The cost of development, the value of nature, and a huge Sentinel Hill project dominate the council agendas this Monday. So, if you’re looking for the excitement of municipal politics in an air-conditioned environment, you’ve got three solid options.
West Vancouver
There could be 390 new homes on Sentinel Hill, depending on how council judges a condo/rental project earmarked for the corner of Keith Road and Taylor Way. The development includes five terraced apartment buildings, four six-storey buildings and one five-storey building on the 6.5-acre site. The final number of units and the mix between rental and condo may still be altered.
As difficult as it is to put a price on nature, council may give it a try this Monday. That’s the upshot of a motion suggesting West Vancouver take stock of its natural assets, incorporating creeks and forests and their role in flood control, carbon sequestration, air filtration and temperature moderation into the municipality’s financial planning.
Also on the subject of trees, the district is considering hiring two new employees who would be tasked with protecting trees that have a diameter greater than 35 centimetres at breast height.
Council is also set to weigh in on putting the 95-year-old Hewitt house on the district’s community heritage registry as well as allowing a new home near the waterfront on Ross Crescent.
City of North Vancouver
The first crop of marijuana shops may be inching closer to deliberation day as council mulls sending rezoning applications at 333 Brooksbank, 1717 Lonsdale, and 221 West First St. to public hearings
Once derided as a white elephant, city staff is reporting a profit for North Vancouver utility Lonsdale Energy Corp. for the second year in a row. The heat and hot water provider has a retained earnings balance “for the first time since the company’s inception,” according to the report.
The city is also looking to plunk down $141,000 for a new traffic signal on Westview Drive at West 21st Street The money was originally earmarked for a new traffic signal at Keith Road and Hendry Avenue
District of North Vancouver
When it comes to development, council is set to ask the same question you might ask about a new roommate or a road trip buddy: Are they paying their own way?
Monday’s workshop focuses on community amenity contributions, which is the cash developers pay when their project is bigger, broader, or denser than envisioned by the municipality. The money can go toward sewer and roads, public art, or projects like social housing. Following a report from district staff, council is set to examine just what those CACs have paid for.
