Sunday. September 5, 1999 - North Shore News ~ 3 north shore news _ SUNDAY FOCUS Deana Lancaster News Reporter deana@nsnews.cam MOST afternoons at + p-m., Roth Crameri and Rex Davidson can be found in their lounge, engaged in warm con- versation with any num- ber of guests. Alone ith strong Irish tea, Ruth mgnt serve homemade fruit croustadines — raspberry, blueberry, plum) and apricot, dong vith 2 dollop of whipped ercam — while strains of classi- cal music play softly ins the background, Discourse -- set amongst buctery walls, Persian carpets and fine antiques -— may wan- der from worthy local sights, to provincial politics, to which North Shore restaurant will provide the best dinner. This is Capilano Road's Thistle Down House, a three- year-old bed and breakfast ina thar offers a gentle introdue- tien to the community. “People don't come here to stay in a room,” says Davidson of the Crafisman-style home, built in 1920. “They want an experience — they want te learn about the conimunity.” There’s no doubt that stay- ing in someone’s home has advantages. On a recent rainy Tuetday, 9 Crameri and Davidson directed some U.S. guests to drive up the Sea to Sky Highway for che view of heavy skies and mist over Howe Sound, a stop at Shannon Falls, and lunch at Furry Creek Golf and Courity Club on the way back. They often send guests out on their favourite excursions: across the street to Capilano River Regional Park and the fish hatches y, for 2 walk through Edgemont Village or up to Girouse Mountain. Bu: the idea of tourists paying to stay in residential areas doesn’t sit well with everyone in the community. Many of the bed and breakfast operations on the North Shore were established in time for Expo *86, when local government suggested people open their homes to guests to alleviate the space crunch at hotels. At the time there were no bylaws governing their operation, and to this day no one seems exactly sure how many bed and breakfasts there are on this side of the inlet. For a few neighbours, their continued existence has become a thorny issue. Beginning in September 1996, a series of complaints about a R&B on Marine Drive in West Vancouver ied the municipality to add an amendment to the zoning bylaw which means “bed and breakfasts are essentially now illegal,” said Joel Lawson, assistant planner for the municipality. While existiag, B&B businesses of pvo rooms or less have been deemed “legal non-conforming,” anvone wishing fo open a new one would have to go through a rezoning process. ” “1 would be surprised if we get any applications. The rezoning process 1s difficult and expensive.” He added that B&Bs aren't a heavy use in West Van — he estimated their numbers at 10 to 12. Ellen De Man, who owns ivy Lane Cottage Bed and Breasfast in West Vancouver, called the bylaw amendment “hopeless,” and said the municipality’s B&B owners continue to fight an uphill battle for the right to run their businesses, “The rules and regulations we don’t mind ... if they're reasonable,” she said. She added that it’s hard to understand why the municipality has oudawed B&Bs. “If you open your home gracefully, and it’s clean and well presented, and you serve a good breakfast, the kind of guests you attract are superb. We send all our guests to focal eateries and local shops ... It is a win- win situation for the municipality.” - Lawson said West Van Council wasn’t trying to discourage B&B operations with the bylaw NEWS photo Paul lic& WEST Varicouver’s Ellen De Man in the garden of her Ivy Lane Cottage Bed and Breakfast: “It’s 2 win-win situation for the municipality.” NEWS photc Terry Peters REX Davidson and Ruth Crameri own ThistleDown House Bed and Breakfast in North Vancouver District. The couple say their guests choose to stay in a B&B, not for a room, but for an experience. amendment. “Bur they wanted to make sure any future B&Bs went through a public process ... that the neighbours would have a say.” North Vancouver District also adopted regulations in 1997 after neighbours ofa B&B complained about the number of cars parking, luggage in the street, people coming and going late at night and having strangers in the community. The bylaw reguiations included a maximum of three bedrooms for temporary rental accommoda- tion, 2 floor area af no more than 46 square metres (495 sq. feet) used for the business and an off streer parking space for cach guest roont as well as two for the occupants of the home. According to Davidson, who is the president of the newly formed District of North Vancouver's Red and Breakfast Operators Association, almost all of the 30 B&Bs in the district are now non-con- forming, “We want to be licensed — we never have been before. Before we opened we went to the district and asked what were the bylaws. We were told there weren’t any. We couldn't believe it.” But for Davidson and Crameri, who run five guest rooms which, along with hallways and a staircase, take up considerably more than 495 square feet, the current regu- lations are simply not realistic. Thac’s why the operators association formed — to approach the district sbout miak- ing the bylaws fit the business. In meetings with district staff, the possibility of having two classes of B&Bs, based on size, has arisen, A public information meeting, for both operators and area residents to talk informally about the issues, has been scheduled for Oct. 7. Meanwhile in North Vancouver City, B&Bs haven't been a problem. About five years ago, before either the dis- trict or West Vancouver made changes to their bylaws, the city added bed and breakfasts as an “accessory use” to one- family residences, said Francis Caouette, administrative manager of development services for the city. Two guest rooms are allowed, or theee ifthe home is listed in the city’s heritage inventory. “The thought being that it would provide additional income for some of these older homes which are larger and : niore expensive to maintain.” = ce Sa EAE He said although he’s nor sure how mam, B&Bs are : NEWS photo Torry Peters running in the city, “my sense is there are far more than are = TEA time at ThistleDown House licensed.” insiudes homemade pastries. But because the city deals with bylaw and rezoning issues on a complaine basis -— and there have never been any complaints ~- “it’s really a non-issue for us.” : Which wouldn’t surprise the owners of ThistleDown House. “You can’t be in this business if you don’t like people,” said Davidson. “Some of our neighbours come over for tea.” “Wher you think of the detinition ofa ‘bad neighbour’ you think of a junkyard around the house, lots of noise and parties ... A bed and breakfast is going to be the opposite,” added Crameri. Their house insurance premiums are lower as well — with someone always at home there is little risk of a burglary. “We're a good addition to Blockwatch,” she laughed. Bur there are still those who believe tourists should be put up in commercial, not residential, areas. “That really defeats the whole idea of bed and breakfasts. Our guests want to feel like they're stay- ing in our home,” said Crameri. Added Davidson: “As a community we have so much to offer ... and the tourists leave so much behind.”