Heavy lies the Crown Street rezoning.
Following a contentious, wide-ranging debate, District of North Vancouver council approved a six-storey, 47-unit residential development on four lots on the east corner of Crown Street and Mountain Highway Monday.
The IRCA Group development exposed “logic differences” among council, noted Coun. Robin Hicks.
“My logic says this is exactly the route we should follow and I can’t understand the other logic which says we shouldn’t build more, we should let prices go up and let traffic congestion worsen,” Hicks said.
Coun. Jim Hanson’s logic led him to a different conclusion, as he noted the traffic congestion in and around Mountain Highway.
“We have a transportation crisis and our response to it is just to say, ‘We’re going to put more people there,’” he said.
Besides a $100,000 community amenity contribution, the developer is also on the hook for approximately $352,000 in sewer improvements, putting Mountain Highway hydro lines underground and improving the Crown Street and Mountain Highway intersection.
Council has a problem with planning, according to Hanson, who suggested a cessation of development until concrete steps are taken to get traffic moving swiftly.
Those steps are already being taken, according to Mayor Richard Walton, who pointed to the district’s $53 million investment in roads and bridges as well as a “significant upgrade” planned for Phibbs Exchange.
“To say that the district is not stepping up and investing heavily into improving east-west flow of traffic is an understatement,” he said.
The district’s planning is backwards, according to Hanson.
“Wouldn’t it make sense to let the transportation investments unfold, see how much improvement they bring us, and then add the people - and not do it the other way around?”
The traffic problem doesn’t affect the residents of Lower Lynn as much as its affects commuters passing through Lower Lynn, according to Coun. Mathew Bond.
“When you’re actually in Lower Lynn and you want to get on the bridge, it’s really easy. If you want to get up to Lynn Valley, it’s really easy,” he said.
Bond also blasted the notion of a moratorium on development.
“I see it as a discrimination against those people in our community who actually need these types of housing options,” he said, noting there has been no call to stop the construction of new and bigger single-family replacement homes.
Bond likened the situation to running a business, suggesting that while you may make strategic changes based on new information, you don’t shut down your business to craft a new plan.
Hanson rejected the comparison.
“The business of North Vancouver district is not the facilitation of developers building condos,” he said. “The business of North Vancouver district is facilitating a livable community for its residents.”
Coun. Lisa Muri echoed many of Hanson’s points.
“I can’t support something without knowing all of the implication that may or may not come forward,” she said.
With the OCP in need of review and the district dealing with a scarcity of light industrial land, Muri said she felt council was making decisions “in isolation.”
Because the four lots in question are zoned for residential there is no loss of industrial land, Coun. Doug MacKay-Dunn pointed out.
“I realize there’s transportation issues, there’s congestion issues. But saying no to this project is not going to solve those congestion issues,” he said.
MacKay-Dunn addressed Hanson, noting a transportation network that includes five bus routes is already in place.
“I want young people to come to the district, make an investment, so they can support the rest of our housing stock,” he said. “I don’t want this to become a West Vancouver.”
Building town centres and acquiring improved transit go hand in hand, according to Coun. Roger Bassam.
“TransLink has been very clear: they will not put buses on our streets unless those buses will be filled,” he said.
Bassam also disputed Hanson’s call for a new transportation plan, noting the plan to turn the former Keith Lynn school site into a highway onramp as well as a multi-million dollar plan for the Second
Narrows bridgehead.
“I would say that qualifies as a plan that is being implemented.”
Approving the development is a “significant step” in revitalizing Lynn Creek Town Centre, according to Bassam.
“We need that housing supply. We need those transformations to start taking place – slowly – over the next 20 years, so that we can transform our community into something that’s viable for our children and grandchildren.”
The 64-foot tall building is slated to include 27 two-bedroom units, seven three-bedroom units, and 13 one-bedroom units.
The project was approved 5-2 with Coun. Muri and Hanson opposed.
The project is slated to be elevated nine metres above sea level to ensure the development isn’t at risk of flooding.
