Dear Editor:
I chose to live in Ambleside - and paid a premium to do so - because it offered a wonderful "small town" atmosphere so envied by those that live on the other side of the Lions Gate Bridge.
However, I fear that West Vancouver council is bound and determined to take the "village" and turn it into yet another Metrotown or Coal Harbour. I also resent the process they are using to do so. While soliciting public input for the "proposed" sale of the public lands on the 1300-block Marine Drive, councillors - not to mention various municipal staff and municipal publications - have stated strong support for both the sale and the terms of the sale. It makes one wonder why they have bothered to go to all the expense to request public input.
The repeated municipal message is that only the sale - and not the actual development - of the 1300-block is what is on the table right now. This is misleading or disingenuous at best.
The developer has envisioned two huge buildings on the property and a height of eight storeys.
The sale is only to be completed when council rezones the site, and the revenue received is directly related to the amount of density council permits. These terms put council's interests into conflict.
The more density (and height) council allows, the more money they can make. The dollar value is directly related to square footage of what is built - not the size or location of the property as might be the case if there were more than the only one purchaser being considered.
"AmblesideNow" has made no secret that its primary goal is "to generate significant revenues," but what is played down is this - by approving the 1300-block land sale on these terms, council is giving de facto approval of the rezoning at a huge density increase. In fact, if the sale fails to generate a minimum price (and price is determined by rezoning and increasing density), the sale will fall through.
I can't help but think council is once again allowing developers, rather than West Vancouver residents and council, tell us what should be built in our community. This is what happens when zoning is left as a gaping variable that can apparently be bought (or so the terms of this sale would indicate).
There are two other Ambleside sites where zoning height and density are uncertain. These are the 1400-and 1600-(Safeway) blocks. When the developer for the Safeway site proposed huge height and density increases, an overflow public meeting responded with a resounding "No!" While redevelopment was welcomed, the overwhelming majority indicated that the scale be in harmony with the remainder of Ambleside village - where the floor-area ratio is limited to 1.75.
I don't see the image of an eight-storey building towering over two-and three-storey buildings as being in harmony with the rest of the village, but I'm certain that if this 1300-block proposal is approved we'll see the error repeated at both the 1400-and 1600blocks - and it's unlikely it will stop there. Why wouldn't those wishing to redevelop other sites in Ambleside push for a precedentsetting development to match what's allowed in the 1300-block?
I don't blame developers for making proposals for massive height and density increases. After all, it was West Vancouver council who brought forward an OCP with three obvious gaps that encourage greed as a factor in redevelopment.
I just hope residents are not too jaded to give council the message that we deserve to remove conflict of interest by clarifying development boundaries before we sell off irreplaceable community assets such as our beautiful village ambience.
I urge citizens to message council about this important issue before noon on Feb. 29 by email or to grab some comment cards from the AmblesideNow office at 1408 Marine Dr. for you and your neighbours.
Scenery Slater West Vancouver
