pean eed NEWS photo Paul McGreth THE District of West: Vancouver is contemplating a com- .prehensive zavicw of the future of the undeveloped lancs abova the Upper Lovels tighway.’ iy ELAL he NE DOUGLAS BY MICHAEL BECKER PUPrrrerevarrrrsTrrerresirrcrrs News Editor SHOULD you find yourself away from the North Shore, the next time you are in Vancouver, say, and gazing wistfully across the water towards home, pay par- ticular attention to the West Yancouver side of that fabulous mountain backdrop. You can’t help but notice the housing development above the Upper Levels Highway is creeping inex- orably westward. Today you can see several large swaths of land denuded and ceady for more mil- lion-dollar mansions, [t's not hard to imagine a comtinuous strip of big houses across the hillside clear out to Horseshoe Bay. The District of West Vancouver is in the process of grappling with a sugyestion fram its staff for a comprehensive review of the future of the undeveloped lands above the highway. Beoween 1954 and 1992 at feast 13 reports and studies have focused on the area. As late. as 1990 the muniipality did- n’teven have detailed maps of the slopes defining the area. About 1,800 acres of vacant land sit “below the 1,200-foor contour (tradition- ally the upper limit for development) of West Vancouver. Most of it is owned by British Pacific Properties. It's the rich and powerful company that built the British Properties, the Park Royal shopping cen- tre and the Lions Gate Bridge. Over the decades since it acquired its Ast future and financial success for her clients are her goals. Elaine Douglas, president of the Financial Fitness Group Inc., is a registered financial planner with over 13 years experience. In addition to her private clients, Elaine reaches courses'on investment and personal financial management for North Shore Continuing Education. Active in comtnunity service during her 27 yeass as 4 resident of the North Shore, Elaine has been PTA president and assisted on the executive of many other local gioups. She is a member of the Better Business Bureau, North Shore Women Mean Business, the Western Businesswomen’s Association and the Vancouver Board of Trade. Currently, she is President of the B.C. Association of Financial Planners. Elaine can be contacted at Financial Group Inc. - 1600, 500 West Pender St., Vancouver, B.C. V6C-2V8 926-6207/689-7966 substantial holdings in West Vancouver, the company has slowly, but persistently pursued its option to turn wilderness acreage into stately subdivisions. First came the British Properties in the 1930s. The Chartwell subdivisions, west of the British Properties were developed throughout the 1960s and 1970s, In the 1980s Westhill and Cypress Ridge subdi- visions were created. In recent years, Chartwell was extended, Camelot subdivi-’ sion was put in and the Canterbury subdi- visions took shape. This year British Pacitic Properties submitted a subdivision appli- cation to West Vancouver tc create a six-acre parcel of land for a proposed Collingwood Schoo] private cle- mentary schoo! cast of Chairlift Road, by Wentworth Avenue in the Marr Creek neighborhood. Ina May report to council, a West Vancouver commu- nity planner points out that “recent development pro- sosals on these lands have exposed a range of issues on which no formal municipal position exists... “The municipality is lett to react tothe development proposals of the. applicant rather than being in a position to lead the ‘applicant in a direction which achieves mutual benefits for both parties.” The staff report calls tor the creation ofa plan, with public involvement, to guide development in this important area of the municipality. The challenge of today has its roots in what might rightfully be ragged B.C.’s all-time great land deals. West Vancouver’s Peter Finch. managing director of British § Properties, is the keeper of the co history. The story Finch tetis begins in mer of 1931 when a Mr. Greenwg jawyer, and a Mr. Bland, a financi sor left England to travel on the § voyage of the Empress of Britain, ship of the C.P. flcet. The pair wer cial advisors to members of the G family, a name most notably artac! tine Trish be The two't across Cana “ADT. Tay ‘engineer, |: Victoria, whoa later launch Pacific, Pr and become president. : The next ti are. stalled i on Taylor We may muse ug fact thar the named: afte The: Lions§ Bridge is ; ity thanks in large part to Taylor's The group investigated a nu possible business projects as’ thes their. way across the country. In B ‘Jooked ata pulpand hydro project a River. They also considered’a pro purchase land in West Vancouver a bridge across the First. Narr Burrard Inlet. a See Development ccessorie PS Vancouver ¢ North Vancouver ° Langley « Victoria NORTH VANCOUVER: 1615 Lonsdale Ave., V7M 255 986-6911