July 1, 1990 News 985-2131

Classified 986-6222

Distribution 986-1337 48 pages

25¢

CANADA
CELEBRATES

. Spiritually
Speaking Feature

Page 17

Golf course slammed

BRUSKIEWICH WANTS |
REFERENDUM ON
NORTHLANDS PLAN

A GOLF course in the Northlands area of North Van-

couver District will gut

the | original

vision for the

municipality’s Seymour area and exert further pressure on
district plans for big-ticket capital spending projects lined
up for the next few years, according to a member of the
North Vancouver District Advisory Planning Commission

(APC).

Patrick Bruskiewich is also lob-
bying for a public referendum to
be held on the Northlands golf
course issue.

Although the APC as a whole
has advised North Vancouver
District Council not to proceed
with the golf course proposal,
council endorsed earlier this
month a proposal that would see
an 18-hole regulation size golf
course in the 69-hectare Nor-
thlands area.

While in-camera, council also
supported a housing density ob-
jective of 1,000 dwelling units and
the principle that the project’s fi-
nancing be arranged so that the
golf course is established as a
public facility under district con-
trol. Financing would not exclude
private participation.

But Bruskiewich maintains that
the change from the original plan
for the Seymour area, which was
comparatively low density and in-
cluded a public park and = the
area’s central services, will mean a
loss of lot sales to the district at a
time when land sales have already
slumped throughout the
municipality.

“In this community there has
always been the perception that
we can always rely on our land
bank to fulfill the needs of our
capital budget costs,’’ Bruskiewich
said. “But we're slipping into a
recession and we’re not getting the
land sales we were predicting.
There is a crunch occurring. And
we have a number of very impor-
tant public works projects on the
boards.””

Bruskiewich maintains that
despite higher housing densities,
the district stands to lose about
$57 million in potential land sales
revenue with the golf course.

An earlier consultant’s report to
the district assessing a North
Shore Public Golf Course Society
(NSPGCS) proposal for a 125-acre
golf course concluded that such a
recreational development would
take $32 million from the district's
Jand bank as valued in 1989
dollars.

But said) North Vancouver
District Mayor Marilyn Baker,
“The final figures about how
that’s going to be worked out are

INSIDE: ise

VINTAGE YEARS:

By MICHAEL BECKER
still under way. Council has given
direction about how many housing
units are going into that area and
obviously a good portion of that
is private property. It’s premature
to make any observations about
an immediate lack of land sales
and lost land revenues there.

“*What we had done is said,
‘AH right, if there were a 1,000
housing units in that area, how
could we accommodate the golf
course and a similar 1,000 units.’
Council are still wrestling with
that one,"' she added.

Baker agreed that present soft
land sales are putting a lid on cap-
ital spending, but pointed out that
capital expenditures are not based
on projected land sales.

“*We operated our land sales
program on the basis that once
the money is in hand you go
ahead,”’ she said.

Baker argues that major pro-
jects planned by the district are
basically on track.

Funds established in the 1990
budget to pay for about $400,000
worth of design work for an ap-
proximately $9 million municipal
hall expansion are in place. Funds
for the $5 million to $6 million
Karen Magnussen pool project
were set aside in previous years.

Funding for a new multi-million
building to house North Van-
couver RCMP in the 13th and
Lonsdale area remains to be settl-
ed.

“Our council is saying, is it ap-
propriate that we cough up some
cold hard $6 million plus to invest
in the City of North Vancouver or
should we perhaps be making
some kind of lease arrangement?”’
Baker said.

NSPGCS spokesman Don Davis
would not say if he supperted the
principle of taki1.g the golf course
proposal to public referendum. ‘I
think we've convinced the public.
! just don't think we've convinced
Patrick Bruskiewich. Echink that’s
up to council to make thar deci-
sion. Patrick Bruskiewich ts

‘fighting a brush fire that has al-

ready burned over top of him.”’

peri g et
ty acon te nf 8

"NEWS photo Stuart Davis

SCHOOL’S OUT! And these Lids from Ridgeway School don’t look as if they’re

planning on coming back.

motorists should be especially

ow that summer is here and more children are outside,

careful on the roads.

MES

- CKTAILS & CAVIAR: 18