A new townhouse complex will be coming to Mount Seymour Parkway, with the promise of affordable housing also coming down the road soon.
On Monday, July 21, District of North Vancouver council narrowly approved an application to build 46-units of strata townhomes on 3374-3380 Mount Seymour Parkway and 3382-3396 Gaspe Place.
Two of the seven lots are district-owned and will be sold as part of the project. Coun. Catherine Pope made an amendment to the motion to direct funds from the sale of district land only to deeply affordable or social housing in the area, working with a non-profit organization on projects that could include buying existing homes. The motion passed 4-3, with Couns. Betty Forbes, Lisa Muri and Jim Hanson opposed.
In May, council rejected the townhouse application and sent it back to staff with feedback that two lots of district-owned property should be excluded from the development. Council also brought up concerns about parking, tree loss and asked for clarification on accessibility.
Staff shared a presentation to council last week on the updated proposal addressing their concerns.
The townhouse structure will stay the same, spanning across eight, three-storey buildings. There will be six two-bedroom and 40 three-bedroom units ranging from 900 to 1,700 square feet. Each unit sold has a parking spot. The applicant also offered a 100 per cent subsidy for a one-month, two-zone transit pass per unit if requested to help lower car dependency and encourage transit use for new residents, according to a staff report.
The applicant also proposed replanting nearly 100 trees on site and along Mount Seymour Parkway, and providing $50,000 towards future Spirit Trail improvements.
For accessibility, the plan includes: one unit having ramp access from the corner of Mount Seymour and Gaspe Place; four lock-off suites; 15 with stair-free travel from parkade through an elevator; and three accessible parking spaces close to the elevator.
Council also raised concerns about the potential displacement of existing tenants on the current lots. The applicant said existing tenants can have the right of first refusal to purchase one of the units with a five per cent discount, four months of free rent and a moving expenses allowance. Three tenants on the site qualify, staff said.
Before the motion was debated at council, many from the surrounding area spoke against the plan.
Nearby resident Suzette Elgar said residents in the neighbourhood don’t want the proposal to go forward.
“We fully understand and support the need for more affordable housing on the North Shore, but it must be done in a way that preserves the district’s unique character,” Elgar said. “This proposal brings numerous drawbacks for current residents. Reduced greenery and natural environment, increased traffic congestion, further strain on limited parking and years of disruption during construction – the impact would significantly degrade the quality of life for our entire community."
Selling land to buy land doesn’t make sense, councillor says
After hearing the changes and Pope's amendment, some council members were in favour, while others were still against the proposal.
Coun. Herman Mah said he supports the proposal and directing funds from the sale of district land to affordable housing.
“I would generally not support selling district land, but there are exceptions,” Mah said. “One, when the district cannot use it for other purposes, and two, when the district can strategically use the proceeds from the sale to acquire other lots.”
Muri said the affordable housing idea sounds great, but argued the process to reach that goal doesn’t make sense.
“You’re basically selling land to turn around and buy land to create affordable housing,” Muri said. “I don’t understand why we would be selling land to buy land, that makes absolutely no sense in today’s market.”
Muri also suggested that an affordable housing project on the western side of the municipality would be a better option as there is little in the area.
Forbes said she can’t support the amendment as she doesn’t support the original proposal. She also raised concerns with the long wait process to bring that affordable housing project to the North Shore.
“When you start going for social or supportive housing, it requires the funding – which is usually the provincial government – and it requires a non-profit operator to run it,” Forbes said. “So to get those two other partners on side with us, we run into it taking four, five, maybe even six years before you get that housing.”
In response to council’s comments, Pope said that the amendment doesn’t limit the planning but just makes it more specific.
Mayor Mike Little said it’s rare for him to support dispensing public land, but if they are, offering affordable housing is the goal.
“This particular amendment happens to work towards that objective, so I'll be supportive of the amendment,” Little said.
Staff will come back to council in the fall with options on how to go about an affordable housing project.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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