DEVELOPERS, start your engines.
District of North Vancouver council unanimously supported a 20-year plan to bring new housing, retail and office space to the Lower Lynn town centre at its May 27 meeting.
The plan includes a mixture of mid-and low-rise apartments and townhouses.
The district's vision includes a projected 120,000 square feet of new retail space, mostly on Mountain Highway, and 50,000 square feet of new office space.
The plan has sparked "tremendous excitement" in the development community, according to the district's general manager of planning, properties and permits Brian Bydwell.
District staff have been taking weekly meetings with prospective developers, according to Bydwell, who said a lot of the major sites are "pretty much tied up."
The heart of the neighbourhood is identified as the strip of Mountain Highway between Crown Street and Hunter Street.
The two-decade project also includes adding a service lane to Mountain Highway to help manage the increase in traffic. Parking time may also be restricted on Mountain Highway.
Development at nearby Seylynn Village coincides with converting Fern Street to a cul-de-sac, shielding the currently busy street from Highway 1 traffic. East Keith Road will be extended to run parallel to the highway, joining up with the Fern Street overpass.
"It'll give us additional queuing capacity for getting onto the highway and ultimately the plan is to facilitate that connection between the east part of the municipality and the west part," Bydwell said.
The Keith Road bridge will also be replaced with a four-lane crossing.
Quoting Winston Churchill, Coun. Doug MacKay-Dunn called council's approval of the plan, "the end of the beginning."
"Many years ago . . . I commented basically that this area was the armpit of the North Shore," he commented. "I said some of the housing down there wasn't even third world, it was fourth world."
The plan affords the district an opportunity to transform the area, adding quality of life while bringing young families and professionals to the neighbourhood.
"I want to see this move forward. I think there's a pent-up demand for something like this," he said.
The plan includes a new park south of Crown Street as well as an expansion of Marie Place Park.
While council's vote was unanimous, there were ripples of disagreement regarding the nature of development.
While district staff could design tree-lined boulevards replete with pressed concrete, those accoutrements could also jack up the housing prices, Coun. Mike Little cautioned, advising planners to go with something "a little more Spartan."
"It is counter-productive when it comes to attracting low-cost market housing to the area," he said. "It's going to be tough if it's too nice."
Little's comments were met with a mild objection from MacKay-Dunn.
"I think that the streetscape is very important for the quality of life," he said, adding that well-groomed areas generally deal with fewer property crimes.
Lower Lynn is a hop away from the 790-unit development in Seylynn, which includes 24, 28, and 32 storey towers. Approved in Dec. 2012, the Seylynn development was the catalyst for bringing growth to Lower Lynn, according to Coun. Alan Nixon.
Staff should try to connect Bridgman Park with Seylynn as soon as possible, according to Nixon.
The neighbourhood should remain affordable and eclectic, according to Coun. Lisa Muri, who said both traffic and building bulk would be key issues.
"The controversy on height will always be an issue," she said. The area should remain a mix of commercial, light industry and residential, according to Muri.
"I look for it continuing to be an affordable place, and I think that's integral," she said.
The future is fantastic for the community, according to Coun. Roger Bassam.
"With mixed emotions I'm looking forward to all the development and change that will come down there. Really not looking forward to all the construction," he said.
Council voted 5-0 in favour of the motion. Mayor Richard Walton did not attend the meeting and Coun. Robin Hicks left the meeting early.
Lower Lynn Town Centre is one of four centres in the district marked for growth over the next two decades in the municipality's official community plan.
