Dear Editor:
Letter writer Hazen Colbert is mistaken if he thinks there are no Lynn Valley residents hoping for condos in the centre (Lynn Valley Highrises Don't Meet OCP Aims, Wednesday, Oct. 3). He must have missed the seniors' attempts to have the old library restructured into living space for seniors, with health supports built in. When we did "Listening Posts" with District of North Vancouver seniors in preparation for the Housing the North Shore conference, we heard from a number who said, 'I don't know where I'm going to go when I can't drive anymore and have to downsize. There's nothing around here. I'll have to move to the city, I guess.'
Housing for aging in place was the top priority in the Seniors Today survey conducted by Lionsview Seniors Planning Society and PM-Volunteers.
Of course there are residents who oppose height and density. They are still driving, and see no need for housing close to shopping and bus routes. They never expect to become paraplegics overnight, as my husband did, so they don't yet see the need in their community for the provision of one-level accommodation that is maintained as part of a multiplex project. Their views will change as their needs change. Policy makers, however, have to think in longer terms now.
Although the proposed units may not be "affordable" they will certainly be less expensive than single-family homes in the area. The complexes that have already developed in the area are evidence of a market which will surely grow as the population ages and the shipbuilding projects expand.
Donna Stewart North Vancouver
