District of North Vancouver has advised the proponents of a proposed waterfront subdivision that their application for 1371 McKeen Avenue would be refused.
“After careful and thorough consideration, the Approving Officer for the District of North Vancouver, Mr. Dan Milburn, has advised The Waterfront Limited Partnership that if a detailed subdivision application were submitted for the property located at 1371 McKeen Ave in North Vancouver, he would refuse it.”
Wesbild proposed to subdivide a 27-acre waterfront industrial property at 1371 McKeen Avenue into seven lots, from 0.67 acres to 11.6 acres.
Wesbild acquired the property in 2017, one of the last remaining privately held waterfront industrial site with 730 feet of waterfront frontage. Currently, it has Lions Gate Marina, Lions Gate Mini Storage and 15 other tenants operating there.
Wesbild said the proposal would bring $1 billion to the local economy and generate 500 to 1,000 jobs in the next decade.
The approving officer, Milburn, said he had conducted a thorough review of all information and then determined he would refuse the application.
He cited several issues: The subdivision would create parcels of land out of character with other District waterfront industrial properties in the immediate vicinity.
It would reduce potential for trade-enabling industrial uses on the property that require large lots with marine access and potential for rail access.
It would create potential for significant office development on the property, which would be inconsistent with the objectives for the area outlined in the District’s Official Community Plan.
It would potentially compromise the industrial function of surrounding industrial properties, increase the risk of land use conflicts with neighbouring properties, and potentially result in employment growth on the property that would not be adequately served by pedestrian, cycling, and transit infrastructure.
The property, the approving officer said, would be subject to flooding or could reasonably be expected to flood.
“The proposed subdivision does not satisfy the subdivision guidelines as outlined in the Province of BC’s Flood Hazard Land Use Management Guideline,” he said.
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