First stage of Windridge plans panned Rezoning changes upset residents PLANS FOR the first stage of the Windridge Centre were generally condemned by area residents at a public hearing held Tuesday night at North Vancouver District Hall. By Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer “‘What I see is a little fragmented piece of crud,’’ said district resident Rob Dalton in reference to a conceptual sketch of the possible site layout provid- ed by planning staff. Dalton and other residents were upset that rezoning is moving Proposed Windridge Centre Development FROM: RESIDENTIAL RH TO: COMMERCIAL FROM: RESIDENTIAL RX TO: INSTITUTIONAL UY ee FROM: COMMERCIAL TO: INSTITUTIONAL ahead on part of the 20-acre site with no comprehensive plan in place for the other components to be developed in the future. The site is located on the south side of Mount Seymour Parkway west of the proposed Berkley Road extension. Future develop- ment is expected to spread eastwards towards the Ron An- drews recreation centre. Proposed zoning changes will split the five-acre site at issue into two parcels. The smaller one-acre site, adja- cent to the Berkley Road inter- change, will house what planning staff describe as ‘‘a prominent building to signal the entrance to Windridge Centre.”’ Although the land has yet to de leased and architectural plans have yet to be submitted for approval, district planning staff expect a four-storey building containing a mix of retail, office and residen- tial apartment units for the site. District municipal planner Irwin Torry said the apartments could house employees of the seniors’ care facility proposed for larger four-acre site. Most area residents said that they were not opposed to the con- cept of the 200-bed multi-level- care facility proposed by the the. NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL Kiwanis organization for the site, and some spoke enthusiastically about the environment at the Kiwanis Lynn Manors. But several speakers questioned the need for further commercial development in Seymour at this time. Said Berkley Road resident John Chase, ‘‘I have seen nothing yet to convince me that we need further commercial development in the area.” Chase also criticized the ‘*piecemeal’’ approach to planning the Windridge development with “no definite proposal for Lot A or east of Berkley.”’ “I do think that the onus is on you to develop that comprehensive neighborhood community plan in which we all have a stake,’’ con- cluded Chase. Several aldermen appeared sympathetic. “We are just looking at a limited piece of the site,’ said Ald. Janice Harris. Ald. Joan Gadsby asked, ‘‘How can people ask intelligent ques- tions when they do not have the details?”’ The district is just about to seek a planning consultant through a proposal call to update a 1988 commercial review. Torry told the News that Jand use changes; consequently, such a review is needed to identify the amount of land required for commercial development. Torry, however, does not expect the review to be complete before the end of the summer. But Don Preston, Kiwanis Care Homes Ltd. board chairman, told council that the care facility could stand alone without the support of commercial development, despite the economic benefit of sharing servicing costs that such a joint development would allow. “If we get turned down on this site then we go back to square zero and the need is still there,” said Preston, Preston told council that Lynn Manors never has vacant beds and that many of the people on its waiting list are longtime North Shore residents. Some residents protested the loss of an area that to many has become a natural park. Janet Hobbs described the plans as ‘‘a tremendous loss for the whole community’? and ‘‘very short-sighted.”* Hobbs said that trying to ex- plain her point of view to plan- ning staff at a public information meeting was a strange experience. “The notion that green space might be worth preserving did not seem to compute with them,"’ said Hobbs. The zoning and community plan changes will be considered by council at its next full meeting on March 23. 19 31 3 Cocktails, & Caviar HM Comics ... @ High Profiles @ High Tech 26 @ Lifestyles @ Miss Manners 88 Sports Travel Weather Monday and Tuesday, cloudy with a chance of showers. Highs 13°C, Lows 3°C. Second Class Registration Number 3885 croft general manager Trevor Bebb’s asgertion that the buildings did not cool down, several residents said they spent a chilly Wednesday night in the complex. Layoffs loom at NV shipyard More jobs needed to keep workforce employed VANCOUVER SHIPYARDS Co. Ltd. will be forced to lay off workers if the North Vancouver-based company does not find any more ship construction and repair jobs’ soon, a company Official said Thursday. The shipyard is nearing comple- tion of the Ferry Corp. (BCFC) vessel Queen of Cumberland, the sister ship to the Queen of Capilano which Van- couver Shipyards built last year. The Queen of Cumberland is expected to be completed April 25 and will be used on the Gulf Island ferry routes. But Vancouver Shipyards gen- eral manager Tom Ward said the shipyard must find more work soon or it will be forced to start laying off its current workforce of 360 people. The shipyard employed 750 people in mid-1991. Ward said he has been actively pursuing shipbuilding and ship repair contracts in Europe, but he added that it is too early to say whether any work will be coming to the North Vancouver shipyard. Meanwhile, Vancouver Ship- yards expects to spend about one By Surj Rattan News Reporter week repairing BCFC's Queen of Alberni. The ferry’s bow section and main and upper car decks were damaged when the ferry collided with a Japanese bulk carrier in thick fog early Thursday morning near the Tsawwassen ferry termi- nal. The local built the 295-vehicle, passenger ferry in 1976, The ferry arrived at Vancouver Shipyards late Thursday after- noon. It was struck by the deep-sea freighter Shinwa Maru as_ the freighter was leaving the Roberts Bank coal terminal bound for Japan. “We won't be hiring any new shipyard originally 1,170- people for the ferry repair job, but it’ll mean there won’t be any layoffs while we repair the vessel,’ said Ward. ‘‘The marine surveyors will do the survey in the morning (Friday) and by the time B.C. Ferries decides what they want done we'll have all the basic information.’’ Ward said the ship’s galley was also damaged in the crash. A 20-foot hole was ripped in the Shinwa Maru’s hull. The freighter was expected to arrive in Burrard Inlet Friday afternoon. Vancouver Shipyards has been asked to inspect the vessel. Ward said only temporary repairs can be done to the freighter because it is loaded with coal. The coal will first have to be unloaded in Japan before perma- nent repairs can be made. Eighteen people on board the ferry were taken to hospital. To press time Friday only one person remained in hospital. The Canadian Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.