4~- North Shore News - Friday. April 14, 2000 Big box st Marcie Goed Contributing Writer TWO big box stores in Lynn Valley developers. K’d for Lynn Valley mail Concerns raised over community impact Winners and Indigo Books are being tout- Centre have been approved by North Vancouver District council despite concerns that they don’t fit the vil- lage-like atmosphere residents have worked to promote. A development permit for the mall, approved on Monday night, will allow exten- sive changes to the exterior aimed at updating its image. It will also allow interior renovations to accommodate Winners, a discount clothing store, and Indigo Books. But council spent a long time discussing how far Bentall Development Services, the company that manages the mall, must go in meeting, the principles set out in the Lynn Valley community plan. The Lynn Valley streetscape guidelines, approved last week by council, set out specific measures of landscap- ing, building materials, and retail designs to achieve the pedestrian-oriented, rustic identity described in the Lynn Valley plan. The first test case of how those guidelines will be carried out drew comparisons between that vision and the reality of negotiating with ed by some as the anchors that will save the struggling mall, which has scen the departures of many stores, including IGA. Several small business owners urged council to approve the permit. “We have two sides that have got to fit together,” said Peter Webb, the owner of a cof fee shop in the mall. “If you don’t, then cen- tral Lynn Valley is going to die and then y' lovely plans will not be a great deal of us Much discussion concerned the exterior of Indigo Books, which is larger and more urban- jooking than the proponents of the Lyna Valley plan would like. Executives of the company have been unwilling to change the proposed shape of the roof, which is flat rather than sloped as the guidelines set out. “Indigo has a made-in-Toronto image which they want to keep,” said Robert Poburko, president of the Lynn Valley com- munity association. “I can tell you where they can keep it, and it’s nor here.” Because the qwo retail giants would attract Marijuana growers can be identified From page He said that the presence of newly-posted “beware of dog” and “no trespassing” signs could also point to sus- picious activity. “These aren’t the type of people who want to come and form friendships in the neighbourhood,” said Almas. “They don’t want you stop- ping by and bringing them apple pie. They want to go completely undetected.” He added that the grow- ers may appear to keep odd hours or not visit their home for days on end. The key point he stressed in his presentation, howev was prevention. Growers will often pay landlords in advance with cash, and may even include a handsome bonus to secure the property. He also said it was impor- tant to properly screen prospective tenants, ask for and check up on references and even drop by on moving day to ensure that the same people that rented the prap- erty were actually the people moving in. “We're asking you to treat your property like a busi- ness,” he said. “You've invested alot of money and it requires duc diligence. Remember that grow operations affect all of us. Some of you will be affected in your pocketbooks if you don’t follow these steps.” , Landlords may not only take the hit there, he added. “If you have knowledge or allow a marijuana grow operation to be housed i ‘your rental unit, whether you’re the owner, the land- lord or property manager, you can be subject to crimi- nal prosecution along with the growers.” Cpl. Andy Mendel of the forensic unit showed slides thar detailed some of the damage growers had done to Somes in renovating the mterior to accommodate a grow operation. One home suffered in ess of $60,000 damage. Floors had been ripped up and. ventilation pipes routed through chimneys and sew- ers, bathrooms were a mess of haphazard __ electrical wiring and complex irriga- tion systems and walls had suffered extensive water damage. Faulty wiring may also cause fires or serve to over- load power transformers, which could plunge entire neighbourhoods into dark- ness. “These people are not electricians,” said Almas. “You certainly wouldn’t hire them to do any work in your home.” West Vancouver Police Chief Constable | Grant Churchill said that while the recent increase in grow oper- ations is troubling, he believes there are even more yet to be detected. “The number of opera- tions has already doubled and f fear it could be much more than that,” he said. Churchill said that while there haven’t been any seri- ous violent crimes associated with grow operations in the Properties as yet, the threat is real. “When we make a raid we. find guns and a lot of money and when there are guns and a lot of money, vio- lence is right around the cor- ner.” He also said that while marijuana cultivation is noth- ing new to the North Shore, never before has he witnessed grow operations on such a large scale. Many labs can haul in more than a million dollars a year from just one profitable grow operation. That kind of payoff is proving to be a major moti- vator for growers to expand their operations and harvest a larger crop, he sa Constant biological retin- ing of the plant has aiso led to an increase in potency, which makes for a much more addictive substance. “People have been grow- ing marijuana in small amounts all over the place for years,” he said. “But the marijuana that — people smoked 30 years ago was weed. That’s what they called it and that’s what it was. Some of it was real crap. “This stuff is a serious JGE Schulk of Insurance Crime Prevention speaks at a West Vancou bourhooed marijuana grow operations. The workshop was heid at Co narcotic. It’s not just a soft drug anymore.” Churchill, who also serves as president of the BC Chief Constables Association, is pushing for stiffer fines for growers. He said that current penalties for growers are tan- tamount to a slap on the wrist, with orly small fines levied and jail sentences a rarity. “We have frustrations with the law as well,” he said. “We're not going to change the international drug trade, but we will drive it out of West Vancouver,” he said. Mary Lou Hanson, a real estate agent for Royal LePage in West Vancouver, said that the forum gave her some helpful tips to spot pos- sible grow operations. She said that the British Properties is a prime area for such activities, because of the seclusion of many houses on heavily-treed, — well-spaced lots. “There's a lot of privacy, and that’s exactly what these people are looking for when they come here,” she said. A colleague of Hanson's, Stewart Powell, made the trip from Victoria so he could be better informed whgn ppt jn his, community, » eae ebareasre ° people trom a wider area, he told council that traffic congestion will increase. He also ques- tioned whether big box stores would add to the local economy because studies have shown that pricing strategies can drive smaller busi- Nesses Out. Randy Knill, an architect: for Bentall Development Services, told council that sever- al aspects of its design would promote the vil- lage atmosphere. Several stores would be externalized” with windows and signs facing the street, landscaping completed according to the guidelines and Lynn Valley Road widened for cyclists. “Because the mall is not in good shape eco- nomically or architecturally, we have to take one step at a time to achieve the long-term goals of the Lynn Valley plan,” Kanill said. While raising concerns about the impa large retailers, Coun. Lisa Muri pointed out that council cannot prohibit them at the Lynn Valley focation. Because the zoning allows a wide range of commercial uses including big box stores, council has no legal reason to turn down the permit. But as passed by council, the permit includes conditions that Bentall had not previ- ously agreed to. They include revising the ele- vation of the reof on Indigo Books, installing pedestrian lights with decorative bases and contributing $30,000 towa. Js a full waffie si nal on Lynn Valley Road at che mall’s north entrance. Other requirements of the permit include: Ba detailed list of signs that must be approved by the planning department; Bia new 1.5-metre sidewalk at the curb with exposed aggregate material; B relocating existing street fights and adding decorative bases and banner arms; @ improving the pedestrian crossings at_owo entrances and three crossings of Lynn Valley Road with stamped asphalt. Doug McKay-Dunn was the only councillor to vote against the permit, arguing that the developer should make more concessions to meet the original vision of the plan. Mayor Don Bell was absent for the discussion, ciung possible conflict of interest because of his friendship with a business owner in the mall. Coun. Ernie Crist, who has argued for a comprehensive plan to re-route traffic, was assured by staff that the approval of the permit would not close the door on the possibility for a future pedestrian-oriented core. showing houses to prospec- tive buyers. He stressed that it’s a predicament much larger than just British Properties. “These grow operations aren't just unique to West Vancouver,” he said. "We have the same problems going on in Victoria as well.” ive! Powell would like to see real estate agents receive the proper training on how to spot potential grow opera- tions. “Within our profession there’s not enough people who recognize what's going on,” he said. “The (real estate) boards should do more training so that we’re NEWS photo Jutte Iversen ver Police workshop on detecting neigh- itingwood school. more aware when \/<’re out and about. “In our body we have a thousand realtors. [f you have a thousand realtors who are aware of what’s going on and what to look for, that’s 2° lot more bodies out on the street looking for these situa- tions.” ae Tired of wrinkled clothes? | f Our closet organizers are the perfect.solution for~ ° creating 2 better space to fit your whole. wardrobe. aft af i Conin unter $300) ?,, ; " Simplicity. 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