Purchase of lot fot upsets district residents

NVD approves $909,000 payment for vacant Deep Cove waterfront loi

By Martin Millerchip

Contributing Writer

DESPITE opposition from area resi- dents North Vancouver District Council has agreed to purchase an empty water- front lot for park purposes.

Council unanimously agreed Jan. 13 to the expenditure of $908,050 from the district’s Heritage Fund to buy Lot 6, Lowry Lane.

The lot sits between 594 and 614 Lowry Lane in the Dollarton/Deep Cove area.

Residents of the area emphasized three reasons for their opposition.

They questioned the wisdom of spending almost $1 millioa from the Heritage Fund at a time when the district has just gone to referendum for the authorization to spend $26 million for other capita! projects. din 4

They say up; costs, park maintenance an the toss of tax eeventee from residential use of the land will add to the associated costs.

They also pointed out the existing waterfront access in the area:

@ an existing 20 feet-wide lane access alongside lor 6 including path and stairs to the beach;

@ the waterfront park at the foot of Dollar Road one block to the south;

@ viewpoint water 4 access at the foot of Golf Road approximate- ly two blocks south:

a wittie” Cates Park and Cates Park proper three blocks to the sout

Some residents said they feared the undesirable use to which a new park on Lowry Lane could be put such as drinking alco- hol and dumping garbage. But Steve Baker, administrator for the estate that is selling the lot, told council the lor has been held for speculative purposes and sat empty since 1946. He said park use would be no change to what has been the underlying use of the property for years.

Under municipal control, said Baker, the esthetics will improve, reducing vagrancy in the area.

The lot has just been cleared for the first time in 12 years,

NORTH Vancouver District is buying a waterfront loi near Cates Park. Some area residents oppose the purchase.

Baker also pointed out that the property’s 1997 assessment panes the land at over $100,000 more than the district will pay or it

Mayor Don Bell told the meeting it was possible that the dis- trict could subdivide the property and sell a portion of the lot for residential purposes in order to recoup some of its costs.

Council members said the price is a good deal for the district as is.

“This is a f2bulous opportunity to move in the direction of the Waterfront Task Force recommendations,” said Coun. Janice Harris.

“We are doing this for the long term. If we keep owing, the people of the future are going to need this type of access,” added Coun. Trevor Carolan. Coun. Lisa Muri said she under- stood the residents’ concerns but said that council had to act for the benefit of the whole district.

She advised them to get involved in deciding what type of park should be created on the site.

Some of the residents are more interested in exploring legal challenges to the district’s move.

Teen tric attacks North Yan man in Lynn Valley F

By Anna Marie D’Ange!o and bruised, he staggered into QV.2eReaee SS ~—-~sCtthee: mall and made his way to

News Reporter the community _ policing

A mentaily-challenged _ office.

North Vancouver man rhe man was treated by . ambulance paramedics for

was attacked by three cuts to his head, knees and

teenzgers on Jan. 14 at

hands. He sustained large Lynn Valley Centre bruises to his head. The man mall.

was not hospitalized. “The victim has mental

The police did not release his name.

challenges which makes this

assault ail the more disturbing

to us,” suid North Vancouver

RCMP Const. Catherine

Galliford.

According to the police, the 32-year-old man was leav- ing the shopping mall through a door near the IGA Plus store when the teenagers approached him. One of the teens struck up a conversation with the man. Police say with- in a short time, the teens were taunting the man.

The man was pushed to the ground and two of the teenagers held him so that he couldn’r get up. The third teen punched the man abour six times in the head and face.

At this point, a motorist stopped his car and told the teens the police were coming.

The police say the uniden- tified motorist likely prevent- ed more injuries from being inflicted on the man.

The man got up. Bleeding,

The suspects are described as being 18-year-old Caucasian males who were dressed too lighdy for the cold weather, making the police suspect they “were not far from home.”

The puncher was described as being 1.75 m (5’9”), 64 to 68 kgs (140 -150 Ibs) with brown hair. He was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt. He wore a silver neck chain that had a circular pendant on it

IMRZAPIDLUBE $8 | I

1

about the size of a dime.

The second suspect wore a bluc jacket and the third sus- pect wore a blue windbreaker jacket.

The police want to speak to the motorist who stopped. Anyone with information is asked to call Const. Dick Walton at the North Vancouver RCMP 985-1311.

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