Dear Editor:
Contrary to the North Shore News' Viewpoint, Rust in Peace, Dec. 1, that the history of the City of North Vancouver's shipbuilding war efforts is best wrapped up in the Flamborough Head, I believe the steel-hulled stern takes second place to the wooden-hulled Ferry No. 5 from 1941
She and her ancestors served both North Vancouver's communities from 1900 to 1958. The ferries were an important asset in two world wars by ferrying workers, materials and cars from Metro Vancouver to Burrard Dry Dock and North Vancouver ship repairs. The No. 5 then served as a floating restaurant until 2001
The Flamborough Head and Ferry No. 5 have three things in common: They were built on the North Shore; suffered the same fate by a show of hands at city councils; and they cost city taxpayers close to $500,000 each, due in large part to loss of taxes being collected, legal fees and demolition costs.
It's readily apparent that any lessons that were taught to the city regarding the Seven Seas Restaurant (Ferry No. 5) in 2001/2002, weren't relayed to the team the following year when the Artificial Reef Society sold the Flamborough Head's stern to the city for $75,000, with the idea of returning her to the place of her birth (berth) as a Maritime Museum attraction.The sales pitch to the public then was SOS (Save our Stern).
In a recent City of North Vancouver document regarding the foot of Lonsdale there is a proposal that "Lonsdale corridor is to remain a clear view corridor in line with 100-block of Lonsdale building frontage" (page 10 at cnv. org/%7E/media/DC185CC 0ABB246A8910029EC576 0BF4E.pdf).
Good sales pitch, but flawed. To "remain" means that it exists now, which isn't true at all (see pages 12 and 13 of the same document). For the past four years, or more, a billionaire's $300-million luxury yacht has taken over the Seven Seas berth, blocking the Lonsdale corridor view by encroaching and squatting upon the city's water lot property. If the Attessa IV was moored to the west side of the property line fence, then she would be in line with Lonsdale building frontage.
It's disturbing that the presentation from the city places a red pencil line around its project, deftly removes the Attessa IV's presence from the foot of Lonsdale plan view and 3-D building drawings and allows the artist renderings to show an unimpeded clear view towards the east, south and west.City of North Vancouver's Foot of Lonsdale project is the public's last chance to have a view that is free of all obstacles, land or water based. We will never be able to have a billion-dollar view of downtown Vancouver without height-limiting restrictions via an amended OCP regarding moored vessels.
Dave Gosse
North Vancouver
