Cloverley, Lucas plans presented

Residents near the Lucas Centre and Cloverley school are reacting to the North Vancouver school district's plans for the vacant schools, which range from residential redevelopment to more residential redevelopment.

The district presented its concept plans for the sites at public meetings last week that drew hundreds of residents.

For the Lucas Centre, SD44 is floating six different concepts that offer varying degrees of housing mixed with preservation of the sports fields on the east side of the property and new fields and park space.

At the low end of the density scale, the site could hold 51 singlefamily homes with potential for secondary suites. It steps up from there to townhouses, lowrise condos and towers of up to 14 storeys, holding as many as 354 units. With the exception of one proposal, the denser the residential development, the more green space or sports fields that remain.

Cloverley's four concepts, meanwhile, go from 56 units on 28 singlefamily lots to 256 units in a series of four-and five-storey condominium buildings. Cloverley Park, which the City of North Vancouver has leased from the school board for the last 35 years, would either be redeveloped or moved to another piece of the property, depending on the concept.

While the thought of low-rise condos or townhouses isn't popular with Cloverley's neighbours, the thought of losing the park is unacceptable, said George Ellis, Cloverley Residents' Association board member.

"The bottom line is: they're not prepared to lose the park, and any density situated close to the park, they would want single-family," Ellis said.

Neighbours in the Lucas Centre's Hamilton Heights area are also not impressed with most of the options before them.

"It's a matter of how much density and what the give-and-take the school board is looking for," said Pamela Pike, neighbourhood association president. "Obviously, the neighbours were very adamant. No to highrise development. That's been consistent throughout all the processes and open houses."

But the association is cautiously optimistic about the newly formulated Concept 6, which only involves 48 units of townhouses, more sports fields and a running track - if the district is willing to listen and continue to make changes, Pike said.

"I think the neighbourhood still isn't 100 per cent behind anything that was proposed by the school board," she said. "Ultimately, I think a lot of the neighbourhood would like to see the city fight to retain the land as public use because it's limited within the greater city now."

Ellis said he too is hoping the city will go to bat for the residents before there is a rezoning application before council.

"I don't think the city really wants to lose any park land, or the residents don't, because of all the density that's been added to the city," he said. "I'm optimistic that we'll come to a solution where the city will require (keeping) Cloverley Park and the school district will come forward with a proposal."

Council has been closely watching the process with some members on council pushing to keep the sports fields in public hands.

District staff and hired consultants will now take the input gathered at last week's public meetings and make further revisions before opening it up to more feedback in the form of an online survey that will be open to everyone, according to superintendent John Lewis.

The declining number of school-aged kids on the North Shore has led the district to shutter some schools and look to either sell or lease the land.

So far, Ridgeway Annex and Monteray have been sold to property developers and Plymouth elementary is being leased to Lions Gate Christian Academy.

Revenues from land sales are earmarked for paying down capital debts and replacing schools that require seismic upgrades, such as Argyle and Handsworth.