facilities: ‘‘It
will bring significant economic

to clean up its act

benefits,’’ he said, including ‘‘new
jobs and an expanded tax base.”

But Shortridge said the port has
no plans to duplicate Seattle’s
compensation packages.

Instead, Shortridge said the port
“encourage(s) ali our tenants to
make sure they adhere to bylaws
(pollution standards set by
GVRD). (Ard) we encourage
GVRD to make sure (the stand-
ards) are policed and adhered to.”’

Morris said pollution standards
have not been enforced adequately
in the past.

“Council should ensure that)
GVRD enforce its bylaws and does
not operate on a permissive basis
as they have in the past,’’ said
Morris.

Ald. Stella Jo Dean said it
seemed Neptune was only improv-
ing its pollution controls because it
-wanted to get approval for build-
ing its storage shed.

But Neptune’s director of facili-
ties planning Fred Lederer said ex-
penditures on dust control’
measures are spaced out over sev-
eral years, and it is only a coin-
cidence that a new spray pole (to
control dust) will be installed in
September.

“They’re part of our capital
budgeting program. The first spray
pole was (put in place) last year.
We had planned this (for
September). We also have one in
our capital budget for next year.’’

Residents living above the site
have also expressed concerns that
the construction of a 120-foot high
building would ruin their views.

Lederer said the building height
had to remain at 120 feet because
of the difficulties of shipping bulk
commodities.

But Ald. John Braithwaite said
Neptune had not tried hard enough
to reduce the building height.

“It’s very hard for me to believe
that engineers couldn’t build
something (that wouldn’t) block
the view,’” said Braithwaite.

Another suggestion that Nep-
tune pay for tree topping in some
areas to increase the view from up
the hill was criticized by
Braithwaite as being too simple.

‘(Tree topping) will have
ramifications for council,’’ said
Braithwaite, cautioning against the
precedent the city would be setting
if it started topping trees to in-
crease residential views.