West Vancouver council accused of selling public beach access trail to developer

The District of West Vancouver assembly is accused of making a woody pinch a developer that has removed entree to portion of a formation for nan public.

The waterfront spot astatine 3000 Park Lane has been listed for conscionable nether $7 cardinal and is now listed arsenic “sold – pending.”

Residents opportunity nan “pending” refers to a information by nan prospective purchaser that nan municipality closes a way to that portion of nan formation to nan public.

Beside nan way is vacant onshore owned by nan West Vancouver District that was primitively group speech for a road.

Christopher Molineux has lived successful nan area since 2011.

“This entree has been present for complete 100 years, arsenic acold arsenic I know,” he said. “I’ve been told location are documents that show its beingness successful 1918 and it conscionable serves arsenic a awesome spot for nan organization to get comparatively easy entree without excessively galore stairs.”

Molineux said nan formation entree is portion of nan characteristic of nan neighbourhood.

“Because it’s now nether threat, each of a abrupt I’ve been sifting done each these memories,” he added.

The onshore was put up for waste astir a twelvemonth agone and marketed arsenic “Your Own Waterfront” pinch “unobstructed southwest facing water views wherever you tin build your luxury dream home.”

West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager told Global News location was an connection of astir $5 cardinal that nan territory felt was excessively low.

“The spot is very constrictive truthful nan proposal that came backmost to america done unit is we should extremity up and adjacent nan full roadworthy and waste it arsenic a larger chunk and that did pull a larger offer,” he said.

Sager wanted to beryllium clear that nan nationalist is not losing entree to nan beach.

While that way is group to close, location are 2 different paths conscionable a fewer 100 metres connected either broadside of it.

Residents said this way is nan astir celebrated and nan easiest to use.

Over nan years, Molineux said they person watched nan fireworks from nan beach, had family picnics, taken retired their kayaks and spent clip pinch family and friends.

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He said nan adjacent group of stairs is not that acold away, however, location are galore much stairs.

The bigger issue, he said, is that nan West Vancouver politician and assembly seemingly would let personification to bargain nationalist formation entree aliases immoderate nationalist amenities arsenic a information of sale.

Molineux said residents were assured nan nationalist formation entree would stay erstwhile nan location connected Park Lane went up for sale.

“From what I tin tell, (the politician and council) were approached by a prospective purchaser who said ‘I’ve sewage immoderate money and you tin person this other money if you waste disconnected nan formation entree and I get that property,'” he said. “And nan assembly said ‘sounds bully to us. If you’ve sewage money, we’re consenting to perceive and waste disconnected nan formation access’ truthful they had nan gathering for it.”

Molineux said that hours aft nan July 22 gathering wherever nan rumor was discussed nan spot was listed arsenic “sold – pending.”

Sager said nan money from nan waste will spell towards buying nan past remaining waterfront location successful Ambleside and trading nan way saves residents from a taxation hike.

“To raise that money we’d person to summation nan taxes by conscionable astir 2 per cent,” he said.

Molineux said he understands money is important but immoderate things transcend money, particularly successful a organization for illustration West Vancouver.

He added that nan connection to residents and visitors is “when you spot a motion successful West Vancouver that says ‘beach access’ you tin publication successful invisible ink ‘for sale’ underneath it. That’s nan connection that comes crossed and that’s trading disconnected nan characteristic of nan community, it really is.”