City Council Meeting 25 Mar 2013

AGENDA

Affordable Sustainable Homes Idea Company is approaching the City to build not just affordable housing but EXCEPTIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING. 

"We wish to present a land use proposal regarding city-owned property on Alder Street,
east of St. Patrick. Specifically, we wish to propose to purchase outright or to lease this
parcel from the city for 99 years for the purpose of creating an appropriate number of
ASH residential buildings. ASH stands for Affordable Sustainable Homes, a unique
small-suite residential concept. ASH buildings contain 12 suites on three floors (four to a
floor), each with a individual 'front door' entrance. The entire building looks more like a
house than an apartment building, while achieving appropriate urban densities."

Lots of questions should asked.  Apparently, they have already been in discussions with the City   Another almost done deal that the Mayor and staff have brought public at the last minute?  Will exceptional end up meaning substandard living space?

The Canadian National Majors Lawn Bowling Championships are requesting $2500 from Council.  Do they receive annual funding and why do they have to come back for more, if so?

The 2014 Canada Street Soccer Cup wants over $11,000 to pay for rental costs from the Rec Commission to hold their event.

There will also be a report on Hydro lines as part of the low level land road project.

2 more RS-1 (family housing) dying for another 2 RT-1 duplexes on the 300 block of 11th St.

Developer and Real Estate Business Donations

Darryl Mussatto (Developers and Real Estate Businesses $26750 of 52,121)

RPMG Holdings           $5000 (really Onni Rossano De Cotiis)
Pinnacle Int                   $5000 (De Cotiis family Hotel near Quay Developer)
Rafil Architects             $1000
Pezzente Holdings       $500
Wesgroup Properties   $2500 (Developer of the Credit Union/Prescott site)
Intracorp                        $500
Millennium Dev     $500 (Developer of the failed 433 ft tower next to the Quay)
Great Pacific Capital Corp  $1500 (Jim Pattison Group)
Polygon Homes                   $1500
Westwood Ridge Dev Cor $1000
Global Pacific Ventures     $500
Westcorp Solutions Ltd    $1000
BBHC Properties Inc         $100
BT Investments Ltd          $500
Brent Developments          $500
Consolidated Investments $1000
Citimark Projects                $500
0804316 BC Ltd                  $500 Nelson Chan Principle Owner
Vernacular Design                $100
Besharart Friars Arch          $250
Anthem Local Dev                 $2000 (Extra Foods site Developer)
Adera                                      $1000

Linda Buchanan (Developers and Real Estate Businesses $4800  of $16,465.15)

RPMG Holdings                 $1500 (really Onni Rossano De Cotiis)
Pinnacle Investment          $500 (De Cotiis family Hotel near Quay)
Monord Investments          $400 (sp? Wedgewood Ventures at that address)
Citimark Projects                  $250
Rafii Architects                      $250
Polygon Homes                     $750
Adera Developments            $300
Intercorp Projects                $250
BBHC Properties                   $100
BT Investments                    $500

Juliana Buitenhuis (Developers and Real Estate Businesses $500 of $10,765.36)

Wesgroup Properties       $500 (Developer of the Credit Union/Prescott site)

Bob Fearnley (Developers and Real Estate Businesses ($1000 of $6645.59)

RPMG Holdings                 $1000 (really Onni Rossano De Cotiis)

Craig Keating (Developers and Real Estate Businesses ($6050 of $15438.24)

Pinnacle Int                   $1500 (De Cotiis family Hotel near Quay Developer)
Rafii Architects                        $500

Citimark                                   $500

Polygon Homes                       $750

Westwood Ridge Dev Corp    $750

Intercorp Projects                  $250

Adera Development                $300

BT Investments                       $500

Westview Place Developments $1000

Cheryl Leia (Developers and Real Estate Businesses ($5000 of $11151)

RPMG Holdings               $1500(really Onni Rossano De Cotiis)

Pinnacle Development     $500 (De Cotiis family Hotel near Quay Developer)

Rafii Architects                  $250

Citimark Projects              $250

Intercorp                            $250

Venacular Design               $50

Fairborne Homes               $250

BT Investments                 $500

Anson Realty                      $300

Brook Panni                        $100

Polygon Homes                  $750

Adera Dev Corp                 $300

Council Meeting 18 March 2013

Agenda

There is a Public Hearing at 7pm  BYLAW NO. 8295

322 East Keith Road.

FROM: RS-1 (One-Unit Residential 1)
TO: CD-637 (Comprehensive Development 637 Zone)

To permit the construction of a side-by-side two-unit building. A total of four parking 
stalls are proposed, with vehicle access from the lane. The applicant is seeking a 
variance to project outside the allowable building height envelope. However, the 
overall height of the building will not exceed the permitted 9.14 metres (30 feet).

It is just another single family home being turned into a duplex as the Council does most weeks in their war against family housing but there is a second public hearing which will allow duplexes in the City to legally add 2 secondary (basement) suites to each duplex property.  It is probably scheduled the week after the Onni property public hearing as the public will be tired of sitting in City Hall and it will pass without much notice or comment.


PUBLIC HEARING for ZONING BYLAW NO. 8296

To amend the text of “Zoning Bylaw, 1995, No. 6700” to permit secondary suites 
(Accessory Dwelling Units) in duplexes (Two-Unit Residential buildings).

The text amendment would allow Accessory Dwelling Units in Two-Unit Residential 
buildings in zones where Two-Unit Residential buildings are permitted. These are 
primarily, but not exclusively, the RT-1 and RT-2 Zones.

An “Accessory Dwelling Unit” means a secondary dwelling unit accessory to the 
principal duplex unit and is owner occupied, requires one additional parking stall and 
has a maximum size of 969 square feet.

A building permit application will be required to permit this use and the current BC 
Building Code standards must be complied with.

This is what Councillor Clark reversed his position on about a year and a half ago so it will likely pass unless he now wants to stick to his principles and not be fooled by the Mayor's tricks.

Of course, a lot of duplexes have illegal suites where the owners are not paying the fees or the taxes to the City or the Federal Government.  Many do not meet the building code and other health and safety requirements.  But the City government does not care, they turn an official blind eye to these lawbreakers.  When someone dies, it will be clearly the City's fault.  Perhaps the Federal government should launch an investigation on the tax cheating and the Province should launch an investigation on the health and safety violations involved.

If the City does not crack down on these illegal suites, owners will not go through the expense of registering them under this new bylaw.

There will also be an update on the CityDensifying plan to ensure the OCP promotes more and denser development which will dramatically raise the bar on building height.  Eventually the Mayor wants buildings that rival his Uncle Gregor's ones in Vancouver.

Finally there has been a motion to reconsider the Council pay increases?  

Union donations in 2011 campaign

The issue is larger than this Onni project since CUPE and union organizations provide about 25% of election donations to a slate of NDP candidates and then these candidates who are now members of Council sign the contract which is more generous with our tax dollars then it needs to be.

Candidates who agreed to the union terms and accepted large amounts of money from them in 2011 were:

Darryl Mussatto (Unions $13,850 of $52,121)

CUPE 389                                   $2500
CUPE BC & National              $3000
CUPE BC & National              $5000
CUPE 873                                     $1500
CUPE BC                                      $1500
BC Federation of Labour        $100
Heat & Frost PR Fund             $250 

Linda Buchanan (Unions $4700 of $16, 465.15)

CUPE 389                                     $650
CUPE BC                                       $650
CUPE National                            $650
BCNU                                              $2000
CAW 111                                          $500
Heat & Frost PR Fund               $250 (Marked as Cat 2 Business but is Union)

Juliana Buitenhuis (Unions $2800 of $10,765.36)

Me Financial                                  $650 (Actually CUPE 389) 

CUPE BC                                         $1300
BC Federation of Labour           $100
BCGEU                                             $500
BC Insulators                                 $250 (same as Heat & Frost PR Fund) 

Craig Keating (Unions $3300  of $15,438.24)

CUPE 389                                       $650
CUPE BC                                         $1300
Heat & Frost Insulators #118  $250CAW 111                                           $1000
BC Federation of Labour            $100

Cheryl Leia (Unions $2450 of $11,151)

CUPE 389                                         $650
CUPE BC                                           $1300
BC Federation of Labour                $100
CAW                                                   $50
Heat & Frost Insulators #118        $250 (Lee Loftus is listed as a business but this is Union)

Amanda Nichol (Unions $4700 of $5507)

CUPE 389                                           $1000
CUPE BC                                            $3500
Canadian Labour Congress             $100

The list shows a clear list of union candidates who pledge in solidarity their loyalty to their union brothers and sisters.  Would you rather have Councillors with their first loyalty to the City of North Vancouver.

Amanda denies being a member of Darryl's slate but I wonder, six positions 5 candidates plus Mary Trentadue who pulled out after receiving the CUPE 389 endorsement. Community Association members came out to a fundraiser at Cheers and walked out saying "Amanda sounds just like Darryl."

Conflict of Interest and Election Donations

The Community Charter defines a conflict:


100   (2) If a council member attending a meeting considers that he or she is not entitled to participate in the discussion of a mater, or to vote on a question in respect of a matter, because the member has

     (a) a direct or indirect pecuniary interest in the matter, or

     (b) another interest in the matter that constitutes a conflict of interest

and defines how a conflict can be created:

Restrictions on accepting gifts
105 (1) A council member must not, directly, accept a fee, gift or personal benefit that is connected with the members performance of the duties of office.

   (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to
     
     (a) a gift or personal benefit that is received as an incident of the protocol or social obligations that normally accompany the responsibilties of office,

     (b) compensation authorized by law, or

     (c) a lawful contribution made to a member who is a candidate for election to a local government.

It is very clear that that a contribution to a candidate is not legally a conflict of interest. Some people will claim that a candidate who has accepted a donation may act in conflict knowing that they would not receive a donation next election and is a direct pecuniary interest. 

Well, there is an avenue for a citizen or group who believes in this strongly and that is taking an action under the Judical Review Act. It costs about $300 to file and there may be other court or legal costs to consider.

In the Onni development since the "statutory act of Government" that would be challenged is the bylaw authorizing the OCP and zoning changes, success would mean the process would start again without the participation of the Mayor or Councillor Buchanan.  Even if it failed, it would put a pause to the development until the judge's decision.

Personally, I don't see a win here or I'd be in Vancouver filing papers right now. Even without the exception for election donations, I don't think the claim that this $5000 influenced the Mayor to do something that he would have done anyway has merit.  I think if there was a thousand floor building on 14th and Lonsdale, he'd marry it.

After the Monday meeting, I asked Onni VP Beau Jarvis if the measly little donations was really worth it considering they raise up the opposition to the project.  His angry reply, almost frothing at the mouth was hardily rational.  "What about Clark's conflict of interest? What about the lobby group Voices conflict of interest?"  He repeated lines like this several times, I backed away from him carefully, keeping my eyes on him.

Rod Clark was not paid by Onni or a subcontractor of Onni to directly or indirectly, accept a fee, gift or personal benefit that is connected with the member's performance of the duties of office.  He was paid to perform a job on a construction site.  Had Rod voted for the Onni project then the matter would deserve a look but he voted and spoke against Onni. How could a rational logical person make a claim of conflict?

The other conflict claim against Voices isn't even sane.

Onni`s Corporate Welfare

Onni created their mess. Why are we bailing them out? Corporate welfare at it's worse. Extremely good letter in the North Shore News on Sunday.

My letter to Council

To City of North Vancouver Council

I would like to register my opposition to the Onni development proposal.  The OCP has already limited zoning to 180' which is 60' above what I believe it should be set at.  

Tonight we will hear from a lot of people in support who will personally profit from this project.  We will also hear from people who think this project will provide them with affordable housing who don't realize that the 12 units have been promised to a non-profit society.  We will hear from the hipsters from across the Lower Mainland who want to Yaletownize downtown North Van.  We will also hear from actual residents of North Vancouver who mostly oppose this project. I spoke to one this morning who said she is sick and tired of the never ending disruption to our downtown to build a wall of towers that divide the east and west parts of our city.  Lonsdale will become a large canyon. 

I was also quite dismayed after talking to a Councillor about a week ago and being told "It's so far along the process I have to vote for it."  No wonder why a lot of citizens think the system is rigged. We need to hear from the public closer to the beginning of the process which stays mostly in the backrooms until it's too late to scrap a bad project all together.

I also don't believe that the City has received sufficient value for the extra density it will allow, it's really corporate welfare. Onni gets the profits from 194,427 sq ft and the City gets $15.63 million in amenities. If the City gets $5.3 million from the sale or leasing of the child care space and $5.1 million for the sale or lease of the adaptive housing, I'd be very surprised.

I'd also be surprised if the City gets any value for the 47,000 sq ft it has given to Onni designated as "Employment Generating Office Use".  Onni and staff didn't even guess on the benefit actually received.  I've heard talk that the business community is desperate for this kind of office space but I heard the same talk when developed the old North Shore News site and two years after completion it stays almost empty, they have only rented to a temporary presentation center to sell condos for the Prescott.  That site also provide this "desperately" needed office space and will be available before Onni.

George Pringle

1617 Grand Blvd

Hell freezes over

I've said that the time that Mayor Mussatto would say "that's too much density" would be when Hell froze over.

This morning Satan skated to work after Darryl voted against a massive project on Western. A resident broke down in tears over the treatment that her and young daughter had endured at the hands of the developer who arrogantly explained that they should have had final approval six months ago so they to rent to an all night party crowd  that even the cops could not stop to pull some extra money was necessary.  I wondered if the owner did so to punish the local residents for their opposition to his scheme.

The rabid defense of the indefensible Onni Safeway project shows that the Mayor and his Vision North Van party has not checked into a program for density junkies so all the hipsters in Surrey who dream of flooding into the new Yaletown, don't worry.

NOTE:  The second public hearing for the Onni Safeway development is six days away on March 11th.  The sign up sheets to make a five minute comment will be out at 4:30 pm and there will be a Yes and No sheet this time to diminish Onni's manipulations.