Dear Editor:
Further development is coming to 13th and Lonsdale and it is not good. We are to say farewell to Home Hardware, Kerrisdale Camera, Nando’s Chicken and other long-term tenants to make way for a 19-storey highrise that is to be built hard up against the Lonsdale sidewalk.
The lot is relatively narrow, bounded on the south by 13th Street, north by the Bank of Nova Scotia and west by the lane next to city hall. The proposal is for approximately 125 rental housing units and the developer is likely to be Hollyburn Properties. These units are not low-cost housing; rather, they will command premium rental costs.
There are several problems with this development. Firstly, the density. Secondly, the height – whatever happened to the height restrictions in the OCP (official community plan)? Thirdly and most importantly, there is likely to be insufficient parking for the 125 units. Where are the unlucky tenants with no parking supposed to go?
Hollyburn Properties has a long-standing relationship with the city. How did they get planning permission for 19 storeys?
Hopefully, city residents will rise up and veto this proposal before it’s too late.
Angus Mitchell
North Vancouver
Editor’s note: The site is included as a special study area within the OCP. Both the OCP amendment request and the rezoning application are subject to public and council review. A town hall meeting date has not yet been set. For project details, including a view assessment, go to http://www.cnv.org/Property-and-Development/Projects-and-Developments/Current-Developments/1301-1333-Lonsdale-Avenue and click on “1301 Lonsdale Ave.”
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