Residents vent anger Cypress Ridge golf course clash continues at recent West Van council meeting RESIDENTS packed West Vancouver District Council chambers Monday night to scream, shout and make impassioned pleas to stop the signing of a 49-year lease with Cypress Ridge Golf Ltd. that would pave the way for development of a 27-hole golf course on Hollyburn Mountain. By Maureen Curtis Contributing Writer They also continued to demand that a referendum be called on the issue. Council received the final draft of the lease, but had already decided to put the final vote off until Tuesday, Oct. 9, when a staff report analysing the 2,000- signature petition calling for a referendum will be available. **We will then address the issue of whether or not a referendum is necessary,"’ said Mavor Don Lan- skail, who has thus far argued against a referendum on the golf course issue. According to the terms of the lease, the municipality will be paid an annual rent based on a per- centage of revenues that would total a minimum of $51,000 in the first two years and increase to $250,000 by the seventh year. But the figures failed to impress Monday's crowd of protesters, who lobbed personal insults at che mayor. WEST VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL DANIEL IZZARD... mayor's at- titude on golf course ‘totally contemptible.’ couver’s Hillside Middle School and West Vancouver Secondary School presented petitions with 500 signatures urging council to put the golf course issue to public referendum. West Vancouver mother of four Wendy Haysom also pushed for a referendum: ‘We want a democracy and cemocratic deci- sions.”* Dr. Kathryn Gerimell expressed concern that the pesticides and herbicides to be used on the golf course greens might harm the en- See News Viewpoint: page 6 Robert Wood said Lanskail was ‘*governing like Genghis Khan.” And West Vancouver artist Daniel Izzard’s called the mayor’s at- titude ‘totally ccntemptible.”" In order to make the golf course financially feasible, West Vancouver has applied to the pro- vincial government to transfer a restrictive covenant from a por- tion of the golf course site to the 22 acres of old-growth forest the course’s developer has agreed to set aside. The covenant restricts the land to recreation use, which excludes golf courses, and limits leases to five years or 20 years, subject to a referendum. Izzard said that he was working behind the scenes to stop the municipality's application. While the transfer of the cove- nant from land that is largely se- cond growth made ‘‘perfect sense’ to Lanskail, Izzard charged that to have proceeded with the golf course studies and plans in preparation for the development prior to removal of the restrictive covenant was ‘‘irresponsible.** Students from West Van- vironment. And Friends of Cypress repre- sentative Paul Hundal challenged council to save all of the old- growth trees on the site, rather than just the 22 acres already set aside. Council members were aiso grilled on whether any of them were financially associated with the development. But the charges were firmly denied. Although the proposed golf course has received enthusiastic support from golfers, with hun- dreds already lining up to buy course memberships, Collingwood School teacher Bob Mallett con- tinued to discredit the plans to allow 50 per cent public play. “If the municipality wants a skating rink, it pays for it. If we want a golf curse, we should pay for it,” he said. But Bill Humphries said the golf course would benefit the community. “What excites me with this is the opportunity to develop some of the surrounding lands so that people can enjoy the area - which they aren't doing naw,"* he said. index 88 Automotives WS Classified Ads @ Ecolnfo @ Editorial Page B Mailbox @ Paul St. Pierre B Rex Weyler @ What's Going On @ Home & Garden Weather Friday. cloudy with sunny breaks. High 14. Saturday and Sunday. mostly sunny. Highs 13-14. Low 5. Second Class Registration Number 3885 Friday. October 5, 1990 - North Snore News - 3 "NEWS photo Nell Lucente A BILL in the boot from three-and-a-half-year-old Cameron Baird goes toward fighting Muscular Dystrophy. North Vancouver District firefighter Robert Howell (right) was one of many firefighters collecting last weekend for the annual Muscular Dystrophy drive. The firetighters raised $9,300. The price of p NV City Council debates the advantages and disadvantages of park creation and dedication MEMBERS OF North Van- couver City Council wrangled Monday night over the estimated $5- million price tag for creating two new parks in the municipality. By Pamela Lang Contributing Writer The cost of maintaining those parks was also disputed as council approved a parks referendum in- formation sheet. which will be available to the public prior to a Nov. 17 referendum on whether to dedicate two existing parks and two new parks in the city. While staff estimates show that at least $5 million in’ revenue could be generated through lot sales of the two areas that are not currenly designated as parks, Ald. Frank Morris disputed the accuracy of their information. Morris said) that) at current market vafues, the lot sales of the study aren adjacent to Loutet Pack would add up to less chan $3 million. He estimated that the highest possible development value of the land would be $3.5 million rather than the $5.5 million estimated by city stage, But city administrator Gerry Brewer said the fizures on the in NORTH VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL which he and formation sheet, prepared, were reviewed cross-checked by city staff. “Staff has done a good job of demonstrating that parks don't come cheap,"’ said Ald. Bill Bell, adding that the cost doesn’t make them less necessary. And while she conceded that the costs of park development and lost land sales may be high, Ald. Stella Jo Dean said the city needs accessible parks. “ In addition to outlining the casts af developing and maintain- ing the parks, the city’s informa- tion sheet provides values of the land if sold for development and values of the land as parkland: ® Louter Park at I4th Street and Rufus Avenue: 17,22 acres. Zoned for park, and designated as such by the Official Community Plan (OCP). Annual maintenance costs: $42,400. e Eastview Park in’ the Cedar Village area at Rufus Drive: 6.86 weres. Zoned and designated by the OCP as a park. Cost to de- velop as a passive park: $100,000, Annual maintenance costs: $19,000, @ A Ldd-aere block of band at 23rd Street and Ridgeway Avenue. Zoned as parkland, but its OCP See Nat page 5 arks "ark specs DEDICATING the four new North Vancouver City areas outlines in the city's informa- tion sheet as parks would have specific benefits and costs: Beneiits: ®a sense of urban forest en- joyed by residents and visitors: *preservation of forested lands and development of parks consistent with what has become ‘‘an issue of increasing interest to municipal govern- ment and the public:"”” *diversification of open space systems contributing to the health of the community; *the control of noise and air pollution, conservation of energy, prevention of soil ero- sion, and provision of wildlife habitats provided by green spaces. Costs: *loss of approximately $5 mil- lion in potential revenue to be added to the city's Tax Sales Lands Reserve Fund through Jot sales of the two areas not currently designated as parks; eloss af approximately $600,000 in: uddidional annual interest income from the Tax Sales Linds Reserve Fund: eand the loss of 50 additional single-family housing units chat could be built on the two areas not designated as parks.