A proposal to replace two single-family lots with 66-units of market rental housing in the Lynn Valley town centre area will advance to a public hearing.
At a meeting on July 8, District of North Vancouver council voted to send the project to a public hearing, as it involves an amendment to the official community plan for added density.
But Couns. Betty Forbes and Lisa Muri dissented in the vote, stating that it was premature for the public to weigh in when there are still so many outstanding questions about the project.
In its current form, the proposal would build a six-story building at 1149-1155 Lynn Valley Road. That would include 53 one-bedroom units, 11 two-bedroom units and two studios. Five of the units would be enhanced for accessibility needs.
The proposed units would be rented at market rates, which the developer told council are projected to be around $1,800 per month for studio, $2,300 for one bedroom and $3,350 for two bedrooms.
In a report, staff recommended that council refer the project to a public hearing, as it will add density along a major transit corridor, will not demolish existing rental stock and involves substantial public realm improvements at the developer’s expense.
Coun. Jim Hanson said he was pleased to support the project, which he preferred over a previous pitch for strata on the land that council rejected in 2018.
“It would bring much needed balance to strata housing and rental housing in the Lynn Valley town centre,” he said.
Coun. Jordan Back agreed with Hanson’s comments, but asked why below-market units weren’t part of the plan.
Planning manager Yan Zeng replied that the increase in land value for the all-rental proposal wasn’t substantial enough to make below-market rates financially feasible for the developer.
Motion to defer proposal back to staff defeated
While she liked the building’s design, Coun. Lisa Muri raised concerns that the new development would negatively impact the stormwater system. In the wake of new construction, a grove of healthy cedars has been removed from Kirkstone Park.
“Water has been diverted into a series of drain tiles and infrastructure … that is causing the park to dry out,” Muri said.
General manager of planning Dan Milburn said that analysis shows pre-development stormwater flows match post-development flows, but that staff can provide additional details on how those systems will be managed.
Coun. Betty Forbes suggested the site could meet more dire housing needs than market rental.
“We’ve been looking for some place to find employment housing. It seems to me this would be a perfect place for employment housing,” she said.
“I think we have questions that we need to have history on before it goes to a public hearing,” Forbes added.
She introduced a motion that would direct the proposal back to staff for more information before going to a public hearing.
But Abdul Jiwan, president of the applicant Redbrick Properties Inc., warned that his company could not afford any more delays, and would cancel the project if it didn’t move to a public hearing.
“It will go up in smoke,” he said.
Ultimately, Forbes’s motion to defer the proposal was defeated. Then, a majority of council voted to advance the plan to a public hearing, with Forbes and Muri opposed.
A date has not yet been set for the public hearing.
