North Shore Updates

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Tvisforme

Canada Post has announced the first round of community mailbox conversion locations, and the North Shore will be part of that change. Addresses in the District, City, and West Vancouver (postal codes V7M, V7P, V7R, V7S, V7T, V7V, and V7W) will be part of the switch. There's no indication of proposed box locations yet, and Canada Post says that "converting an address from door-to-door delivery to a community mailbox typically takes months".

Canada Post moving forward with preliminary work on multi-year transformation

CBC: Canada Post announces first 136,000 addresses to lose door-to-door delivery

Daily Hive: Canada Post shares addresses where door-to-door delivery will end in Metro Vancouver

They already have a basic mail delivery notification system in place but hopefully they go all the way and have notifications when you actually have something in your mailbox.

[jollyburger]

From a few weeks ago

Province overrules West Vancouver council to approve housing density in Ambleside plan

West Vancouver’s local area plan for the Ambleside centre has just been made official – but not in the usual manner.

The plan, which details the municipality’s future vision for how development will unfold in the key commercial area, was brought into force Tuesday by a provincial order-in-council.

A modified version of the plan – which eliminated taller towers on two key properties – had been set to go to public hearing at the end of April after a council vote on March 30.

Instead, the province approved the plan with a stroke of a pen, essentially bringing the hammer down on Victoria’s requirement that municipalities dramatically step up building housing.

It’s the first time the province has stepped in to overrule the municipal council since West Vancouver began sparring with the province over its requirements that local governments enact bylaws paving the way for greater density and more housing.

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/provin...using-density-in-ambleside-plan-12116160

[jollyburger]

Come back in 10 years and nothing will have changed.

City of North Vancouver debuts ambitious Lonsdale 'Great Street' plans

Council agreed unanimously Monday to go ahead with some short-term improvements in 2026 – replanting boulevards and rain gardens, new Remembrance Day banners, and a major glow up for the street’s infrastructure including garbage and recycling bins, light poles, and sidewalks.

Over the longer term, a 79-page ambitious concept plan teases the possibility of a theatre’s grand opening, a hotel near the hospital, rooftop dining patios, and stand-up comedy shows in open air plazas.

Council is aiming for the vibrancy to extend into the evening hours, with businesses staying open late and neighbours and local employees lingering to socialize and recreate.

To make room for a more pleasant pedestrian experience and designed-from-scratch streetside patios, the report suggests Lonsdale could be reduced to one vehicle lane in each direction between 15th and 20th streets, though that would be subject to a much larger transportation study due out in 2027.

Any major changes would still face votes by future councils, but the Great Street project is intended to provide a roadmap for the city’s revitalization priorities.

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/city-o...ous-lonsdale-great-street-plans-12175246

[jollyburger]

District of North Vancouver rejects provincial housing mandate

n a 4-3 split vote, District of North Vancouver council has rejected a call to change its land-use bylaws to accommodate new provincial rules about small-scale multi-unit housing.

The April 13 vote follows a similar decision by West Vancouver council April 4, which also refused to consider zoning changes that would pave the way for more density and infill housing in single-family neighbourhoods.

The two councils’ refusal to move forward with the planning process could set the stage for a showdown with the provincial government, which has set June 30 as the deadline for municipal councils to make the changes.

Akua Schatz of the company SmallWorks told council the biggest hurdle to building small-scale housing isn’t the zoning. “It’s the costs that are driven by the district.”

Currently the district’s requirements for consultants boost construction costs to far higher than they are in other jurisdictions, she said.

“I think there’s been about eight coach houses built in the district in the last 10 years, where there’s been well over 7,000 in Vancouver.”

Muri is always good for a laugh. One day she votes against any sensible density on the North Shore and then she's against urban sprawl.

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/distri...ects-provincial-housing-mandate-12200578

[jollyburger]

West Vancouver’s existing official community plan identifies between 1,200 and 1,800 housing units as a goal with future redevelopment in the area.

But in issuing the order to West Vancouver, the provincial housing minister changed that, and has demanded the plan include between 3,000 and 4,000 new apartments.

The province has given the municipality up to January 2028 to complete the local area plan, with the first quarterly report due this month.

The letter from the provincial government specifies that the plan must allow for 12-storey towers in the area at the centre of plan, near Park Royal North. That translates to the equivalent of 27 12-storey towers on the property that currently includes Park Royal North, its parkade and Clyde Avenue sites, according to a staff report. In the area directly north of that, the plan envisions buildings of up to eight storeys.

Senior planner David Hawkins told council that following the housing order issued by the province last year, the municipality was given a reprieve in April allowing it to complete the local area plan.

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/west-v...de-27-12-storey-highrise-towers-12284833

[Lexus]

I’ll call this a teaser before the video gets uploaded tomorrow.
By the way, Flickr has become such a joke—constant prompts to upgrade to the paid version and way more ads than before. It’s gotten really annoying to post pictures there.

Untitled by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

Untitled by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

Untitled by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

Untitled by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

Untitled by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

Untitled by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

Untitled by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

Untitled by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

Untitled by Lexus LX 700, on Flickr

[RedArbutus]

Can't wait!

[Lexus]

• Video Link

[jollyburger]

Future North Vancouver homes may not have basements

Basements, as they are today, pose a lot of problems the district has been wanting to address: they lack natural sunlight in the portion of the home most likely to be occupied by renters in secondary suites; they disrupt the natural water table and tree root systems and are prone to flooding; and they are the most expensive and carbon-intensive part of a home’s construction because of the excavation and concrete involved.

Under the proposed zoning change before council, basements would no longer have their floor space exempted from a property’s total allowable buildable area. To keep the overall size of new homes roughly the same, the bylaw would allow houses to be built to a maximum height of 11.6 metres (38 feet) at the peak of a pitched roof, to a maximum of three-storeys.

To prioritize living space over indoor vehicle storage, garages would also lose their exemption from being counted toward the max square footage.

The proposal aims to make it easier for residents to build coach houses by increasing their maximum size from 968 square feet to 1,400 square feet. Properties that have coach houses would be allowed to have an extra 500 square feet of buildable space.

https://www.westerninvestor.com/real-est...er-homes-may-not-have-basements-12397278

[Migrant_Coconut]

Is this an upgrade or a downgrade?

[mcj]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Is this an upgrade or a downgrade?

Our ground doesn't freeze and I would imagine foundations are cheaper without? If they were excluded from FSR but seems like they're increasing permitted above ground to compensate. Upgrade I'd say, but if you're someone who is scared of 3 storey buildings then maybe not.

[jollyburger]

New 19-storey highrise proposed for West Vancouver's Ambleside area

A proposal for a new 19-storey condo tower in the heart of West Vancouver’s Ambleside apartment area will go to a public hearing at the end of June.

West Vancouver council voted Monday to have the public weigh in on the proposed highrise tower June 29.

The proposal by Wall Financial is for new 19-storey strata infill building which would be built at 1552 Esquimalt Ave. on a block between Esquimalt and Duchess avenues and 15th and 16th streets.

The highrise proposed for the site would include 126 new apartments, in a mix of studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units.

The new highrise would be in addition to the existing 20-storey Ambleside Towers rental apartment building currently on the site, which would be retained as a rental building in perpetuity as part of the approval for the new tower.

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/new-19...-west-vancouvers-ambleside-area-12414894

[seamusmcduff]

A modest proposal that fits the surrounding context well, so of course it will be rejected since it's west van

[officedweller]

Inside the new Harry Jerome Centre:

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DaTvKjBP0IS/

[officedweller]

Inside North Vancouver's newly opened $230-million Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/new-harr...th-vancouver-open-design#google_vignette

[jozero]

So the Community Centre "opened" and the major features are the Ice Rink and the Pool, and then a nice community area with a Nomad coffee shop

But .... the pool isnt open, the coffee shop isnt open, the change rooms arent open, the showers arent working, and the ice rink isnt open?

However the large empty rooms are open

I dont mean to be a Debby downer but what was the point of this? Is there a local election coming up? Why not just wait a few months?

[RedArbutus]

This is what the CoNV website says:

The overall construction of the new centre has now surpassed the 85% complete stage. The centre is scheduled to open its doors and welcome the public on July 25, 2026.

Beginning July 27, multipurpose spaces, the art studio, youth centre, atrium, gymnasium and fitness areas will be open for regular public use. Gymnasium washrooms are available for changing beginning in late July. Showers, gendered and universal change rooms are expected to be completed in August.

The aquatics centre (pools, sauna, steam room, showers, change rooms) is going through final checks, testing, staff training and health authority approvals. The opening date for the aquatic facilities will be announced once all required approvals have been received, and is anticipated to be ready for programming and lessons this fall.

I get that a big portion of it isn't ready yet, but that's not a negligible amount that opened, either. Opening the youth center, studios, and the gym is a big deal, and it surely wouldn't fly politically to wait another month or two just for the sake of a grand(er) opening. Municipal governments are (and should be) expected to prioritize public accessibility as much as possible. The alternative is pushing the opening ceremony which might be a little bit anticlimactic if the point is to introduce the North Shore public to the space at large.

[jozero]

Originally Posted by RedArbutus

I get that a big portion of it isn't ready yet, but that's not a negligible amount that opened, either. Opening the youth center, studios, and the gym is a big deal, and it surely wouldn't fly politically to wait another month or two just for the sake of a grand(er) opening. Municipal governments are (and should be) expected to prioritize public accessibility as much as possible. The alternative is pushing the opening ceremony which might be a little bit anticlimactic if the point is to introduce the North Shore public to the space at large.

Fair enough, and I guess with the old Community Centre closed just having meeting rooms is a good thing - essentially thats all that opened, the big rooms with nothing in them really. But what a weird launch. Maybe they should of announced it opening with the big launch coming later, like restaurants do

[RedArbutus]

Originally Posted by jozero

Fair enough, and I guess with the old Community Centre closed just having meeting rooms is a good thing - essentially thats all that opened, the big rooms with nothing in them really. But what a weird launch. Maybe they should of announced it opening with the big launch coming later, like restaurants do

Yeah, I agree that might have been a nicer way to handle it.

[jollyburger]

District of North Van scraps plan for 40-unit supportive housing project

The plan announced in May called for modular supportive housing to be built on the site with BC Housing paying the capital and operating costs. The building was to be run by the Lookout Housing and Health Society, which currently oversees the North Shore’s homeless shelter.

The housing was to be “low barrier,” meaning people would not have to be off drugs to live in the project. Fenced grounds with a single point of entry were also among the proposed security measures.

But two months later, after receiving considerable blowback from neighbouring businesses and community members, council has done an abrupt about-face on the issue and cancelled the plan to lease the land for the housing project.

In an emailed statement Thursday, the district acknowledged the project would not go ahead “due to concerns with this site.”

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/distri...unit-supportive-housing-project-12613620