WEST Vancouver has sent one developer back to the drawing board for a proposed senior's housing project along Taylor Way.
District council told the developers of Maison Seniors' Living project on Monday that the plan needs more review and the concerns of immediate neighbours need to be addressed.
The building, an assisted living and memory care facility proposed for 825 Taylor Way and 707 Keith Rd., is set to take over two lots currently designated as single-family housing. The proposal has caused some conflict with the surrounding residents, including Eden Place, a dead-end street that backs onto the site. Andrew Franks, an
Eden Place resident, is concerned about privacy issues as the building would overlook his backyard. "Our property will be significantly affected in terms of views, privacy and usability," said Franks, who has lived with his family on Eden Place for 13 years. "This amendment fundamentally undermines the Eden Place neighbourhood and
the greater Sentinel Hill neighbourhood."
Diamond Karim, also an Eden Place resident, said the new building could drastically affect property values in the area.
"The effect of this proposal on the value of the surrounding homes is large and negative," said Karim.
"The uplift from rezoning the property into commercial space would be significant. Some of it would throw back to West Vancouver through capturing the 'uplift' but none of it would throw back to people who own the property and live in their homes, they would bear the cost in the property values by themselves, this is not just."
Coun. Bill Soprovich agreed that the proposed building would be an intrusion on area residents' property values. "I don't like any commercial interest to go ahead and overpower the quality of life and the character of a neighbourhood in this community, specifically in this area," said Soprovich. "I know it's happened in others, but in this one, how can you have a wonderful cul de sac, a lead-in street which I've seen for years and then suddenly make a decision to just thwart that for everybody concerned?" The facility would house approximately 110 beds in a three-storey attached residence, along with a twostorey resident amenity and dining wing. The building would have 40 parking spaces, with 32 underground and eight surface spaces, but there is concern among area residents about parking and traffic congestion.
Coun. Trish Panz said that although she agreed the project needed to move ahead, more work needed to be done to address residents' concerns.
"It's always distressing to see your neighbourhood potentially changing in a direction that you didn't think when you originally committed to living in that neighbourhood," said Panz.
Coun. Mary-Ann Booth also agreed that residents' concerns should be addressed. "Our job is to balance the views of the immediately affected neighbours with the needs of the greater community," said Booth.
Booth said there is currently no such facility in West Vancouver and with an aging population in Dundarave and Ambleside the need would only increase.
"This is going to be the first, I would venture to guess, of several," said Booth. "We're into the first two years only of the baby boom, the wave of 18 years of the greying of North America, so this is the tsunami that's coming and we can't deny that."
The application is set to go back to West Vancouver's Design Review Committee, with further public input.
