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July 28, 1989 News 985-2131 Classified 986-6222 Distributio

n 986-1337 84 pages 25¢

NEWS photo Terry Paters

A CYCLIST and a bear cub use the same route to head for the hills. The two were photographed on the road to the Seymour Dam in North Van- couver District’s Seymour Demenstration Forest earlier this week. The road is open to cyclists on the weekend and is a popular spot for a traffic-free |

ride.

NORTH VANCOUVER City Council has approved the building permit for another Lower Lonsdale highrise that will be across the street from the 28-storey development on the old St. Alice Hotel site and a block away from a pro- posed 15-storey development on the Olympic Hotel site.

In a special meeting held Wed- nesday night North Vancouver Ci- ty Ald. Frank Morris tipped the voting scales in favor of the permit with conditions for the Fama Holdings Ltd. development at 125 West Second St.

Conditions of the permit include

By ANNA MARIE D’ANGELO Contributing Writer

restricting the building’s height to 12 storeys and requiring Fama to appear before a public meeting to explain the proposed development.

The public meeting has been scheduled for Aug. 28.

Morris was absent from Monday night’s meeting, at which a resolu- tion to approve a building permit with attached conditions was defeated in a 3-3 council vote.

Had the permit with conditions not been approved by Aug. 4, when the 30-day deadline previous- ly set would have lapsed, the city would have been required to ap- prove a permit with no conditions attached or adopt the current pen- ding bylaw restricting building

heights in Lower Lonsdale to six storeys.

The city could have delayed ap- proving the building permit for another 60 davs, but would have been required to deal with the six- storey bylaw at that time. Failing passage of that bylaw, city hall could have been liable for legal damages from the developer.

The height restriction bylaw has only received first reading. Its final passage will depend on further public input and recommendations from the recently completed view-

tower reen light

study analysis.

“It is my understanding that there is no ability (for city council) to introduce a new bylaw within 60 days (to replace the pending bylaw restricting building heights to six storeys),’’ said Morris.

City planner Richard White said he understood the legal opinion by the city’s lawyer supporting Mor- ris’ view.

Council asked for legal advice after ‘‘deferring’’ the highrise See City Page 4

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