THE City of North Vancouver's council balked Monday at the prospect of forming a task force to study a sweeping development proposal for the Harbourside lands, preferring to let a new council examine the issue in 2012.
The waterfront lots immediately south of the Northshore Automall are primarily owned by Concert Properties. The developer first pitched plans for a large new mixed-use complex, with homes for more than 1,000 people and roughly 370,000 square feet of office space, in June of 2009. Despite a lukewarm response from council, Concert has pressed ahead with rounds of public consultation and has an application filed to amend the city's official community plan. Key debate issues have been the introduction of residential units in an area earmarked for commercial and industrial uses, the potential of creating traffic bottlenecks, and the need to provide services to what would essentially be a new neighbourhood.
In July, council debated whether to allow Concert to continue to lead the public discussion or to set up a cityled task force comprised of staff and nearby residents and businesspeople. Council eventually endorsed the task force option unanimously.
In his written report to council, community development director Richard White said the task force would cost city taxpayers up to $60,000, but noted that Concert was willing to take on some of those costs. That set off alarm bells for Coun. Rod Clark.
"I supported going to a task force but I certainly wouldn't support approaching the developer for the money to fund a staff person to conduct this work," he said. "I think that's foolhardy. Obviously if the developer is paying the freight, he's going to want something that supports his case. And I can make the case that all the way through, the developer has slanted statistics, slanted public input and all the rest of it to suit his own ends."
Clark, who has long argued against bringing residential and other uses to industrial lots, said the Harbourside plans should be an election issue and also part of the city's overall OCP review process.
Coun. Pam Bookham agreed, saying it was "a clear conflict of interest" for Concert to bankroll the task force. The landowners, she added, should not even have representatives on the task force.
Coun. Bob Fearnley, however, thought his colleagues' fears were misplaced. "If they build residential, they are going to profit hugely by that," he said. "Why should the city have to pay for that work? Staff will influence what direction that task force takes. They're going to be providing information and they're going to be doing it with direction from council. "
Coun. Guy Heywood suggested the issue be put on hold until January, which was approved 4-3 with support from Clark, Bookham, and Coun. Mary Trentadue.
balldritt@nsnews.com
