Little Bunnies hopped into a brick wall Monday night, as District of North Vancouver council voted to deny the daycare's expansion.
The West Kings Road child care facility was hoping to double its enrolment from 10 to 20 children, but council kiboshed the application after hearing from neighbours who feel deluged by daycares.
"I believe that our neighbourhood has done more than its share accommodating already 36 daycare spaces," said James Gill, who lives adjacent to Little Bunnies Learning Centre.
Citing invasive noise as well as traffic and parking issues on Jones Avenue, six neighbours spoke against the expansion at a recent meeting. Eight parents took the side of the daycare.
"Myself and the many neighbours that appeared at public hearing don't dislike children, don't dislike the facility but do realize that increasingly the quality of life in our neighbourhood is continually being eroded," Gill said. "Cars arriving, doors slamming, children screaming during the day, parents talking across the street. .. this is day after day, week after week, and it never ends."
The daycare currently accepts children up to age three. Approval of the application would have allowed children up to age five at Little Bunnies.
While there are advantages to allowing children to stay in the same daycare, that is not the responsibility of the neighbours, Gill said.
"If there is a problem, that problem is on them. It is not on the neighbours who oppose this," he said.
While Gill was the lone speaker to oppose the expansion at Monday's meeting, he represents a large contingent, according to Coun. Lisa Muri.
"I do not think I have seen this level of opposition from a neighbourhood about an expansion," she said.
The decision was agonizing, according to Muri.
"It's a challenge for us to find a balance and not feel horrible," she said.
Most of the daycare centres in the Norwood Queens neighbourhood are at or near capacity, with nearby Little Rascals carrying a one-year waitlist.
The laws of supply and demand suggest council should allow the expansion, according to Ryan Sword, a parent with a child enrolled at Little Bunnies.
"There is currently an imbalance in both the City and District of North Vancouver where there's not enough supply," he said.
There is a daycare demand across the North Shore, but the supply should not be concentrated in one neighbourhood, according to Coun. Roger Bassam.
Approving the expansion would be denying homeowners of reasonable enjoyment of their properties, Bassam said.
Some praised Little Bunnies for its good quality care and low price.
"This seems like a beauty if you ask me," said neighbor Don Peters, who robustly called on council to allow the expansion.
Many parents need to cover a lot of distance to find a daycare, Peters said.
"I was struck by what I thought was a disconnect between the quality of this application and the recommendation to you to deny the application," Peters said.
District staff recommended council reject the proposal.
"I'm curious why the staff recommendation is to deny. That's not normal," Coun. Mike Little noted.
Council's responsibility is to "an absolutely hostage group of neighbours," Little said, sympathizing with the homeowners who would hear the sounds of babies and toddlers for years to come if the expansion were approved.
"That's 20 kids that aren't going to grow up. That's 20 kids that are going to be the same age, just turning over," Little said.
The expansion has support from a dozen neighbours, according to Little Bunnies founder Laya Shakery.
"If the district truly believes in its own policy and values the importance of quality of childcare and supports the far-reaching, positive impacts childcare can have in a community, why has it denied our request for expansion?" Council voted 4-2 to deny the application. Couns. Alan Nixon and Robin Hicks both discussed deferring the vote to facilitate greater discussion between the daycare and its neighbours.
Coun. Doug MacKay-Dunn did not attend the meeting.
