SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2016
NEWS | A9
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Rental tower proposal up for community input Dear Editor:
People may be unaware there is a major development proposal in process for the northwest corner of 13th Street and Lonsdale Avenue. Hollyburn Properties is proposing to build a 19-storey (190 foot) rental tower. A town hall meeting has been scheduled for April 21. This is an important corner in our city. The proposed building would be a tall wall along Lonsdale, too close to the street, too high next to city hall and would overshadow the plaza and library – which has been lauded for its solar features. The Blue Shore Centre on the southeast corner is a very visually attractive, lower-height building and the Prescott tower is set back
from Lonsdale – with a total height of about 12 storeys. Even the Onni tower being built on the northeast corner has more setback and less height than this tower will have. This proposal exceeds the official community plan in both height and density. Surely there can be a design and appropriate-sized building that would complement the Blue Shore corner and city hall plaza. Where is the “aesthetically compatible” design (as noted in the OCP) happening for this corner? The building design itself is reasonable but the height and “wall” along Lonsdale are not attractive. The community vision for each side of Lonsdale is to leave the first half-block with
lower buildings, then taller towers beyond, giving a sense of space and light along the street. Why is the OCP being ignored after hundreds of people spoke up against overheight and densification, and managed to gain agreement on having maximum height and density numbers? There is a town hall meeting on Thursday, April 21, 6-8 p.m. at the Pinnacle Hotel. Be there, look at the plans and give your feedback.
Linda Heese North Vancouver
QUOTES OF THE WEEK:
Editor’s note: The site is included as a special study area within the OCP. Both the OCP amendment request and the rezoning application are subject to public and council review.
Props to a raccoon with road sense Dear Editor: Returning from the theatre one evening, my husband and I had stopped at a red light on
Third Street. It was a crosswalk and we noticed a raccoon crossing on the green light. Whether he (she) pressed the
An artist’s rendering shows Hollyburn Properties’ proposed Marlborough 3 tower looking north up Lonsdale Avenue. For project details, including a view assessment, go to cnv. org/Property-and-Development and click on “1301 Lonsdale Ave.” IMAGE SUPPLIED
button to cross we didn’t see, but thought it amazing. D.A. George North Vancouver
People don’t want families.” — Fearing eviction, Emery Village resident Natasha Vignal discusses the dearth of affordable housing – particularly for families – in North Vancouver (from an April 10 news story).
We have always robbed Peter (that is the capital account) to pay Paul (that is the operating).” — West Vancouver Coun. Mary-Ann Booth blasts the municipality’s 100-year-long pay-as-you-go policy during a debate over property taxes (from an April 13 news story).
They have the consistency of meringue.” — Canada Parks ocean director Sabine Jessen marvels at the fragility of prehistoric glass sponge reefs in the coastal waters of B.C. (from an April 15 news story). SPONSORED CONTENT
Grant Connell Keeping His Eye On The Ball
EYES ON REAL ESTATE
REAL ESTATE IN A NEGATIVE SPOTLIGHT
T
here has been so much negative attention on real estate in Vancouver lately. Last week, I brought a deal to the attention of the media that involved a realtor representing both parties in an apartment sale that was over $500,000 below market price. There could only be three possible explanations. 1. The realtor didn’t know what he/she was doing and bungled the price and thereby misrepresented the seller. 2. The owner and seller knew each other, which lends itself to the possibility that they did a private deal elsewhere to make up the $500,000 reduction from market price. This then saves the seller capital gains tax on his profit, as it’s a rental property. 3. The owner is a very generous person and just decided to give away $500,000. If this is the case, the sale hurts all the other units in the building as this sale effectively brought down the average price per square feet in the building by over $125/ft. All three options have a down side. There is a big problem in an industry when there is no accountability for flagrant abuse of both clients and the rules that govern us. Real Estate is a self-governing entity and for too long these sort of actions have gotten nothing but an eyebrow raise. DOUBLE TROUBLE: DOUBLE END DEALS I struggle with the ability of a realtor to represent both the buyer and seller. In that capacity, there are too many ways the clients can lose. This can occur when a listing agent holds back offers in order to get his own buyer. Often he cheats his sellers out of the extra money and he pockets the full commission.
THE MEDIA BROKE THESE NEGATIVE STORIES The Real Estate Council responded quickly when the negative press started with regards
to shadow flipping. Recently, they have made the penalties stiffer and are quick to investigate any allegations. I believe big changes are needed and they need to come quickly. ONE LAST SCHEME RIGHT IN OUR BACKYARDS But who would have thought we would have had an outfit in our own backyards like New Coast Realty. They have been in the news lately and have had their licenses suspended pending review and sanctions. My advice is to stick with realtors you know or who actually live here in the community - as I don’t know many realtors who would be so brave as to deceive you and then casually say hi when they run into you at a local coffee shop. MY PLEDGE TO YOU “I have an old fashioned take on what it means to be your Realtor. I believe in honesty, confidentiality and most importantly I want my clients to feel that they have someone who they know is only out for their “best interest. One of the ways I do this is by speaking up and calling out the unprofessional behaviour of our peers.”
“My advice is to stick with realtors you know or who actually live here in the community - as I don’t know many realtors who would be so brave as to deceive you and then casually say hi when they run into you at a local coffee shop.”
Angell Hasman & Associates C: 604.250.5183 E: gconnellrealty@gmail.com