Dear Editor: As residents of the Edgemont Village area, my husband and I have been watching the Edgemont seniors housing proposal with much interest, attending both of the information sessions and the June 25 public hearing.
It was very unsettling to watch the disappointing performance of the mayor and council at the District of North Vancouver Council Meeting on July 15.
Many of the important issues were barely mentioned by council, and what little debate occurred lacked both focus and logic. For example, the large mass of the building, suitability of such a large mass at this location, on-site parking, height, street appeal and traffic concerns were all raised as genuine issues at the public hearing. The public would therefore have cause to wonder what useful role was served by this hearing.
Of the more than 50 per cent of people who spoke in opposition, most objected to the mass of the building, not to the use of the site or an increase in density. Our expectation was that council would ask the applicant to resubmit the application when they had a significant increase in community support.
To suggest that this was a unique site and the only one available is short-sighted, considering the development potential of the "SuperValu" site immediately across the road.
Far too often, I heard "my mother, father, grandmother, grandfather would have loved to have lived in such a facility in such a wonderful location." Are important decisions by this council based on emotion and not by a logical debate on fact and pertinent issues?
Mary Anna Hawthorn
North Vancouver
