Dear Editor:
City council and staff fully deserve congratulations for the award-winning city hall - it is a gem and as your article (City Hall Nabs Design Kudos, May 2) notes will be enjoyed by the community for generations to come.
This got me to wondering why so many of the other new buildings in North Vancouver are such bland architectural efforts since our council and staff clearly know good design when they see it.
Most of us believe that we live in a unique place, so it is disappointing to see so many of the few available sites sprouting such underwhelming buildings which will outlive most of us.The Wallace & McDowell building promises to be a notable exception while the Lonsdale face of the Versatile building and the Blue Shore/Prescott are also worthy of their sites.
Architecture is the most visible art form in a city, and it's no substitute to place a token bit of public art in front of yet another beige stump.The reality of most new developments is that streetfront units are mostly only affordable to banks and healthcare-related outlets, which don't contribute to a vibrant retail scene.
I hope that CNV can find some creative ways to address this before Lower Lonsdale is as bland as Marine Drive is becoming.I suspect much of the opposition to densification would be lessened if we had more buildings to admire and a variety of small shops to visit as we walk around our city. If that means taking a bit more time in the approval process that's fine with me.
William Clark
North Vancouver
