Dear Editor:
I read, with interest, the article on the concerns of the 400-block tenants of East First and Second streets. I, too, am an eighteen-year tenant of 600-block Second Street. And it is true that Realtors are swarming all over the neighbourhood, creating anticipation and fear. All the promises made at this point regarding a proposed development of the area are based on the city approving an increased density zoning east of St. Davids.
That cannot happen without increased road width on First and Second by at least 10 feet. Both streets are single-lane traffic only. In fact, during our walkabout with the city in the planning stage of the Spirit Trail, all the bump-outs on Second Street had to be removed because the current parking accommodation for single-family residency was woefully insufficient.
If a fire truck were in attendance, an ambulance could not get around it. It is potentially dangerous now, let alone if density were increased without forethought. The only solution is to have a developer buy the whole area and redesign the access road structure. The city cannot increase density zoning without a covenant that access roadways be significantly altered. The city cannot approve a situation that potentially leaves them liable for lawsuits.
We understand that many residents have been in meetings to present area blocks for sale to potential developers and to the city to persuade favorable rezoning criteria. If you are in one of those, listen carefully to what they promise.
Leo Vanderbyl
North Vancouver
