It may one day be residential towers, but for now, the corner of Taylor Way and Marine Drive in West Vancouver will just be parking.
District of West Vancouver council voted unanimously Monday night to approve Park Royal’s request to demolish the old White Spot restaurant and revamp the space to hold an additional 38 spaces as well as improve the landscaping around the site.
The temporary parking permit granted Monday night is valid for up to three years with the option to extend for another three-year term.
The mall’s management has for years been looking to redevelop that corner of the property, with the last proposal being for 27-storey and 12-storey towers containing 251 condo units. But in April, council told the developers to come back with a proposal for shorter towers and a more robust traffic reduction plan. That application is now effectively in stasis until the developers come back with a plan more in line with council’s wishes.
“The old White Spot is a forlorn building and it’s only going to improve things to take it down and provide more parking in the short-term and we’ll see what happens in the medium to long-term,” said Coun. Craig Cameron.
Although every member of council was in favour, Coun. Nora Gambioli expressed disappointment that the temporary parking use runs counter to the district’s transportation goals, in that it simply encourages more use of single-occupancy vehicles without any consideration for reserving space there for carpool parking, or car-sharing services.
Park Royal does have long-term plans for such things, including bike sharing and a bicycle valet, as part of its larger strategy for the area, according to Rick Amantea, Park Royal’s vice-president.
“At this stage of the game, it’s really about getting a derelict building off that corner and improving the landscaping and just making it a little bit more hospitable than it is today,” he said.
Park Royal does already offer park-and-ride spots and hosts transit shelters on its property, Amantea added.
Frustration about the existing bottleneck of vehicles trying to cram onto the Lions Gate Bridge remains, particularly for Coun. Bill Soprovich who was dismayed to hear from staff that rejigging the traffic signals at Taylor Way and Marine Drive is not on the table, as it is a provincially controlled intersection that borders on Squamish Nation land.
“What about the people that are sitting in gridlock all the time, which is getting worse? Are we not obligated in West Vancouver to step up in relationship to the situation we have with … transportation and growth in the area? Is it not some of our responsibility, rather than say it’s other jurisdictions?” he asked.
The Ministry of Transportation won’t “lift their finger” to do anything about nearby traffic patterns, he added and similarly, there are no solid plans for improved transit coming to West Vancouver.
