Canyon Boulevard is within the study area that could see owners apply to create small single-family lots to allow for affordable housing in Upper Capilano. photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News
It could soon be easier for some residents to double down on their properties, or is it split the difference?
District of North Vancouver council voted Monday night to begin drawing up an amended bylaw that would make it easier for people who own 66-foot lots in the Upper Capilano neighbourhood to subdivide them into two 33-foot lots.
If approved by council following a public hearing, the district would create new “small lot infill areas” or SLIAs along the north side of Montroyal Boulevard between Cliffridge Avenue and Ranger Avenue, and on Canyon Boulevard and Clements Avenue between Ranger and Belvedere Drive. Council is also reviewing the possibility of adding the 1000 block of Prospect Avenue.
The intent is to facilitate the creation of some smaller and, relatively, more affordable homes as the neighbourhood has become a destination for the wealthy as well as developers seeking to build 5,000-square foot “monster homes.”
The property owners would still have to apply for and go through a regulatory process for a subdivision but they would no longer have to come before council for a vote.
If every eligible owner took advantage, there would be a net increase of 59 new single-family homes in the neighbourhood. A survey of the residents in the area found slim majorities in support of creating more 33-foot lots.
A swath of residents who live in the area, mostly from 66-foot lot properties, turned out to urge council to go ahead with the plan.
Canyon Boulevard resident Jane Nicol said her biggest concern is for the low enrolment at Montroyal Elementary.
“The school really is the lifeblood of the community. I’ve been in the situation before where the school is up for closure and it’s heartbreaking. And it affects property values too,” she said. “I really feel strongly we have to do everything we can to keep these schools going, and small lots would do that. You can see it on Canyon (Boulevard).
“The smaller lots have younger families and younger families are what we need.”
Coun. Mathew Bond, however, suggested that council go one step further allow duplexes on 33-foot lots.
Bond reasoned that if affordability were the goal, two 1,500-square-foot units on one lot would make more sense than one 3,000-square-foot home. But, the idea hadn’t been vetted through a staff study or public consultation, and as such, was rejected by the majority on district council.
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