THE owner of a Marine Drive florist won a rezoning bid last week that could add approximately 5,000 square feet to his property after receiving nearly unanimous support from West Vancouver council.
Robert Harrington sought to boost his property's floor area ratio from 1.75 to 2.0 in the hopes of drawing a buyer from a bleak real estate market. The FAR, which measures the total floor space against the size of the lot, had been 2.0 before the property at 1821 Marine Dr. was rezoned in 2008.
The owner's appeal for more density raised the ire of several neighbours who worried that a bulkier building on the site could block views, while a 72-stall parking lot accessible through a nearby lane would turn the area into a speedway.
Coun. Mary-Ann Booth disagreed. "We have no evidence there will be an increase in traffic, in fact, there could be a decrease in traffic," she said.
The 2008 switch in zoning was a detriment to Harrington, according to Booth.
"We do know that the owner lost density," she said. "There is nothing wrong with applying for something to increase the value of your property. . . . I don't think there's one person in this community who doesn't agree with that."
With no buyer on the horizon the future of the site is murky, but Booth said the change in density could benefit Ambleside. "What ultimately goes there will be an improvement over that lot," she said, noting that surface parking is a poor use of land.
The single note of opposition was voiced by Coun. Craig Cameron. "The family's not in it to revitalize Ambleside," he said. "It's nothing more than a financial matter."
Under current zoning, the ground floor has to be commercial. The previous zoning allowed for an additional 12,000 square feet of ground floor residential space, which is generally more valuable from a real-estate perspective, Cameron said.
"I don't have it established in my mind that there has been a loss," he said.
The property's uncertain future makes the proposal threatening for neighbours, said Cameron. "There's no obligation on the proponent to sell after the upzoning," he said. "They have no intention to build, so what they're going to be getting is a financial windfall."
Harrington has previously said there hasn't been a single offer to buy the property.
"They can't sell it at the price they're asking," Cameron said. "I'll buy it off them for a price."
Other concerns centred around the change in zoning creating a ripple effect among other businesses in the neighbourhood.
"I don't believe this is a precedent as some people have argued," said Coun. Nora Gambioli. There is no evidence property values for neighbouring houses will decrease, according to Gambioli. "The property values may increase," she said.
The proposal will increase setbacks while not making significant changes to the building's form or mass, she said. The proposal complements district policy to increase residential housing in the area, according to Gambioli.
The uncertainty over the site is not a decisive issue as any new construction would have to pass muster with council, according to Mayor Michael Smith.
"The blunt reality is, as everybody knows, nobody is coming forward with any applications at 1.75, and this council, I think, needs to stress that at every possible chance we get."
