The District of North Vancouver council will consider a second reading for a project to reduce parking in a proposed townhouse development at 1900-1950 Sandown Place near Lions Gate Village centre.
The amendment, introduced after feedback from the council in June, addresses the applicant’s revised plan to lower the number of vehicle parking spaces in the 23-unit development.
Originally presented to the council in June, the project called for two parking spaces per unit. However, during the first reading, several council members raised concerns, suggesting that this parking allotment was excessive given the development’s proximity to public transit options in the Lions Gate Village peripheral area. Couns. Jordan Back. Catherine Pope, Jim Hanson and Betty Forbes expressed their concerns about parking.
“I really don’t understand why,” said Coun. Pope. “It may as well be a transit hub where it’s situated. It may as well be called one, yet there are two parking spots for every townhouse. I’m disappointed to see this.”
Coun. Jordan Back, too, was supportive of the project but objected to two parking spots. “I think the parking is a little bit of an issue, to have stalls in the town centre that are well served by transit in the middle of a climate emergency,” he said.
In response to comments from councillors, the applicant has proposed reducing the parking rate to 1.56 spaces per unit, resulting in 36 parking spaces, including four designated visitor spots. “The reduction in parking spaces will reduce vehicle trips associated with this new development, reduce construction cost associated with a smaller underground garage, and increase the portion
of the site that remains permeable,” notes the staff report.
District staff have supported the amended parking plan, noting that it aligns with the Official Community Plan (OCP) and the Lower Capilano Marine Village Centre Implementation Plan. The council will revisit the proposal for a second reading of the rezoning bylaw, following which the project is scheduled for a public hearing on October 1, 2024.
What a joke. i’ll bet everyone of those counsellors has more than one carper family and you could count the times they’ve taken public transit on one hand in the past six months.
So pleased that I don’t live in N. Van.
So visitors might chance a ticket on the street?
The ratio of parking spaces can be extrapolated with the number of bedrooms and ages of tenants.
The developer might be on the money at 1.75 spaces per unit.
In my view the reduction of parking spaces will make no difference
in the already congested corridor of Capilano Rd.
The project itself creates massive congestion on this site and
surrounding area. There is no transit increase that promotes
this area as a viable pedestrian designated only.
Louise