Proposed Water Front Tower

I attended a very lively town meeting last week at the Lonsdale Quay Hotel. A proposal has come to North Vancouver City for a new development located in Lower Lonsdale which includes a 36 storey landmark building. Needless to say this caused a great deal of heated debate as this would be a departure from the Official Community Plan.

The site in question is known as “Lot 8” which is located on the West side of Lonsdale and South of Esplanade. Another parcel, referred to as the “Foot of Lonsdale”, is located at the old Seven Seas Restaurant parking lot right at the bottom of Lonsdale.

Many of the comments from the floor were based on the fact that the new tower would obstruct the view for many residences. Several speakers referred to the Official Community Plan which calls for a maximum height on the site to be limited to 75 feet while the proposal calls for a 433 foot tower.

Along with the tower come amenities which include a new plaza, public floating pool, 15,000 sq ft building for Presentation House and a street car as a shuttle to the proposed new location for the Whistler Mountaineer Station in Waterfront Park.

It should be made clear that this project is in the conceptual stage only and has not gone to council for a vote. Public meetings and forums will be scheduled if council allows the proposal to move forward. Results of the opinions expressed at the town meeting are expected around December 3, 2007.

Information regarding the proposal is available at the City’s web site, www.cnv.org