Transcript: Metro Staff on West Van sprawl (14-Jan-2011)

Excerpt of transcript of meeting
Metro Vancouver Board meeting on Regional Growth Strategy
14-Jan-2011
(Times are from recording obtained by FOI request)

Speakers:
Question: Metro Vancouver Board Member representing Bowen Island (Peter Frinton)
Answer: Regional Development Division Manager for Metro Vancouver (Christina DeMarco)

Excerpt of critical words (see complete text further below):

Bowen Island (Frinton) asked: … Is the Urban Containment Boundary as it pertains to West Vancouver consistent with the current build-out limit, which is the 1200 foot level….

Metro Vancouver (DeMarco) replied: … On the concordance with the [1200 foot] level, the lines do not follow exactly the contour lines, but they are approximate to [them]….

Bowen Island: … Thank you very much. I mean this answers what I think is a mischaracterization and it’s been accompanied by a lot of maps showing essentially a loss of green cover on the North Shore and I think that if West Van Council are clear about the intention of future use for that area, then I think it puts to rest some of those concerns.

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Actual spoken words:

(58:40)

Director Peter Frinton, Bowen Island: Thank you very much, Madame Chair. I just first want to say that Bowen Island is not a signatory to this so I won’t be voting, but I want to express once again our pleasure that at least we are recognized in the regional land use designations. I have a question which is about the concordance between, I guess it’s map B1, which is referencing the frequent transit network, and some of the urban containment boundary and the Special Study Area as it pertains to West Vancouver, which is the largest study area on the map. So the regional, TransLink has indicated that because of the low rate of growth in population on the North Shore, that it has allocated somewhat less resources and the only consideration in map B1 is the drawing of the green line, which is essentially is a lower route connecting with the existing transit line. So my questions are first, does the Urban Containment Boundary as it pertains to West Van, is it consistent with the current build-out limit, which is the 1200 foot level, and secondly, I guess is, if there is anticipated to be more growth, has there been consideration for a better concordance with the plan with TransLink and the plans of West Vancouver? (1:00:20)

DeMarco: On the concordance with that 1200 metre level…

Frinton: 1200 feet

DeMarco: Feet. OK. The, you can see the lines are not, don’t follow exactly to the contour lines but they are approximate to that. And in the Regional Context Statement for West Vancouver, they did include a large area that was an area under municipal consideration in the Livable Region Strategic Plan. They have actually moved that to conservation/recreation. And the area under the Special Study Area, they’ve also designated that as conservation/recreation. It’s not designated rural, it’s not designated urban. So that gives them the flexibility to look at small pockets if they’re not planning at all to urbanize that area; just small pockets where they may do some recreational cabins. It’s just still uncertain at that time, at this time, so that’s why they’ve got the Special Study Area designation on those upper levels. But its definitely not for extensive future rural/urban. So that’s the urban containment issue. And then the note, the map – that at this time reflects TransLink’s Transport 2040 and its notion of a rapid transit and proposed rapid transit – that’s a green line you’re referring to. This is exactly the map that they gave us. (49:25) They are working on a revision. They’ve just started revisions of their long-range plans and whether or not there’ll be changes, I don’t know. (01:02:05)

Bowen Island: Thank you very much. I mean this answers what I think is a mischaracterization and it’s been accompanied by a lot of maps showing essentially a loss of green cover on the North Shore and I think that if West Van Council are clear about the intention of future use for that area, then I think it puts to rest some of those concerns. (1:02:30)

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