District of North Vancouver residents will have a chance to weigh in on the prospect of a seniors complex at Edgemont Village following council's May 27 decision to send the project to public hearing.
The three-storey, 125-unit facility is pencilled in for Canfield Crescent near Woodbine Drive and Highland Boulevard, just adjacent to the commercial core of Edgemont Village.
Built around a courtyard, the centre would include 15 assisted-living units and 12-15 care rooms for seniors with mental health problems such as dementia.
The building would be approximately 40-feet tall with a floor space ratio of 1.5, which measures the building's total floor space against the size of its lot.
In order to realize the project, council needs to authorize the rezoning of six single-family lots and allow the developer to buy 9,741 square feet of Canfield Crescent.
The developer would have to provide the district with approximately $500,000 worth of community benefits. The half-a-million figure is equivalent to 50 per cent of the estimated increase in land value.
The project received support from several residents hoping to stay close to home during their golden years.
"I think there's undoubtedly a need for this type of dwelling in North Vancouver," said Coun. Robin Hicks. "I know many people have moved recently into such buildings, and they, for the most part, had to move out of the district."
The project's opponents called it too massive and objected to the facility being debated before the conclusion of the Edgemont refresh process, which is expected to wrap up by the end of the year or early in 2014.
The notion of delaying debate and saddling the developer with additional carrying costs didn't sit well with Coun. Alan Nixon.
"This particular project has been in the works long before the concept of an Edgemont refresh even came to light," he said.
For Nixon, it's incumbent on local government not to derail applications that are already in the pipeline while taking on new initiatives.
The facility's operator is slated to be determined before the June 25 public hearing, but that was too late for Coun. Lisa Muri.
"I'm a little concerned that we don't have an operator for this building," she said.
Muri was the lone councillor to vote against sending the proposal to public hearing, but Coun. Roger Bassam echoed her point.
"Not having an operator may well be a showstopper," he said.
The project will add vitality to the area and boost local businesses according to Mike McMaster, the owner of the Bakehouse in Edgemont Village.
"I know they exist, but I can't imagine a merchant not wanting this to be here," he said.
The centre would come with 59 underground parking stalls, bringing more traffic into a neighbourhood that may not be equipped to handle it, according to Coun. Mike Little.
"I think Edgemont works extremely well as it is and I don't really want to see it sprawling out," he said.
Little said he'd need to see strong support for the project before voting to alter the village's footprint.
"The threshold of community support that I'm expecting is very high," he said.
Mayor Richard Walton did not attend the meeting.
