When we moved to North Vancouver in 1995, we lived on Sunnyhurst Road, two blocks from the Lynn Valley strip mall (the one with the Dairy Queen). The mall is part of a 3.5-acre land parcel that includes Draycott Gardens—the rental townhouse complex built in 1972. Polygon hopes to develop four six-storey buildings that include a mix of strata and rental units and commercial properties (see Abby Luciano’s March 25 story). It’s been years since I visited the strip mall and I realized why after taking a walk around the proposed development last week. The mall is well over half-a-century old now and looks it.
The DQ is still there as is the vet, the butcher, a sushi restaurant and the Montessori preschool where my daughter attended 27 years ago. There’s a private liquor store, which was once a KFC, and those of you who were around before 1971, will remember a Quonset hut that housed the Cedar V Theatre.
Most people who attended the two public meetings at district hall in mid-April were in favour of the development, as am I. Lynn Valley is desperately in need of affordable rental housing, and this proposal includes 64 of them. What concerns me is that Ross Plaza, which is not owned by Polygon, and the Card House at 1202 Ross Road which is, are not included in the plan.
1202 Ross Road:
When we moved to Lynn Valley over three decades ago, the green craftsman house that sits on a triple lot across the road from McDonalds, was still in good shape. I was a member of the DNV Heritage Advisory Committee (HAC) when it was one of 133 heritage buildings deemed important enough to put on the district’s Heritage Register. Unfortunately, inclusion on the register doesn’t mean protection.
And that concerns both Jennifer Clay,president of North Shore Heritage and Jim Paul, architect and chair of HAC.
Clay reckons that the district missed the boat when it neglected to offer Polygon any incentives to restore and retain the house. Without a heritage agreement in place, the district is helpless when it comes to ensuring that Polygon takes care of the house. For instance, if the house was restored it could eventually become part of a multi-family housing complex such as the McNair residence on East 6th or even a restaurant such as Navvy Jack House in West Vancouver.
Clay worries that because Polygon does not own Ross Plaza and possibly never will, Card House will be left to deteriorate—what heritage advocates call demolition by neglect.
“When that new development goes in the house will start to look pretty sad and I’m concerned that people will treat it with less respect than it deserves and call for its demolition,” adds Paul.
Built in 1913:
The house was built in 1913 and owned by William Card, who worked at the Lynn Valley Lumber Company and fought in the First World War. As Clay points out, it’s one of the few remaining buildings related to the logging history of Lynn Valley.
The house is barely recognizable from its photo on the Heritage Register—it’s now wrapped inside a chain link fence, boarded up and partially covered by a blue tarp.
Paul wants council to undertake a Statement of Significance for 1202 Ross Road and put a covenant in place that designates the house as a heritage asset for the District of North Van in perpetuity. He’d also like to see the district implement a heritage maintenance bylaw to force property owners to look after our dwindling heritage assets.
The other threat, says Paul, comes from the Provincial Government in the form of Bill 25—small-scale, multi-unit housing which is being pushed upon municipalities. Essentially the bill takes away local government’s right to manage its own community by overriding local bylaws. In other words, it gives developers the right to tear down any building not legally protected before November 2025.
The district has so far refused to make the zoning changes, but if the province decides to force the issue, then none of our heritage buildings are safe.
Related:
© All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, all blog content copyright Eve Lazarus.
