Dear Editor:
I attended the town hall meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 14 for the proposed redevelopment of 161 East Keith Road, North Vancouver.
I have several concerns about the new proposed building at 161 East Keith Rd. The size of the land is too small for a building of 17 storeys. The developer has requested to buy and donate back a portion of city-owned land to the north of the property line in order to meet density requirements. Without this purchase and transfer, the size of the building would not comply, as the land would be too small to accommodate a building of this size. That says it all.
This building would be 68.5 feet from the building to the west, almost 15 per cent less than the required 80 ft. This could set a dangerous precedent for future development in the City of North Vancouver. Furthermore, this building will lie on the property line to the east, and will be looking directly over into the living and bedrooms of the occupants to the east.
This new building will have 107 underground parking stalls for the 98 suites proposed; some of these spots have been allocated as "guest" parking. Existing parking around this area is scarce. Visitors to surrounding buildings often have to park several blocks away now. This will only exacerbate the problem.Additional vehicles in this area will add to the traffic congestion. East Keith Road is an artery to the Second Narrows Bridge. During rush hour, traffic can be backed up past St. Andrews travelling east. St. Georges will often back up at the four-way stop. This particular area of North Vancouver makes transit and bikes impractical for several reasons. Our transit system has not kept up with the rapid growth of the city. Buses are always crowded. The hills make it difficult for bicycles and walking, and families with children to transport could not use these options. Residences to the east of this development are townhouses and houses with families.The tenants living in the building located directly to the west will lose the eastern view. Residents of the upper side of East Keith and the lower side of East Eighth to the east will lose a portion of their views to the west.
Katherine Fraser
North Vancouver
