The District of North Vancouver council has approved a 12-storey hotel and 37-storey mixed-use building, the tallest on North Shore, at 1634 and 1748 Capilano Road. The decision was split 4-3, with Councillors Jordan Back, Jim Hanson, Catherine Pope and Herman Mah supporting the proposal. Mayor Mike Little and Councillors Lisa Muri and Betty Forbes opposed the development.
The development brings a 12-storey hotel with 171 units north of the Curling Road extension, parking for bicycles and 110 vehicles. It will also have a 37-storey mixed-use commercial and residential rental building, with parking for 226 cars. The residential building will have 478 units, including 430 market and 48 below-market rentals. Of these, 18 units will be operated by YWCA Metro Vancouver.
Speaking to support the development at the December 9 council meeting, Coun. Jordan Back welcomed the development.
“This developer is paying to improve the active transportation through this part of the community, there’ll be a new road through there, improving the whole traffic flow and a new bus stop. So there are many positives. I want to acknowledge all of the time it’s taken and the efforts and the extent to which this developer has gone to listen to the council in this term and the last term of council to try and determine what project is going to work best for the community and on this particular site,” he said. “ While no project is perfect, this one certainly does check off a lot of boxes, and I think it will be a great benefit overall for both the people that are living in this part of the community now and for future residents. In the public hearing, we heard overwhelming support for this project and I am happy to support this.”
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Coun. Herman Mah said there are many things he liked about the project. “There’s a significant rental housing stock, as mentioned earlier, 478 units, of which 10% is below market. One-third of the site will go for a road lay, a lot of road realignment, and this will be huge for the community. And I believe this is going to address some of the traffic issues down there, especially for residents leaving Lions Gate village,” he said. “I also appreciate that there’s a hotel, and it’s a replacement of the 171 rooms that are being lost. This will support the local economy and the tourism sector.”
Councillor Jim Hanson supported the development and emphasized the critical need for rental housing despite acknowledging significant infrastructure challenges in North Vancouver. Hanson highlighted the existing strains on infrastructure, noting issues such as congested roads, crowded recreation centers, overcapacity of schools, and hospitals being unable to meet demand. However, despite these concerns, Hanson said the development aligns with his campaign commitment to support rental housing, particularly affordable options. The project includes 478 rental units, with 48 designated as below-market and 18 affordable units operated by the YWCA for women-led households. “This is rental housing. I would not be supporting this project if it was made up of strata housing. However, in my view, our community’s need for rental housing, especially affordable rental, compels me to vote in favor of this proposal,” he explained.
Councillor Lisa Muri opposed the proposed development on Capilano Road, citing concerns about community consultation, adherence to planning processes, and the broader impact on North Vancouver’s infrastructure. Muri criticized the lack of public awareness about the project, arguing that it bypassed meaningful community engagement. “The broad community doesn’t know about this plan. Probably the local neighbourhood doesn’t know about this plan,” she said, emphasizing that public hearing attendance does not reflect widespread support. She expressed concern that residents would only learn about the project after its approval through media reports.
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She also stressed the importance of adhering to the Official Community Plan (OCP) and criticized what she sees as inconsistent planning practices. “If we’re not going to work through our Official Community Plan, and if we’re not going to work through the input of the community, why do we take the time and ask them what they think?” she questioned, adding, “Why don’t we just scrap the plan? Not waste our time, not waste the community’s time, not waste staff time.”
While acknowledging potential benefits such as the proposed hotel and the developer’s commitment to the community, Muri argued that these positives do not outweigh the importance of protecting the integrity of the planning process. She also voiced broader concerns about the cumulative strain on infrastructure, pointing to existing traffic issues and provincial housing targets that she feels are being imposed without adequate local input.
Mayor Mike Little opposed the proposed development on Capilano Road, expressing significant concerns about the lack of community engagement, adherence to the Official Community Plan (OCP), and the feasibility of the site for such high-density housing. Little criticized the council for potentially undermining future OCP discussions by approving a project that doubles the height initially planned in the OCP. “It can’t just simply be that the council is willing to double the provisions of the OCP in terms of height without going back to the community,” he said. He stressed the importance of community input, adding, “How does this build confidence in our community that the Official Community Plan is something they can rely on?”
He also pointed out that the site lacks the infrastructure to support the proposed density. “Let me tell you how this is not like Brentwood,” he remarked, referencing comparisons made during the public hearing. “We don’t have anywhere near the infrastructure and support… here, you’re hemmed into this site.”
While acknowledging the demand for housing, Little emphasized the need to balance growth with thoughtful planning and community buy-in. He expressed discomfort with approving a project of this scale without addressing these concerns. “I’d be a lot more comfortable if we had done a planning process with the community on it, and we haven’t.”
Councillor Catherine Pope supported the proposed development on Capilano Road, citing the urgent need for housing, particularly affordable options, and the project’s broader benefits to the community. “We heard from so many people… employers who need places for their employees to rent, to live on the North Shore and work on the North Shore, and businesses that need the hotels to accommodate tourists, to accommodate their clients,” she said. She also emphasized the pressing need for subsidized housing, referencing the YWCA’s report that “240 women are currently on the waiting list for this deeply subsidized type of housing.”
Pope acknowledged the project’s scale, including its status as the tallest building in the district at 37 stories, but noted that concerns about height were minimal during consultations. She pointed to rapid growth in the area and nearby developments by the Squamish Nation, which could include buildings of similar or greater height. “This kind of housing is needed. Our community is growing. Vancouver is growing,” she said, adding that without such projects, the region risks becoming “an enclave for the rich, with no one able to afford to live here.”
Councillor Betty Forbes opposed the proposed development on Capilano Road, citing concerns about the project’s scale, lack of infrastructure, and insufficient adherence to planning guidelines. Forbes criticized the dramatic height increase from 18 to 37 stories as excessive and outside the bounds of the Official Community Plan (OCP). “It’s going from 18 to 37 stories…this, as has already been stated, is insane,” she remarked. She also questioned the validity of the shadow study presented at the public hearing, describing it as incomplete. “It’s not supposed to be done at one time of the year, one part of the day, so that wasn’t even…enough information,” she said.
Forbes underscored the community’s infrastructure challenges, including overburdened transportation routes and healthcare facilities. Reflecting on her recent personal experience, she shared, “I spent eight hours with a friend in emergency last week—that’s our only hospital. And you want to put this much density into one small area?”
She warned that many residents, unaware of the development, would be shocked if it were approved. “People who don’t know about this coming are going to be aghast,” she said.
This is makes no sense, too many stories. Yes housing is needed there is only one way in and out of the area. Capilano road is already overloaded as is Taylor Way. NO THOUGHT has been given to the entire development of the area. While housing is needed at a “reasonable” rate, what is reasonable???
Infratructure all over the North Vancouver district is overdone. Yes, build it then we get transport. What about HOSPITALS, SCHOOLS???
I was under the impression we lived in a democracy???
4 to 3 council decision to move ahead on 37storey bldg.(largest in North Van)
The bldg. is double the ocp and has been negatively opposed by residents
who live and commute in the area.
Thank you Mayor Little, councillors – Lisa Muri and Betty Forbes for
not approving this decision.
I think you raise valid points. Also, parking. There is nowhere near adequate parking shown on this proposal. It’ll be cars everywhere and spilling out into surrounding neighborhoods. No big deal if supported by rapid transit, of which there is none. Brutally poor planning. Shame on those who supported this.
4 to 3 council decision to move ahead on 37storey bldg.(largest in North Van)
The bldg. is double the ocp and has been negatively opposed by residents
who live and commute in the area.
Thank you Mayor Little, councillors – Lisa Muri and Betty Forbes for
not approving this decision.
Let us bring common sense back to the decision making process!
4 to 3 council decision to move ahead on 37storey bldg.(largest in North Van)
The bldg. is double the ocp and has been negatively opposed by residents
who live and commute in the area.
Thank you Mayor Little, councillors – Lisa Muri and Betty Forbes for
not approving this decision.
Let us bring common sense back to the decision making process at DNV.
YOU have got to be kidding???????????
WE do not want this!!!!!!!!!!
Real Estate Agents, Developers and greedy NVD Councillors want this.
North Vancouver residents, the ones paying the taxes, DO NOT WANT THIS!!!!!!!!
NO!! NO!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I commented months ago pointing out the all too obvious imbalance that the original design presented, and now just look at this!
Mayor Little is correct.
If it is to be considered further, there’s a need for truck loads of additional details.
As it stands it is already out of whack with proven rules ofor the design of hospitality structures.
And once occupied, those rentals will remain off the availability lists for years representing little turn-over.
He as anyone really understood WHY the former International hotel was a runt?
You’re building this area into a corner that residents might have to live with for the coming 80 to 100 years.
Is it that sustainable?
Certainly not.
Personally I see this as a lost in the fog project.
It contradicts the age old basic design concepts of such functions even before the first brick is laid.
The approval process is wrong.
Mayor Little is right.
And…consider what may be at hand come 35 future years of sea-level rise.
Don’t become a Miami Beach!
Best wishes.
This will be a good thing, naysayers should not be such negative Nancy’s all the time. I hope for a day when our grandchildren can live nearby us.
Council should revisit this decision. The infrastructure is not in place to support a tower of this height. There are no elementary or secondary schools in this area, a recentre with no workout room or pool, only a small park, traffic so bad residents can’t get home or get out. Spread out the development and provide infrastructure not just more towers!
This is deeply disturbing. The destruction of habitat, our community and scars upon the land must not be decided lightly. May I ask exactly how many of those in need of low-cost housing will actually get a look in at a towering hotel and market value condos as are being proposed? Taking transit downtown is a gamble at the best of times. Will the developer also provide transit services for hotel guests, parking for the buyers and upgraded infrastructure to counter the stress on current systems?
No, I didn’t think so…..
Absolutely! This is NOT serving the North Shore, this is DESTROYING the North Shore!!
Jan. 3, 2024
I think the Mayor should be able to veto this project a NO. The official community plan (OCP), is our only democratic process for holding developers and council members accountable to the communities they develop. Lisa Muri and Mayor Little are absolutely right to point this out. Stop this development or it’ll set a prescedent going forward and the community will never have a say in things. Councillor Jordan Back sounds like he’s played a big part in this happening 🙁
Well done on the continuing destruction of the North Shore. I drive down Capilano Road weekly to get to work across the bridge. I already deal with asinine traffic and now you want this??
I’ve attended enough meetings to know that developers are ‘ bribing ‘ the city by footing bills. But who is really going to suffer? The locals. Who will be making a profit? The developers.
I will tell you now that the reason people do NOT stay on the north shore during travel season is because when anyone travels, they want to be close to vicinities that are open and easily accessible. The North Shore shuts down by 9pm.
We spend more money revamping roads because of your decisions and the people that suffer are the ones that travel for work.
I cannot bus because I need a vehicle for my job. The constant construction of roads to ‘ improve ‘ flow is pointless if you are constantly going to approve unnecessary structures. I can tell you now, this hotel will be empty most of the time and the prices will not be saavy nor enticing enough for people.
C’mon council, stop destroying our city. Maybe you would feel differently if you had to sit in traffic and deal with delays….
Why are the “desires” of people to live in North Vancouver more important than existing, tax paying resident’s access to reasonable traffic, facilities, hospital care.
At the very least the developers should be responsible for the increased burden to be absorbed by all.
This is great news. With tons of rental units. NIMBY is strong on the North Shore.
You are either a ‘NEWBY’ or involved in the obscene greed and financial gain from the all the destruction and over development of the North Shore.
That’s not correct. I’ve lived in North Vancouver for over a decade.
I don’t like getting political, but the reality is there are consequences to North Vancouver electing a Liberal Federal MP for the past 10 years (three election cycles). The Liberals-supported policies allow for massive immigration—an impact even bigger than the baby boomer generation. Because of this, buildings taller than 37 storeys, closer to 50+ or more, are needed to keep up with the demand. Keep building to accommodate the increase in population!
NIMBY is anti-immigration. IMO.
10 years!! YOU are a NEWBY and as I said, probably involved in the obscene greed and financial gain from the destruction and over development of the North Shore. You want 50+ stories!!?? MOVE! We have no desire to feed your greed. Those that move to the beautiful North Shore, full of trees, green spaces, wildlife, nature and then immediately remove the trees because they are inconvenient, don’t belong on the North Shore. Those that demand the removal of the green spaces in order to cover it over with concrete and asphalt, don’t belong on the North Shore. Those that complain about wildlife and demand its destruction, don’t belong on the North Shore. DON’T come to the North Shore just to tell us how it needs to change. WE LIKE the trees, green spaces, wildlife. YOU want your money making 50+ stories, DO IT ELSEWHERE. YES, NIMBY. I like my North Shore. YOU want 50+ stories, MOVE, then THAT can be YOUR back yard. .
The North Shore has elected a Liberal federal government three consecutive times—a party that supports mass immigration. Canada has one of the highest immigration rates in the world, with over eight million immigrants holding permanent residency. This represents approximately 20% of the country’s total population. As a result, millions of people are in need of homes, creating a demand for housing development.
If you were among those who voted for the Liberal party in the past (as I have), it’s important to acknowledge the consequences of our choices. This also applies to Federal NDP voters. In essence, the decisions we’ve collectively made have directly shaped the future of our own communities. Therefore, I want to affirm that you are not a NIMBY.
This is absolutely ridiculous – you’re making it increasingly untenable to live here because getting anywhere is becoming practically a full time job. You’re slamming condos on every corner and trying to funnel everyone down 1 bloody road to the bridge ! I don’t care what you do to the roads – all roads still lead to 1 ridiculous choke point – please STOP! With all that new development crammed into the busiest corner of Marine it can already take up 40 or more minutes to creep down Capilano to get to Lionsgate …traffic aside … what about schools, hospitals, doctors , daycare omg – it’s criminal what that are doing. It’s not worth it to get what … a dozen below market apartments ??? That’s the big draw? Man just build a 6 story fully below market and be done…
Affordable housing?
For who?
How disrespectful to NS residents. Noting the names of folks not to vote for in future.
Justin and the Federal Liberals have basically created the whole immigration/housing headache. Premier Eby and his housing Minister have crushed municipal councils, local planning, OCP’s and citizens groups with draconian Provincial laws and legislative over-rides.
The end result is the Canada, especially the British Columbia we now live in, with obscene, throw away the rules development’s such as this destroying all livability.
I say thank-you to those who have tried to hold the line against bad development and shame on those who support such nonsense, (including ill-informed electorate!).
I am no fan of Eby generally, but what he did with the housing OCP changes was commendable as it pushed municipalities to “somewhat” accommodate the Liberal/NDP immigration population boom.
So glad to see a new hotel to replace the decrepit ones currently on Capilano Road. As for housing – hurrah rental housing instead of condo sales!!! I am one of the DNV residents who currently rents in a basement suite and will be looking for more permanent rental housing as owners sell their older homes and they are bulldozed for 3000+ sq. Ft. Homes with maybe a tiny unaffordable suites built in! Still living under a private landlords roof and rules!!!
I commute downtown most days. Have no choice. How often will they block a northbound lane on Capilano Road? Traffic will be backed up onto the Lions Gate Bridge during rush hour if they don’t prohibit any construction activity to block lanes on Cap Road.