Currently there are 2 large development applications for the Lynn Valley Town Center.:
1177 Lynn Valley Road (Black Bear site)
1170 East 27th Street (Safeway site)
We have serious concerns surrounding these applications and have written a letter to DNV Mayor and Council outlining those concerns. The letter is as follows:
March 16, 2022
Dear Mayor and Council,
The Lynn Valley Community Association is writing to you with serious concerns surrounding two current development applications in the Lynn Valley Town Centre:
1177 Lynn Valley Road (Black Bear site)
1170 East 27th Street (Safeway site)
These are two large applications, with a smaller adjacent application at 1149-1155 Lynn Valley Road which has been on hold for almost four years.
As our OCP has been designed as a single concept and not separate parts, Lynn Valley Community Association requests these developments to be presented as a whole, so that the community can view and comment on the overall impact of the three developments.
The visuals for each individual application do not reflect the proposals for the adjoining sites. Also concerning is the lack of a concept plan and designated Planner for Lynn Valley such as there is for Lower Lynn or Lower Capilano. A schematic needs to be developed so that Lynn Valley residents can see how the proposed concepts will look and fit into our Town Centre.
Is our infrastructure sufficient?
- Water and Sewage? We know that it’s an aged infrastructure as witnessed by the multiple water main breaks we’ve seen over the past few years in our community.
- Can the electrical grid keep up? As evidenced by the ‘heat dome’ from this past summer and the below seasonal temperatures this winter, the draw on the grid to support additional draw for temperature regulation in homes saw a huge increase. Multiply that by the number of units being proposed and that creates a concern.
- Transit still remains a key issue, despite the promise that we needed to increase density in order to see transit improvements, this has not materialized. Density has increased, transit services have not improved. One area that needs addressing is that transit timetables/frequency do not take into account those who work early morning or late night shifts.
As an example: someone needing to travel from Lynn Valley to start work at 5am at the Tim Hortons on Queens Road by District Hall would have to catch a bus at 1:11am.
- Has consideration been given to deliveries for the proposed commercial space? For residential? Already, the design of Valley Centre Avenue is such that trucks cannot turn in from Lynn Valley Road if there are cars exiting Valley Centre Avenue onto Lynn Valley Road. Will there be adequate provision not just for commercial trucks, but Canada Post, Amazon and others without impacting pedestrians and vehicles?
Parking
We acknowledge the vision for pedestrian oriented centres but the reality is different, and developments need to provide adequate parking:
- Our Trades people living in our community need vehicles.
- Our Tim Hortons server needs to be at work at 5am
It is highly unlikely that there will be only one person living in each of these new units due to the high purchase/rental price and each unit will have at least one vehicle. And of course, there is the matter of customer parking for the commercial/retail area.
Loss of valued community assets
The loss of the Black Bear will be keenly felt by the community.
Despite the vision of the OCP, Lynn Valley is lacking in stores, sidewalk cafes and restaurants. Every day items such as clothes, shoes, hardware and stationery cannot be sourced in our Town Centre. We recognize that Council cannot control the tenants in our commercial spaces, but we are not seeing the opportunity for the type of commercial activity envisioned in the OCP within the Safeway and Black Bear sites.
1177 Lynn Valley Road
The application proposes to exceed the height limit set out in the Flexible Framework, which is 5 storeys. The applicant is asking for 6 storeys, although in fact the actual height will exceed that with the ground floor being designated commercial use.
The initial plan shows a loss of open space and the conceptual drawings do not fit in with the “mountain village feel” of our Town Centre.
1170 East 27th
The flexible framework “allows heights of predominantly five storeys, increasing to eight storeys at strategic locations. The framework also provides the flexibility to receive community input on and review, on a case-by-case basis, applications for developments that exceed eight storeys.”
This application ignores that the Lynn Valley Town Centre is to be defined by predominantly five, with eight storeys at strategic locations. Exceptions to the Flexible Framework now predominate.
This proposal also lacks the mountain village feel, as it has the aesthetics of a “block of flats” with an enclosed “open space”.
Who would own and manage the civic space?
Timing
LVCA received notification of this application on March 4th, with early public input closing on March 21st. We are concerned about the short time frame, especially with information and input restricted to virtual/on-line.
The Flexible Framework “allows the community to help shape the future look, feel and functionality of the area by being involved in redevelopment proposals and rezonings for the Town Centre, particularly those that ask to exceed eight storeys.”
LVCA encourages the Community to learn about development applications, and share their feedback. Only by having input from as many people as possible will Council know the Community’s wishes. This rushed, virtual input appears to thwart such due process.
We request that the opportunity for early public input be extended until such time as better schematics are available, together with concept drawing of what the west side of the mall will look like when taking all three proposals into consideration. This extension will allow for a better understanding of the proposal(s) and a broader community input on the Safeway site.
Thank you for your consideration and attention to these concerns.
Sincerely,
Lynn Valley Community Association
Board of Directors