Tackle the proliferation of “monster homes” by reducing the square footage of new houses.
Make it easier for developers to build two small houses rather than one big one if the lot size is big enough.
Limit how much of a new house you can see from the street by tucking basements into the slope of a hill.
Enhance housing and rental stock by encouraging secondary suites and coach houses.
Simplify the approval process for people who want to create additional living spaces.
Green up the city by encouraging boulevard neighbourhoods and landscaping that camouflages buildings.
Agree? Disagree?
If you live in West Vancouver, you have until Aug. 21 to have your say.
The district is welcoming feedback into its Neighbourhood Character Working Group draft recommendations, some of which are listed above. An online form allows residents to comment on each of the six categories of recommendations.
The recommendations are part of an extensive review of the issues and challenges facing the district’s residential landscape. The 10 members of the working group have been meeting since August 2018. They quickly identified four main issues: building size, landscaping, neighbourhood and public interface, and housing diversity.
After sharing some possible solutions with council and staff in late 2019, the group met with industry professionals in January 2020 to get their input. The coronavirus forced a rethinking of the public input part of the process and, on July 24, the District of West Vancouver posted the recommendations online. The deadline for comments is Aug. 21.
The working group will review the comments and incorporate them into its report to council this fall.
“The recommendations, if endorsed by council, will provide direction for future bylaw and policy amendments that affect neighbourhood character,” the district’s website says.
Download the comment form here.
