There are council meetings at the districts of North and West Vancouver this Monday, but the council meeting to see is at 141 West 14th Street in the City of North Vancouver. For legions of North Vancouverites who have witnessed the decay of the Harry Jerome rec centre and the delay of replacing it, Monday night could be a watershed evening.
City of North Vancouver
Just what will the new Harry Jerome rec centre look like, and how will we pay for it?
Council may get answers to both those questions Monday as they consider allowing towers as tall as 32-storeys on the south side of 23rd Street. That development may pay for the lion’s share of an approximately $160-million rec centre replete with 50-metre pool, six sheets of ice for the curling crowd, and a skatepark that would be the centrepiece of a “youth zone.”
Couns. Rod Clark and Craig Keating both have notions of how the city might help pay for the project. Clark is asking city staff to reach out to the District of North Vancouver to share operating costs. Keating is suggesting revenue from “potential cannabis retail and gaming enterprises” help fund Harry.
Coun. Linda Buchanan has her own motion calling for the city to reach out to the Rick Hansen Foundation to ensure Harry Jerome hits accessibility standards.
So, does council tell staff to keep on designing and negotiating, or does the rec centre named for a peerless sprinter take a stumble? Tune in Monday to find out.
The jam-packed agenda also features the return of the once-defeated and once-delayed six-storey, 44-unit strata/rental combo at 2601 Lonsdale Avenue.
Council’s also slated to discuss a six-unit townhouse at 230-232 East 8th Street, a market rental project on 365 East 2nd Street, and three infill rental buildings at 151 East Keith Road.
Clark is also calling for city staff to negotiate with the district neighbours so “they share equally in the loss of tax revenue from the Lions Gate Hospital Campus,” based on population.
Free Tuesday morning coffee for anyone who can make it through Monday’s meeting without nodding off! (You know, if you have a kind-hearted barista.)
District of North Vancouver
Just how is Deep Cove holding up to increased traffic?
A delegation representing Deep Cove residents and merchants is scheduled to address council on that issue.
It’s a big night for townhouse developments in the district, as council may approve an 88-unit townhouse development at 1886-1956 Belle Isle Place and 2046 Curling Road.
However, that’s not the biggest townhouse development in the pipeline, as council is also set to consider sending a proposed 150-unit development on 16 residential lots at Fullerton Avenue, Sandown Place and Glenaire Drive to a public hearing. The project would require a rezoning as well as an amendment to the official community plan.
West Vancouver
The good folks at West Vancouver may rekindle that old debate that seems to pit neighbourhood character against the incredible bulk.
Council is set to strike a working group to investigate issues like site clearing, tree retention, and basement exemptions.
Council made neighbourhood character and housing bulk a priority work item in 2013-14 but the issue hasn’t seen much debate since bylaws on fencing and lot consolidation were passed in 2014.
The meeting is also set to include a vote on the district’s five-year financial plan.
