More than a year after boarding up and condemning a derelict marina in Fisherman’s Cove, District of West Vancouver council has given the OK for the West Vancouver Marina to be almost entirely rebuilt.
District staff blocked access to marina gangway in January 2018 after inspections found a swath of safety hazards, code violations and bylaw infractions, which owner Kadin Equities refused to address. Among them: loose live wires, capsized or listing floats and total rot of the gangway’s main support beam.
The district later voted to evict Kadin Equities from its sublease of the foreshore and have the docks removed, but two days before the deadline, the two sides reached an agreement forcing the owner to pay $40,000 in unpaid bylaw fines and inspection costs and agree to a remediation plan overseen by professional engineers.
That plan got council approval Monday night and building permits have now been granted.
Under the plan, all the existing wooden floats will be removed and replaced with second-hand concrete ones purchased from the False Creek Marina. Though the floats are roughly 30 years old, an engineer’s report concluded they are at very low risk of “rapid-onset deterioration.” Some of the piles will also have to be replaced due to rot but when the project is complete, the dock structure will look much like the existing 50-slip dock today.
The owner was also required to put up a $115,000 cash surety to the district to ensure the work is completed to the municipal staff’s satisfaction.
Under the lease agreement, the district grants access to the foreshore in exchange for four per cent of the marina’s gross revenues – about $10,000 a year, half of which is remitted to the province.
Coun. Craig Cameron acknowledged some people would disagree with going back into business with Kadin Equities after the company’s past behaviour, but said the agreement largely resolves the safety concerns while limiting the district’s legal and financial exposure and keeps the docks and gas barge in the community.
“In practice and in law, it was not nearly that simple and I do believe on this, we owe a considerable debt of gratitude to the work of our staff who brought this too fruition. I believe we’ve really made the best out of a bad situation,” he said.
Kadin Equities Ltd.’s directors are listed as Joe, Edith and Jan Carhoun.
Corporate records list a British Properties mansion as their mailing address. The home on Whitby Road was assessed in 2018 at $4.1 million.
