Northian attracts positive feedback at first | NVD meeting New $25.5M golf course, neighborhood development THE PROPOSAL for the massive $12.5 million Northlands golf course de- velopment and its surround- ing $13. million neighbor- hoed plan has thus far gen- erated little negative backlash in North Van- couver District. By Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer And Mayor Murray Dykeman is already anticipating that the plan will be sent to bylaw. Last Thursday night, the first of two public information meetings organized by North Vancouver District Council drew a friendly crowd of under 100 to Hand- sworth secondary school. District planning and engineer- ing staff, together with repre- sentatives from The Golfcorp Consortium, which is responsibte for the preferred Northlands con- cept, spent two hours answering questions from the public on issues that included: @ traffic access and parking; @ the location of the develop- ment’s secondary school; @ financing; © the Hyannis Drive extension; @ whether the Urban Reserve Lands north of the Hyannis Drive extension are scheduled for devel- opment; @ the grade and contouring of the golf course. While some property owners close to the proposed 295-acre (119-hectare) site felt that far too much was being ‘‘crammed into the development’? the majority expressed support for the concept of a golf course. Even residents of Hyannis Drive who were lobbying hard against the proposal to extend their road east to connect with Mount Seymour Road said that they had no problem with the development proposal “provided that it doesn’t end up fooking like Tempe Heights." The residents fear that a through connection will destroy a ‘sense of neighborhood in Blueridge and create a traffic safety hazard as residents negoti- ate steeply graded driveways onto Hyannis Drive. The Northlands site is bounded by Mount Seymour Road to the east, Northlands Drive to the west, an extended Hyannis Drive to the north and Mount Seymour Parkway to the south. NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL Lennea Lingle told the News that she had recently returned from Los Angeles with her children to enjoy the trees and mountains of the North Shore. She said she loved her ‘‘tight community’? and was ‘‘proud to belong,’” but she feared that district staff were not listening to the residents. “Engineering and planning both say that they are doing it (connec- ting Hyannis) for us, but don’t seem to hear us wher we say that we don't want it,”” said Lingle. Mayor Murray Dykeman told the concerned residenis that these types of local issues could be worked out ‘within the communi- ty’? rather than debating them “‘when il goes to public fiearing."’ Asked whether he meant ‘if’ it goes to public hearive,"’ since council has yet to deba's whether to send the neighborhord plan to bylaw, Dykeman responded, ‘‘! don’t think there is much doubt about a public hearing. there has been no swell of community op- position to the proposal."’ Whether the community has seen and understood the proposal was the reason for Thursday's in- formation meeting. The district has only just mailed an information sheet and ques- tionnaire tc all its residents, and under a staff plan for pubiic feedback all responses are to be tabulated together with the responses from the two informa- tion meetings and letters already on file. Golf course proponents, some of whom could be seen filling in more than one questionnaire at the Oct. 8 meeting, fear that a delay of even a couple of months in the public process would set back the course opening by far more than those two months at the end of construction. Wayne Carleton of Graham Cooke and Associates, the course architects, confirmed that if stak- ing and land clearing could begin in January 1993, the course could open between June and September 1994, But Carleton also agreed that any delay in starting construction would result in time spent waiting to plant grass and watching it grow. The next Northlands public in- formation meeting will be held at Windsor secondary school, 931 Broadview Dr., on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. aE Le Index B® Lifestyles North Shore Now @ What's Going On ......58 Weather Thursday, sunny. Friday, mostly cloudy. Highs 13°C, Lows 5°C Canadian Publications Mait Sales Product Agreement Number 0097238 > eye Be | th 7 i Bay : . Ste NEWS photo Mike Wakolleld NORTH VAN City firefighters (left to right} Dave Merrill, Dave Burgess and Gavin Soanes recently visited Westview elementary school with their department's tire safety house. The kids fearned about the importance of smoke detectors and home fire drills. Liberals confront Mitchell WV MLA vows to continue active support of Charlottetown Accord THE B.C. Liberal caucus was scheduled to meet late Tuesday to decide the fate of West Vancouver-Garibaldi Liberal MLA David Mitchell, who has come under attack by several party members for his decision to actively cam- paign in support of the Charlottetown constitutional ac- cord. While Liberal leader Gordon Wilson and the majority of the Liberal caucus have voted to op- pose the constitutional package, Mitchell and three other Liberal MLAs have said they will support the deal. On Tuesday morning, Mitchell ‘said he was looking forward to the caucus meeting. He said he had severa! questions for Liberal party members. “Pl be seeking confirmation that we will have a free vote in the legislature on the constitution issue. I’m hoping that the caucus will come out of this meeting with a position favorable to all,” said Mitchell. By Surj Rattan News Reporter He added that he would also seek confirmation from the Liber- al caucus that all party MLAs would be given the independence to vote on the constitutional ac- cord as they see fit. Mitchell said he will not back down from his decision to actively campaign in support of the deal, “I was elected as a Liberal, and I intend to serve as a Liberal. My fellow caucus members know my position on it (constitutional ac- cord). I intend to speak out on this issue. “IT think there is room for lati- tude within the party,’’ said Mit- chell. Mitchell’s constituency associa- tion has also thrown its support behind his decision to campaign in support of the constitutional ac- card. North Vancouver-Seymour Liberal MLA Daniel ‘Jarvis, the Liberal’s caucus chairman, said there are several options open to the caucus on how to deal with Mitchell, one of those being not to do anything. “Another option is to censure him — to kick him out of the caucus without any privileges where he would be on his own completely. We can’t stop him from being a Liberal because he was elected a Liberal,”’ said Jar- vis. No decision on Mitchell’s fate had been made to press time Tuesday. Jarvis said the Liberal party must become united so it can do its job “properly as the official Opposition. a SS A i er eevee