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North Vancouver's Maplewood plan largely supported at public hearing

It’s the last major piece in the puzzle when it comes to development in the District of North Vancouver for the foreseeable future. Council will soon vote on the Maplewood village centre plan following a public hearing Tuesday night.
maplewood

It’s the last major piece in the puzzle when it comes to development in the District of North Vancouver for the foreseeable future. Council will soon vote on the Maplewood village centre plan following a public hearing Tuesday night.

The plan area encompasses 80 hectares of land along Dollarton Highway between the Seymour River and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation lands to the east.

Under the district’s 2011 official community plan, 75 to 95 per cent of the new growth is slated for four “village centres.” The goal is to create “complete” communities where residents have access to shopping, services, transit, work and school without having to drive. With development plans already well underway in Lynn Valley, Lynn Creek, and Lions Gate, Maplewood is the last village centre for implementation.

Unlike the others, the focus for Maplewood is primarily on jobs. Although the neighbourhood would contain 1,500 new condominium and townhouse units at full buildout, the plan includes 14 hectares of expanded light industrial land, 100,000 square feet of commercial space and a tech-focused “innovation district.”

District staff estimate that would mean 4,500 new jobs at 130 new employers on a million square feet of new business space.

About one-third of the new residential units are targeted to be “below market” and homes included in the innovation district would be reserved for those who also work there as a condition of rezoning.

Lost to redevelopment would be 250 older, purpose-built rental units, 16 existing businesses and about 16 hectares of trees.

The plan received mostly positive comments, at Tuesday’s public hearing with the badly needed increase in industrial land a common theme.

“I believe the district has a real opportunity to create industrial space in the Maplewood area and surrounding innovation district to help fix the current crisis businesses are facing in North Vancouver with vacancy rates being less than one per cent and rental rates rising,” industrial leasing specialist Matt Smith told council. “It’s becoming increasingly challenging for key industrial business to remain on the North Shore.”

The mix of commercial and residential space could also be used to woo major new employers, said commercial lease specialist Jason Teahen.

“From my perspective, it’s really about the district staying competitive in attracting office users and great companies to the district,” he said, noting office space is in high demand and there are tech companies eyeing moves to Metro Vancouver. “The amenities in this plan and what’s being proposed in this area will really put the District of North Vancouver in a great position to land some of those major tenants that are coming to the Metro Vancouver market. Part of that is having the opportunity for employee housing close to the office.”

The Maplewood plan also had an ally in the public health sphere. Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, the North Shore’s medical health officer, said the Maplewood plan’s walkability, proximity to public transit, places for social connectivity and play for children were all in keeping with the healthy communities partnership agreement the district signed with Vancouver Coastal Health in 2011.

“Families with young children are increasingly finding it difficult to live on the North Shore and in the District of North Vancouver and are having to move to other parts of the Lower Mainland or other parts of the world, breaking bonds between families and increasing difficulties finding jobs in places where they live,” he said. “We see it really as a healthy community that really could support families with young children and help give them a place to live, work and play here on the North Shore.”

Though the plan was largely favoured by those who spoke, there were many lingering concerns. Among them: traffic impacts, risks to the local ecosystem, and whether it was wise to build more homes and workplaces so close to Chemtrade’s chlorine plant, which could become hazardous in the event of a leak or earthquake.

Deep Cove resident Peter Teevan warned that approving the plan would have impacts for drivers who live all points east.

“It is effectively painting the rest of the area east of Seymour into a corner. ... we will be trapped by increasing congestion,” he said, suggesting that could be mitigated if the district insisted that the developers phase their projects with residential towers coming last. “Build the industrial first. Build the jobs first. Build the infrastructure first. Add the density later.”

The Maplewood plan has the support of North Shore Community Resources’ community housing action committee, but several members turned out to prod council to use stronger language to ensure that the units are truly affordable and not just “below market.”

With the public hearing concluded Tuesday, council can no longer accept comments from the public, although they will receive a final briefing from staff to address the affordable housing and safety concerns before their vote. A date for that vote has not yet been scheduled.