THE District of West Vancouver voted to take possession of two properties on Argyle Avenue last week in a bid to secure the waterfront for public use.
"I've been here six years," said Diana Mander, a renter in one of the properties. "It's pretty sad, but I understand."
The district started buying land at Ambleside's waterfront in 1975. If the expropriation of the lots at 1468 and 1472 Argyle Avenue is successful, the district will own 29 of the 32 lots near the beach.
Following the death of the owner of the Argyle properties two years ago, the district negotiated with the executor of the estate before deciding to expropriate following a closed vote.
"We've actually been in discussions with the executor for pretty much that entire two years," said Bob Sokol director of planning, lands, and permits for the district.
There were four beneficiaries of the estate, a circumstance that complicated negotiations, according to Sokol.
The district began expropriation proceedings last September to make certain the owner would only sell the property to the district.
"We kind of did that as a placeholder," Sokol said. "Generally, we have not needed to resort to expropriation."
The district voted to expropriate when they failed to strike a price with the executor.
"We offered them $7.7 million. . . they finally responded to us about two weeks ago, and they asked $9.2 million," Sokol said.
The owner and the district each received independent, nearly identical appraisals of approximately $7.7 million in 2011, according to Sokol.
The executor lobbied for a two-year lease for one of the tenants and a guarantee the buildings would be torn down once the lease expired, according to Sokol.
If the owner does not request an expropriation hearing with an independent arbiter, the district has until Feb. 22 to buy the properties for $7.9 million, according to Sokol.
The payment will come from the district's endowment fund.
Within 30 days of making the payment, the district takes ownership of the properties.
"We can require the tenants to move out," Sokol said, explaining that any leases would expire when the district takes ownership of the properties.
The district is planning to meet with the tenants to reach a suitable arrangement, according to Sokol.
Despite the inconvenience of being forced to move, Mander said she is both prepared and optimistic.
"This has been in the works for a long time," Mander said. "I love the idea that everyone's going to get to enjoy what we've had this privilege to enjoy."
District policy mandates the waterfront be used for public green space, playgrounds, community recreation facilities, the seawall, food concessions, and ancillary parking.
jshepherd@nsnews.com
