Approaching Lions Gate Bridge’s north end, drivers face a stark choice: they can head west into the commercial hub of Park Royal Shopping Centre or turn east into the mid-20th-century wasteland of aging motels that welcomes visitors to North Vancouver.
A small strip of land that’s home to the landmark Earls restaurant, which introduced B.C. to casual fine dining, is technically part of West Vancouver, but the area has none of the lustre that characterizes Park Royal. The black sheep in West Vancouver’s closet graze here.
Yet an ambitious plan by the District of North Vancouver to remake the area as a neighbourhood centre known as Lions Gate Village is attracting significant investment from the likes of Larco Investments Ltd., owner of Park Royal, Darwin Construction Ltd., and smaller players. Local coffee-shop chatter tells tales of offshore investors offering tens of millions of dollars for rezoned properties in an area that promises to be the linchpin holding the North Shore together.
“The district sees this becoming a complete neighbourhood, with many new towers, a significant amount of commercial space, some more hotel space and about 2,000 units of housing,” said Dan Milburn, acting general manager of the district’s planning, properties and permits division.
The district’s official community plan, adopted in 2011, anticipates an additional 45,000 people in the municipality by 2030. It also encourages economic development within municipal boundaries, setting an ambitious goal of increasing commercial-industrial floor space to approximately eight million square feet by 2030.
Growth will be anchored by a network of eight neighbourhood centres located at strategic points along an “enhanced transit, energy and utility corridor” stretching from Seymour Creek to Ambleside, where Grosvenor Canada Ltd. is pursuing its ambitious redevelopment in the 1300-block of Marine Drive.
The evolution of the Maplewood, Lynn Valley and Seylynn areas shows what’s in store for Lions Gate Village, where plans call for 100,000 square feet of commercial space, as well as 100 to 170 new hotel units in conjunction with some of the 2,000 residential units slated for the area.
The district’s vision for the area includes “local-serving office” space as well as provisions for home-based businesses and live-work units that reflect the strong neighbourhood focus of North Shore residents. The initiatives could support the addition of 10,000 jobs, increasing local employment to 36,000 by 2030.
“It’s going to dramatically change this area and create all the positive things we want,” Milburn said of plans for Lions Gate Village. “[A] complete walkable community, commercial development close to residential, close to parks, close to Vancouver.”
Among the first projects is Larco’s plan for 460 residential units with 5,000 square feet of commercial space and a 100,000-square-foot below-ground self-storage facility.
Pacific Gate Investments Ltd. has approval for four buildings at 2010 Marine Drive, including 37,000 square feet of commercial space, while the Pirani family plans a 160,000-square-foot hotel with 48,000 square feet of shops on the Best Western Capilano Inn site in the 1600-block of Capilano Road.
The redevelopment plans require a close working relationship with West Vancouver, which neighbours the district and has jurisdiction over the Earls site at 303 Marine Drive that Darwin plans to redevelop with a mix of multi-family units for sale and lease.
Darwin declined to provide further details pending submission of its rezoning application.
“There are lots of technical issues around access and servicing,” Milburn said, explaining that district staff meet regularly with their counterparts in West Vancouver to discuss proposals.
The District of West Vancouver will begin updating its own official community plan later this year, but in the meantime staff exchanges provide a basis for a shared understanding of development between the two municipalities, said Jeff McDonald, West Vancouver communications director.
“There are a lot of shared things like pipes and wires and roads between the two municipalities,” McDonald said.
The process promises to lay the foundation for greater co-ordination between the three North Shore municipalities as the region evolves.
“This is the key corridor, running through the three communities,” Milburn said of the belt of land running from Marine Drive to Maplewood. “Its importance is just going to grow and grow and grow.” •
